H.R. 5751House115th Congress (2017-2019)Passed House

Golden Spike 150th Anniversary Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 9:54 PM UTC

The Golden Spike 150th Anniversary Act changes the name of the Golden Spike National Historic Site to the Golden Spike National Historical Park and creates a new “Transcontinental Railroad Network” within the National Park Service. The Network will link park sites and other public or private places that are tied to the history of the transcontinental railroad, and the Secretary of the Interior will develop education materials, a common symbol, and cooperative agreements to support it. The bill also sets up streamlined review for certain small‑scale activities on historic crossings and lets nearby landowners help control invasive species, without providing any new funding.

Key Provisions

Renames the Golden Spike National Historic Site as the Golden Spike National Historical Park and treats all prior references as referring to the new name.
Directs the Interior Secretary to establish a Transcontinental Railroad Network that includes National Park Service units, eligible federal, state, local, and private properties, and related educational or research programs.
Requires the Secretary to produce educational resources, highlight immigrant labor contributions, adopt a uniform Network symbol, and enter cooperative agreements with other agencies and private entities.
Mandates a programmatic agreement with Utah’s historic preservation office to allow streamlined review of limited, low‑impact activities (“certain undertakings”) on historic crossings within the park.
Sets a 30‑day review window for landowner‑submitted proposals for such undertakings, provided they meet defined criteria.
Allows adjacent landowners, upon request, to assist in invasive‑species eradication on park land for up to ten years, subject to approval and indemnification.
Specifies that no new money is authorized; the program must be funded from existing appropriations.

Legislative Activity

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16 earlier actions

SenateCommittee Latest Action

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 115-526.

National Parks Subcommittee

August 15, 2018

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

May 10, 2018

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

May 10, 2018

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.

Federal Lands Subcommittee

May 15, 2018

HouseCommittee

Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Federal Lands Subcommittee

May 22, 2018

HouseCommittee

Subcommittee on Federal Lands Discharged.

Natural Resources Committee

June 6, 2018

HouseCommittee

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

Natural Resources Committee

June 6, 2018

HouseCommittee

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

Natural Resources Committee

June 6, 2018

HouseCommittee

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 115-782.

Natural Resources Committee

June 25, 2018

HouseCalendars

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 608.

June 25, 2018

HouseFloor

Mr. Bishop (UT) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

June 25, 2018 • 3:56 PM

HouseFloor

Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5591-5593)

June 25, 2018 • 3:56 PM

HouseFloor

DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5751.

June 25, 2018 • 3:56 PM

HouseFloor

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H5591-5592)

June 25, 2018 • 4:01 PM

HouseFloor

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5591-5592)

June 25, 2018 • 4:01 PM

HouseFloor

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

June 25, 2018 • 4:01 PM

SenateIntro Referral

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

June 26, 2018

SenateCommittee

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 115-526.

National Parks Subcommittee

August 15, 2018

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about H.R. 5751 on the floor

1 Republican1 Democrat

Rep. Rob BishopR-UT-1 · Jun 25, 2018

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5751) to redesignate Golden Spike National Historic Site and to establish the Transcontinental Railroad Network, as amended. Mr.…

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5751) to redesignate Golden Spike National Historic Site and to establish the Transcontinental Railroad Network, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

May 10, 1869, is one of the most significant dates that we have in American history because that is the date when a congressionally mandated provision to try to unite the two oceans on this continent Nation together actually came into being.

The final spike that was put into this effort that was originated by Congress and, actually, oddly enough, Congress had to get them to stop going at different directions and come together at one point, took place in Promontory Summit in my State of Utah, in my district, about 30 miles from where I live.

This is a prominent symbol of the most significant achievement we had in the 19th century. It is, for transportation, as significant as landing a man on the moon would be for the 20th century.

Having the rail system go in there meant that some of my ancestors who had to walk every step across the plains, taking months to get to Utah, could now do it in 7 days on the new train that was going through there.

This is one of those things that has the support of the National Park Service, which wants to make sure that some of the less visual parks are given the quality attention they deserve, to make them something that is important for the future history of this country.

So it is not just going to be a park. This is going to be a historic park, and it is going to be part of a transcontinental railroad network that will take all sorts of other activities that deal with transportation within the area, allow them to make them more public, and allow people to spend several days visiting different areas.

It is also important since, ironically, within a few miles of this location is also the site where most of the motors that were made for outer space travel were also built at the same time.

This can also become a hub of truly educational value about transportation in both the 19th century as well as the 20th century. It can also be an opportunity to tell the story of the literally thousands of immigrants who helped build the system going both ways in both directions. And it establishes a process so that challenges that have been longstanding with neighboring landowners can be resolved in an easy and simple way not only now but also going into the future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill which will make the Golden Spike a national historical park in time for the 150th birthday which will be May 10, 2019.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I invite all of you out next May 10 to a celebration at this site. It will be a party you will not forget.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues' adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Rep. Anthony G. BrownD-MD-4 · Jun 25, 2018

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5751 redesignates the Golden Spike National Historic Site as the Golden Spike National Historical Park and directs the…

Bill Text

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Referred in SenateIssued June 26, 2018

IIB

115th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 5751

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 26, 2018

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

AN ACT

To redesignate Golden Spike National Historic Site and to establish the Transcontinental Railroad Network.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Golden Spike 150th Anniversary Act.

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

Adjacent landowner

The term adjacent landowner means the non-Federal owner of property that directly abuts the Park boundaries.

(2)

Historical crossing

The term historical crossing means a corridor with a maximum width of 30 feet across former railroad rights-of-way within the Park—

(A)

that has been used by adjacent landowners in an open manner multiple times in more than 1 of the past 10 years for vehicle, farm machinery, or livestock travel; or

(B)

where existing utility or pipelines have been placed.

(3)

Network

The term Network means the Transcontinental Railroad Network established under section 4.

(4)

Park

The term Park means the Golden Spike National Historical Park designated under section 3.

(5)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service.

(6)

Transcontinental Railroad

The term Transcontinental Railroad means the approximately 1,912-mile continuous railroad constructed between 1863 and 1869 from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Francisco, California.

Redesignation

(a)

Redesignation

The Golden Spike National Historic Site designated April 2, 1957, and placed under the administration of the National Park Service under the Act of July 10, 1965 (79 Stat. 426), shall be known and designated as the Golden Spike National Historical Park.

(b)

References

Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the Golden Spike National Historic Site shall be considered a reference to the Golden Spike National Historical Park.

(c)

Network

The Park shall be part of the Network.

Transcontinental Railroad Network

(a)

In general

The Secretary shall establish, within the National Park Service, the Transcontinental Railroad Network. The Network shall not include properties used in active freight railroad operations (or other ancillary purposes) or reasonably anticipated to be used for freight railroad operations in the future.

(b)

Study

The Secretary shall—

(1)

inventory National Park Service sites, facilities, and programs; and

(2)

identify other sites, facilities, and programs,

to determine their suitability for inclusion in the Network, as delineated under subsection (e).

(c)

Duties of the Secretary

In carrying out the Network, the Secretary shall—

(1)

produce and disseminate appropriate education materials relating to the history, construction, and legacy of the Transcontinental Railroad, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic information;

(2)

identify opportunities to enhance the recognition of immigrant laborers’ contributions to the history, construction, and legacy of the Transcontinental Railroad;

(3)

enter into appropriate cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding to provide technical assistance under subsection (d); and

(4)

create and adopt an official, uniform symbol or device for the Network and issue guidance for the use of such symbol or device.

(d)

Elements

The Network shall encompass the following elements:

(1)

All units and programs of the National Park Service that are determined by the Secretary to relate to the history, construction, and legacy of the Transcontinental Railroad.

(2)

With the consent of each person owning any legal interest in the property, other Federal, State, local, and privately owned properties that have a verifiable connection to the history, construction, and legacy of the Transcontinental Railroad and are included in, or determined by the Secretary to be eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic Places.

(3)

Other governmental and nongovernmental programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature that are directly related to the history, construction, and legacy of the Transcontinental Railroad.

(e)

Cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding

To achieve the purposes of this section and to ensure effective coordination of the Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network described in subsection (d) with National Park System units and programs of the National Park Service, the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding with, and provide technical assistance to, the heads of other Federal agencies, States, units of local government, regional governmental bodies, and private entities.

Agreements affecting certain historical crossings

(a)

Programmatic agreement

No later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a Programmatic Agreement with the Utah State Historic Preservation Office and other consulting parties to add certain undertakings in the Park to the list of those eligible for streamlined review under section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 306108). In the development of the Programmatic Agreement, the Secretary shall collaborate with adjacent landowners, Tribes, and other consulting parties.

(b)

Process for approval

After the completion of the Programmatic Agreement under subsection (a), an adjacent landowner shall give the Secretary notice of proposed certain undertakings. Within 30 days of the receipt of the notice, the Secretary shall review and approve the proposed certain undertakings if consistent with the Programmatic Agreement.

(c)

Definition of certain undertakings

As used in this section, the term certain undertakings means those activities that take place on, within, or under a historical crossing and—

(1)

will last less than 1 month and will have limited physical impact on the surface of the historical crossing;

(2)

have been implemented by an adjacent landowner or other adjacent landowners in the past; or

(3)

is the subject of a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

Invasive species control

At the request of an adjacent landowner, within 30 days of such a request, the Secretary shall authorize the adjacent landowner to participate in the eradication of invasive species in the Park for a period of up to 10 years, subject to renewal. Such an authorization shall provide—

(1)

that the invasive species proposed for eradication is identified as such by the National Park Service;

(2)

that the method, timing, and location of the eradication must be approved by the Secretary; and

(3)

appropriate indemnification of the adjacent landowner.

Funding clarification

No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized.

Passed the House of Representatives June 25, 2018.

Karen L. Haas,

Clerk.