Committee Advances Bills to Modernize Endangered Species Act, Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful

The House Committee on Natural Resources marked up and reported four bills, including H.R. 1897, the ESA Amendments Act of 2025, and H.R. 5103, the Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act. Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement:

"Today, the committee advanced important legislation to reform the Endangered Species Act. Five decades after the ESA's passage, only 3 percent of listed species have ever recovered. Special-interest lawsuits and arbitrary rules have weaponized the law against both wildlife and the communities it's supposed to help. H.R. 1897 restores science, conservation, and sustainable economic development to America's endangered species policy and returns the ESA to its original, bipartisan purpose as a tool for species recovery. We also advanced legislation that supports President Trump's efforts to clean up D.C.'s streets, memorials, and parks. The American people deserve better than the crime, graffiti, and litter overrunning their nation's capital."

Background

H.R. 1897, the ESA Amendments Act of 2025, introduced by Chairman Westerman, makes critical reforms to the ESA by establishing clear statutory definitions, focusing on species recovery, and streamlining the ESA permitting process. The legislation also provides incentives for the recovery of listed species, promotes accountability for agency actions, and creates a backstop against frivolous litigation.

H.R. 5103, the Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. John McGuire (R-Va.), codifies critical elements of President Trump's Executive Order 14252 by authorizing a program to beautify the District of Columbia and establishing the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission.

H.R. 5910, To authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian Tribes, introduced by U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), amends the Long-Term Leasing Act (LTLA) to authorize federally recognized Indian Tribes to lease land held in trust for terms of up to 99 years, subject to approval by the Secretary of the Interior.

H.R. 4284, the Small Cemetery Conveyance Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), amends the Small Tract Act of 1983 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey, without consideration, parcels of federal land, used or previously used as cemeteries, to state and local governments, Indian Tribes, and qualified land grant-merced communities.