H.R. 5470, the Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act, received a congressional hearing on September 2, 2026.
H.R. 5470 — Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act
What it does
This bill designates the Route 66 National Historic Trail as an official component of the National Trails System, covering approximately 2,400 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica along the alignments of U.S. Highway 66 that existed between 1926 and 1985. The National Park Service will administer it, but the bill explicitly prohibits federal land acquisition without owner consent, bars the creation of buffer zones, permits energy development to continue unimpeded, and prevents the designation from triggering new federal permitting requirements or eminent domain authority.
Quorum's transparency scan gave Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act a moderate transparency flag.
What happens next
H.R. 5470 received a congressional hearing. Next step: committee markup.
Who is behind it
Filed by Darin LaHood. Cosponsored by Adelita Grijalva, Ann Wagner, Chuy García and Danny Davis.
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