Gateway Arch park boundary quietly expanded by 2 acres
S. 4955 — Gateway Arch National Park Boundary Revision Act of 2026 · Filed by Richard Durbin (D-IL) · Introduced Jul 13, 2026 · Hearing held
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What it does
This bill updates the legal boundary description of Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis by changing its official name from 'Jefferson National Expansion Memorial,' increasing its authorized acreage from 100 to 102.18 acres, and replacing the reference map with a newer one dated August 2023. The change appears to formalize a modest boundary expansion and modernize the park's legal documentation.
Why we flagged it
This is a routine administrative update to a national park's legal boundary and acreage authorization. It modernizes documentation and formalizes a modest boundary adjustment without substantive policy change.
What the text implies
- The 2.18-acre expansion may include land currently in private or municipal ownership; the bill does not specify acquisition mechanism or funding, leaving unclear whether land purchase, donation, or transfer is contemplated.
- Renaming from 'Jefferson National Expansion Memorial' to 'Gateway Arch National Park' may affect historical interpretation and signage; the civic implications of the name change are not addressed in the bill text.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The boundary revision itself is a technical administrative update with no apparent direct cost or benefit to the public. However, the 2.18-acre expansion could affect local land use and public access depending on what land is added; without the actual map or details on the added acreage, the civic impact cannot be fully assessed.
Named in the bill
Gateway Arch National Park, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, National Park Service, Act of May 17, 1954, 16 U.S.C. 450jj–3(a)
Where it stands
- Jul 13, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jul 13, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text: CR S3746)”
- Sep 16, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (641 characters) on Sep 18, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,342 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-18.
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