Mississippi gets 7.43 acres of federal park land free

What it does

This bill gives about 7.43 acres of land to Mississippi. The land is part of Vicksburg National Military Park. The state must use it to help visitors. The state cannot harm park resources. The Interior Department sets rules about how the land is used.

Who it affects

Visitors to Vicksburg National Military Park may get better access. The state of Mississippi takes control of the land. The federal government gives up ownership of that land.

One thing to notice

The bill does not explain how the Interior Department rules work. It does not say who checks if the state follows them.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 3 Republicans.

• Jul 16, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jul 16, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
• Sep 18, 2025 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
• Nov 20, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Nov 20, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent”
• Mar 16, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2509)”
• Mar 16, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”
• Sep 22, 2026 — Passed both chambers · Congress.gov: “Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4882)”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 4 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $219,080 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 4 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 61% of bills with any report.

Bennie Thompson, who sponsored the bill, received $614,000 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• National Parks Conservation Association — $139,430 in 1 report
• Foundation for Mississippi History — $60,000 in 2 reports
• American Battlefield Trust — $19,650 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• Vicksburg National Military Park — A park in Mississippi that honors a Civil War battle and soldiers.
• Interior Department — The federal agency that manages national parks and public lands.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.