This bill redesignates the César E. Chávez National Monument (created in 2012) as the César E.
Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park and sets up statutory authorities to preserve, interpret, and link places associated with Chávez and the farmworker movement across California and Arizona.
It authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land (by donation, purchase from willing sellers, or exchange), enter cooperative agreements with public and private partners, prepare a general management plan, and add route-based recognition by directing an amendment to the National Trails System Act to establish the Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail. The measure focuses federal protection and NPS interpretation while relying on cooperation with landowners and organizations to assemble and manage the park network.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill redesignates an existing Presidential monument as a national historical park, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire or accept interests in land within a proposed boundary, and directs preparation of a general management plan to evaluate additional sites and linkages. It also amends the National Trails System Act to add a Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail.
Who It Affects
The National Park Service and Department of the Interior will gain a new unit and authorities; owners of historically significant sites in California and Arizona (and potential partner organizations) face transfer or agreement opportunities; local governments, heritage organizations, and tourism stakeholders will engage in planning, interpretation, and site stewardship.
Why It Matters
The bill converts an executive‑branch monument into a statutory NPS unit with clearer authorities to acquire land, enter partnerships, and plan for an expanded, multi‑site story of the farmworker movement — enabling federal preservation and interpretation while leaving much of the practical assembling and funding to voluntary deals and cooperative agreements.
More articles like this one.
A weekly email with all the latest developments on this topic.
What This Bill Actually Does
The bill turns the 2012 César E. Chávez National Monument into a named National Historical Park dedicated to preserving and interpreting sites tied to César Chávez and the farmworker movement.
Rather than creating one contiguous federal park, it establishes a network approach: a defined proposed boundary is published as a map, and the Secretary can bring individual sites into the park by acquiring land or by entering written agreements with existing owners. Once a site is included, the NPS treats it as part of the historical park for administration and interpretation.
Land acquisition authority is limited to donations, purchases from willing sellers (using donated or appropriated funds), or exchanges. The Secretary is required to make the park map available for public inspection and must publish a Federal Register notice within 30 days after formally adding any site.
The bill also preserves existing funds previously allocated to the Presidential monument for use by the newly designated park.On management, the Secretary must prepare a general management plan within a three‑year window after funds become available. That plan must evaluate whether additional sites reviewed in the 2013 National Park Service study — including candidate locations in the Coachella Valley, other representative sites in California and Arizona, or relevant sites outside those states — should be added or linked for interpretation.
The Secretary must consult current landowners, Federal, State, and Tribal entities, and named Chávez organizations while preparing the plan, and report recommendations to the congressional natural‑resources committees.Separately, the bill amends the National Trails System Act to add the Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail, a roughly 300‑mile route between Delano and Sacramento identified in the 2013 study. The trail designation is route recognition rather than a land takings mechanism; it will require coordination with state and local land managers to implement any on‑the‑ground trail facilities and interpretation.Finally, the statute explicitly references the map that delineates the proposed boundary, authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance and interpretation for non‑federally owned sites, and authorizes cooperative agreements with states, local governments, public and private organizations, and individuals to preserve, develop, and interpret historical park sites.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill redesignates the 2012 César E. Chávez National Monument as the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park, converting an executive proclamation area into a statutory NPS unit.
The statutory boundary is tied to a specific map (No. 502/179857B) dated September 2022 that the Secretary must make available for public inspection.
A site (for example, The Forty Acres in Delano; Santa Rita Center in Phoenix; McDonnell Hall in San Jose) may only be added to the park after the Secretary acquires the land or an interest in it or enters a written agreement with the landowner; the Secretary must publish a Federal Register notice within 30 days after adding a site.
The Secretary may acquire land only by donation, purchase from a willing seller (with donated or appropriated funds), or exchange — eminent domain is not authorized — and may enter cooperative agreements with states, localities, nonprofits, and individuals.
The bill adds the Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail to the National Trails System (described as an approximately 300‑mile route between Delano and Sacramento, referenced as ‘Alternative C’ in the 2013 NPS study).
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Short title
Provides the Act’s short title: the "César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act." This is a formal naming provision that anchors subsequent references and citations to the new statutory unit.
Purpose
Sets three statutory purposes: preserve and interpret resources tied to César Chávez and the farmworker movement, expand public understanding of their national significance, and support a network of related sites. These enumerated purposes guide NPS priorities when drafting the general management plan and when negotiating cooperative agreements.
Definitions and map reference
Defines key terms used throughout the Act, including ‘historical park,’ ‘map’ (the specific map number and date), ‘Secretary,’ ‘States’ (California and Arizona), and the 2013 National Park Service Study. Tying the park to a discrete map and a named study constrains future boundary debates and requires the NPS to use those documents as interpretive and planning anchors.
Redesignation of the 2012 monument
Formally redesignates the Presidential monument as a National Historical Park, makes funds available that had been allocated to the monument available for the park, and treats prior statutory and documentary references to the monument as references to the park. The effect is to preserve continuity of funding and legal references while changing the unit’s statutory character and administrative expectations.
Boundary, site inclusion, acquisition, and administration
Specifies that the park boundary initially includes the area shown as the monument on the map, and allows the Secretary to include three named additional sites shown on the map (Forty Acres; Santa Rita Center; McDonnell Hall) only after acquisition or a written management agreement with owners. The section requires a Federal Register notice within 30 days of any addition, authorizes land acquisition by donation, willing‑seller purchase, or exchange, and directs that the park be managed under the laws applicable to National Park System units. The Secretary is explicitly empowered to provide technical assistance for historic sites the NPS does not own and to enter cooperative agreements for preservation and interpretation.
General management plan requirements
Requires the Secretary to prepare a general management plan within three years of when funds are available, and to use that plan to evaluate additional sites identified in the 2013 Study — including Coachella Valley candidates, other representative sites within the States, and sites outside the States that relate to the farmworker movement. The plan must be prepared in consultation with landowners and identified Chávez organizations and submitted with recommendations to the relevant congressional committees.
Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail study addition
Amends the National Trails System Act to add the Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail (the approximately 300‑mile Delano–Sacramento route studied in 2013) as a designated route. This adds route recognition and a statutory study reference but does not in itself create a federal land takings authority; implementation will depend on subsequent coordination with state and local entities.
This bill is one of many.
Codify tracks hundreds of bills on Government across all five countries.
Explore Government in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- National Park Service — gains a new statutory unit, clearer authorities to acquire land, enter partnerships, provide technical assistance, and interpret the farmworker movement at multiple sites, expanding NPS mission and grant/operational scope.
- César Chávez organizations (e.g., the National Chávez Center, César Chávez Foundation) — receive formal federal recognition, a consultative role on planning, and potential partnership opportunities for interpretation and stewardship.
- Local economies and heritage tourism stakeholders in Delano, San Jose, Phoenix, and the Coachella Valley — stand to benefit from increased visitation, grant eligibility, and infrastructure investment tied to NPS planning and interpretation.
Who Bears the Cost
- Private landowners of candidate sites — face decisions about selling, granting management agreements, or continuing independent stewardship; voluntary sales shift maintenance and stewardship responsibilities to federal or partnered entities if executed, and owners may face public scrutiny over future uses.
- Federal government / National Park Service — will need to fund acquisitions, planning, interpretation, and ongoing operations; the bill presumes availability of funds but does not appropriate new sums, so NPS must allocate budget or seek appropriations.
- Local governments and non‑profit partners — will likely absorb planning, zoning coordination, and potential matching‑fund responsibilities for trail and site improvements; they may also bear short‑term planning and permitting costs during implementation.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The bill balances national recognition and preservation of an important civil‑rights and labor history against a reliance on voluntary land transactions and partnerships; it secures federal authority to interpret and link sites but leaves the actual assembly, funding, and day‑to‑day stewardship to negotiations and appropriations — a trade‑off between respecting private control and achieving comprehensive federal protection.
Two implementation constraints are central. First, the bill depends heavily on voluntary transactions and cooperative agreements to assemble park properties: acquisitions are limited to donations, purchases from willing sellers, or exchanges.
That approach avoids condemnation but means the park’s scope will be shaped by market willingness, private owner preferences, and available appropriations, not by the statute alone. Practically, sites named in the statute cannot be brought under NPS control until the Secretary secures an interest — leaving gaps between federal recognition and on‑the‑ground management.
Second, the statute creates multi‑jurisdictional management and interpretation challenges. The park spans two states, contemplates partnerships with a variety of owners and organizations (including named Chávez entities), and adds a lengthier historic trail route.
Effective protection and visitor experience will require coordination across federal, state, local, tribal, and private actors. The bill sets consultation and planning requirements but does not appropriate funds for acquisitions, GMP implementation, or long‑term trail stewardship, creating uncertainty about who will pay for capital and recurring costs.
There is also an interpretive governance question: with multiple stakeholders invested in Chávez’s legacy, the Secretary’s obligation to consult does not resolve competing visions for how history is told at each site.
Try it yourself.
Ask a question in plain English, or pick a topic below. Results in seconds.