I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2650
To prohibit the study or implementation of any plan to privatize, divest, 
or transfer any part of the mission, function, or responsibility of the 
National Park Service. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 26, 2003
Mr. RAHALL (for himself, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. 
RODRIGUEZ, and Mr. HOYER) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To prohibit the study or implementation of any plan to 
privatize, divest, or transfer any part of the mission, 
function, or responsibility of the National Park Service.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. PARK PROFESSIONALS PROTECTION. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Park Professionals Protection Act’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The National Park System is recognized 
throughout the world as a model for the conserva-
tion and enjoyment of natural, scenic, recreational, 
cultural, and historic resources. 
(2) The National Park System would never 
have achieved such status, nor could the system 
maintain such status, without the professionalism, 
dedication, and passion of the men and women of 
the National Park Service. 
(3) Current plans to privatize thousands of jobs 
within the National Park Service ignore the unique 
contributions made by the men and women of the 
National Park Service and threaten to undermine 
the entire National Park System. 
(4) Scarce park operations and maintenance re-
sources are being diverted to pay private consultants 
to study the current privatization scheme. According 
to the National Park Service, these studies cost ap-
proximately $3000 for each position proposed to be 
privatized. 
(5) Despite the millions of taxpayer dollars di-
verted to these studies, not a single report has been 
published documenting any cost savings to be gen-
erated by the privatization of park operations. 
(6) The current privatization scheme raises se-
rious questions regarding the ability of temporary 
workers, provided by the lowest bidder, to adequately
fulfill the responsibilities of professional National 
Park Service employees in the areas of conservation, 
interpretation, emergency fire and rescue, and home-
land security. 
(7) The current privatization scheme appears to 
affect minority employees disproportionately, threat-
ening to significantly reduce the number of minority 
employees within the National Park Service. 
(8) Pendency of the current privatization 
scheme is having detrimental impacts on the morale 
of current employees and is discouraging high qual-
ity candidates from applying for positions within the 
National Park Service. 
(c) PROHIBITION.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, the Secretary is prohibited from studying or 
implementing any plan to privatize, divest, or transfer any 
part of what is, as of the date of the enactment of this 
section, the mission, function, or responsibility of the Na-
tional Park Service. 
(d) REALLOCATION
OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, the Secretary shall withhold 
any funds currently dedicated to the activities prohibited 
under subsection (c) and shall reallocate those funds to 
the operations and maintenance accounts within the Na-
tional Park Service
(e) NO EFFECT ON CERTAIN PLANS.—Nothing in 
this section shall effect the authority, as of the date of 
the enactment of this section, of a National Park Service 
Superintendent to develop and implement concessions 
management plans and commercial services plans cov-
ering, in whole or in part, the area managed by that Su-
perintendent. 
(f) SECRETARY DEFINED.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 
means the Secretary of the Interior and any person em-
ployed by the Secretary of the Interior in any capacity.
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