Legislative hearing on H.R. 4671, H.R. 4931, H.R. 5063, H.R. 5103 and H.R. 5254

The House Committee on Natural Resources GOP held a legislative hearing on December 3, 2025, to discuss several bills including H.R. 4671, H.R. 4931, H.R. 5063, H.R. 5103, and H.R. 5254. The hearing focused heavily on public safety and federal land management issues, particularly in Washington, D.C., where rising crime and vandalism on federally managed lands were highlighted. H.R. 5103, the Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act, was a central topic, aiming to codify executive orders to improve safety, law enforcement coordination, and beautification efforts on federal lands in D.C. The hearing also covered H.R. 4931, which proposes giving the Secretary of the Interior authority to extend long-term leases on National Park Service lands to encourage private investment, and H.R. 5063, addressing lifeguard shortages on federal beaches. Witnesses from the Department of the Interior, law enforcement unions, local officials, and advocacy groups testified in support of these bills, emphasizing the need for enhanced funding, staffing, and interagency cooperation. The Gateway Arch Partnership Act (H.R. 5254) was discussed as a means to enable private event management to boost economic impact at Gateway Arch National Park. The hearing included discussions on budgetary and operational challenges, with calls for appropriations to support law enforcement modernization and public safety initiatives. No formal votes were recorded during the hearing, but strong bipartisan support was expressed for the legislation under consideration.