U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) today celebrated the unanimous U.S. Senate passage of their resolution to mark April 15 through April 23 as National Park Week.
This resolution is a reflection that National Parks bridges the political divides and makes the nation uniquely American. During the National Park Centennial the parks attracted record-breaking 331,000,000 recreational visits in 2016. The resolution encourages Americans and folks from across the world to visit and experience the treasured national parks of the United States.
“As a fifth generation Montanan who grew up just a short drive from Yellowstone National Park, and as Chair of the National Parks Subcommittee, I’m excited that the U.S. Senate has passed our resolution to highlight the value that our National Parks bring to our national heritage,” Daines stated. “From America’s hallowed battlefields in Gettysburg and Fredericksburg, to the glacial peaks, geysers, and big game in my home state of Montana, to the ancient cultural resources, volcanoes, and marine life of Hawaii and all across the plains, many of the units of the National Park System bring remarkable opportunities for cultural education and outdoor recreation for people from around the world to enjoy.”
“Last fall, I joined our National Park Service ohana and Hawaii students to celebrate the centennials of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park,” said Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. “National Park Week is an opportunity to continue to celebrate the rich heritage and cultural significance of the National Parks System, and to honor the 22,000 National Park Service employees in Hawaii and across our country.”
The text of the resolution can be found HERE.
Tonight Daines took to the Senate floor to speak on the importance of the resolution and asked for unanimous consent to pass S. Res 117.
Click HERE to download the video.
The resolution is also co-sponsored by Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Tom Udall (D-NM), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Al Franken (D-MN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Mark Warner (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Rob Portman (R-OH), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Barrasso (R-WY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Bob Corker (R-TN) and Angus King (I-ME), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
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