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H.R. 2520House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act

Sponsored by Raul RuizRep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA)
Introduced March 31, 2025

AI-Generated Summary

Updated November 24, 2025 at 1:31 AM UTC

The César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act redesignates the existing César E. Chávez National Monument as a national historical park and expands it to include key sites in California and Arizona tied to the farmworker movement. It gives the Interior Secretary authority to acquire additional lands, manage the park, and develop a comprehensive management plan. The bill also adds the 1966 farmworker march route as a recognized National Historic Trail.

Key Provisions

  • Redesignates the existing César E. Chávez National Monument as the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park.
  • Expands the park’s boundary to include the original monument site in Keene, California, and allows the Secretary of the Interior to add three additional sites – the Forty Acres in Delano, California; the Santa Rita Center in Phoenix, Arizona; and McDonnell Hall in San Jose, California – once the land is acquired or an agreement is reached.
  • Authorizes the Secretary to acquire land for the park by donation, purchase, or exchange, and to publish notices of any new additions in the Federal Register.
  • Requires the Secretary to develop a general management plan within three years, which must consider adding more sites in California’s Coachella Valley, other locations in the two states, or related sites elsewhere in the U.S., and to submit recommendations to the relevant congressional committees.
  • Allows the Secretary to enter cooperative agreements with states, local governments, and private organizations for preservation, interpretation, and public use of the park.
  • Amends the National Trails System Act to formally recognize the 1966 Farmworker Peregrinación route from Delano to Sacramento as a National Historic Trail.

Legislative Activity

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HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

March 31, 2025

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

March 31, 2025

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

March 31, 2025

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued March 31, 2025

I

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 2520

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 31, 2025

Mr. Ruiz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To establish the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park in the States of California and Arizona, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act.

2.

Findings and purpose

(a)

Findings

Congress finds that—

(1)

on October 8, 2012, the César E. Chávez National Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation 8884 (54 U.S.C. 320301 note) for the purposes of protecting and interpreting the nationally significant resources associated with the property in Keene, California, known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz;

(2)

Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz—

(A)

served as the national headquarters of the United Farm Workers; and

(B)

was the home and workplace of César E. Chávez, the family of César E. Chávez, union members, and supporters of César E. Chávez;

(3)

while the César E. Chávez National Monument marks the extraordinary achievements and contributions to the history of the United States by César Chávez and the farmworker movement, there are other significant sites in the States of California and Arizona that are important to the story of the farmworker movement; and

(4)

in the study conducted by the National Park Service entitled César Chávez Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment and submitted to Congress on October 24, 2013, the National Park Service—

(A)
(i)

found that several sites associated with César E. Chávez and the farmworker movement—

(I)

are suitable for inclusion in the National Park System; and

(II)

depict a distinct and important aspect of the history of the United States not otherwise adequately represented at existing units of the National Park System; and

(ii)

recommended that Congress establish a national historical park to honor the role that César E. Chávez played in lifting up the lives of farmworkers; and

(B)
(i)

found that the route of the 1966 march from Delano to Sacramento, California, meets National Historic Landmark criteria;

(ii)

recommended that the potential for designation of the route as a national historic trail be further explored; and

(iii)

indicated that the National Park Service could work with partner organizations and agencies to provide for interpretation programs along the route of the 1966 march from Delano to Sacramento, California.

(b)

Purpose

The purpose of this Act is to establish the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park—

(1)

to help preserve, protect, and interpret the nationally significant resources associated with César Chávez and the farmworker movement;

(2)

to interpret and provide for a broader understanding of the extraordinary achievements and contributions to the history of the United States made by César Chávez and the farmworker movement; and

(3)

to support and enhance the network of sites and resources associated with César Chávez and the farmworker movement.

3.

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

Historical park

The term historical park means the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park established by section 4.

(2)

Map

The term Map means the map entitled Cesar E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Proposed Boundary, numbered 502/179857B, and dated September 2022.

(3)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.

(4)

States

The term States means—

(A)

the State of California; and

(B)

the State of Arizona.

(5)

Study

The term Study means the study conducted by the National Park Service entitled César Chávez Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment and submitted to Congress on October 24, 2013.

4.

César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park

(a)

Redesignation of César E. Chávez National Monument

(1)

In general

The César E. Chávez National Monument established on October 8, 2012, by Presidential Proclamation 8884 (54 U.S.C. 320301 note) is redesignated as the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park.

(2)

Availability of funds

Any funds available for the purposes of the monument referred to in paragraph (1) shall be available for the purposes of the historical park.

(3)

References

Any reference in a law, regulation, document, record, map, or other paper of the United States to the monument referred to in paragraph (1) shall be considered to be a reference to the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park.

(b)

Boundary

(1)

In general

The boundary of the historical park shall include the area identified as César E. Chávez National Monument in Keene, California, as generally depicted on the Map.

(2)

Inclusion of additional sites

Subject to paragraph (3), the Secretary may include within the boundary of the historical park the following sites, as generally depicted on the Map:

(A)

The Forty Acres in Delano, California.

(B)

Santa Rita Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

(C)

McDonnell Hall in San Jose, California.

(3)

Conditions for inclusion

A site described in paragraph (2) shall not be included in the boundary of the historical park until—

(A)

the date on which the Secretary acquires the land or an interest in the land at the site; or

(B)

the date on which the Secretary enters into a written agreement with the owner of the site providing that the site shall be managed in accordance with this Act.

(4)

Notice

Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary includes a site described in paragraph (2) in the historical park, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register notice of the addition to the historical park.

(c)

Availability of Map

The Map shall be available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service.

(d)

Land acquisition

The Secretary may acquire land and interests in land within the area generally depicted on the Map as Proposed NPS Boundary by donation, purchase from a willing seller with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange.

(e)

Administration

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall administer the historical park in accordance with—

(A)

this section; and

(B)

the laws generally applicable to units of the National Park System, including—

(i)

section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and sections 100751(a), 100752, 100753, and 102101 of title 54, United States Code; and

(ii)

chapter 3201 of title 54, United States Code.

(2)

Interpretation

The Secretary may provide technical assistance and public interpretation of historic sites, museums, and resources on land not administered by the Secretary relating to the life of César E. Chávez and the history of the farmworker movement.

(3)

Cooperative agreements

The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with the States, local governments, public and private organizations, and individuals to provide for the preservation, development, interpretation, and use of the historical park.

(f)

General management plan

(1)

In general

Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are made available to carry out this subsection, the Secretary shall prepare a general management plan for the historical park in accordance with section 100502 of title 54, United States Code.

(2)

Additional sites

(A)

In general

The general management plan prepared under paragraph (1) shall include a determination of whether there are—

(i)

sites located in the Coachella Valley in the State of California that were reviewed in the Study that should be added to the historical park;

(ii)

additional representative sites in the States that were reviewed in the Study that should be added to the historical park; or

(iii)

sites outside of the States in the United States that relate to the farmworker movement that should be linked to, and interpreted at, the historical park.

(B)

Recommendation

On completion of the preparation of the general management plan under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives any recommendations for additional sites to be included in the historical park.

(3)

Consultation

The general management plan under paragraph (1) shall be prepared in consultation with—

(A)

any owner of land that is included within the boundaries of the historical park; and

(B)

appropriate Federal, State, and Tribal agencies, public and private organizations, and individuals, including—

(i)

the National Chávez Center; and

(ii)

the César Chávez Foundation.

5.

Farmworker Peregrinación National Historical Trail study

Section 5(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(50)

Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail

The Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail, a route of approximately 300 miles taken by farmworkers between Delano and Sacramento, California, in 1966, as generally depicted as Alternative C in the study conducted by the National Park Service entitled César Chávez Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment and submitted to Congress on October 24, 2013.

.