HR 2768
· 119th Congress
· Public Lands and Natural Resources
Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act of 2026
Sponsor
Latest action
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 502.
Action timeline
Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.
Apr 02, 2026
committee
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-582.
Natural Resources Committee
Apr 02, 2026
other
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 502.
Mar 05, 2026
committee
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Natural Resources Committee
Mar 05, 2026
committee
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
Natural Resources Committee
Apr 09, 2025
introduced
Introduced in House
Apr 09, 2025
introduced
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Natural Resources Committee
Text versions
Each stage of the bill — official text published by GPO. Click any format to read on congress.gov / govinfo.
Changelog
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih / is — Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh / rfs — Referred to a committee for review.rh / rs — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs / pch — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh / es — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh / rds — Received by the other chamber.eah / eas — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath / ats — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih/is— Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh/rfs— Referred to a committee for review.rh/rs— Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs/pch— Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh/es— Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh/rds— Received by the other chamber.eah/eas— Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath/ats— Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr— Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl— Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp— Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.
+41
−40
31 unchanged
--- Introduced (House)
+++ Reported (House)
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
-[H.R. 2768 Introduced in House (IH)]
+[H.R. 2768 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
+Union Calendar No. 502
119th CONGRESS
-1st Session
+2d Session
H. R. 2768
+
+[Report No. 119-582]
To amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of
Agriculture to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the
@@ -21,6 +24,15 @@
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources
+April 2, 2026
+
+Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
+House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
+[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
+in italic]
+[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April
+9, 2025]
+
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
@@ -35,43 +47,9 @@
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail
-Feasibility Study Act of 2025''.
+Feasibility Study Act of 2026''.
-SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
-
-Congress finds that the Benton MacKaye Trail--
-(1) is a scenic, nonmotorized trail that traverses
-approximately 287 miles over some of the most renowned forests
-and mountains in the States of Georgia, Tennessee, and North
-Carolina;
-(2) showcases a wide variety of scenic views, including
-high-elevation peaks, mature forests, and secluded waterfalls;
-(3) passes through wilderness that is rich with
-biodiversity;
-(4) passes through six designated Wilderness Areas, the
-Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the Chattahoochee-
-Oconee, Cherokee, and Nantahala National Forests;
-(5) provides a wide array of easily accessible hikes for
-novice and intermediate hikers, as well as more challenging
-trails for backpacking;
-(6) supports economic opportunities for numerous rural
-communities which benefit from the visitors of the trail
-spending their money on accommodations, food, and outdoor
-supplies;
-(7) runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia, through
-Tennessee, and extends through the Great Smoky Mountains
-National Park in North Carolina;
-(8) is physically accessible; and
-(9) can be maintained at a minimal cost because--
-(A) the Benton MacKaye Trail has been maintained at
-its current length since 2005;
-(B) 95 percent of the Benton MacKaye Trail is
-located on Federal land; and
-(C) the Benton MacKaye Trail has been successfully
-constructed, maintained, and managed by the Benton
-MacKaye Trail Association since 1980.
-
-SEC. 3. BENTON MACKAYE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL FEASIBILITY STUDY.
+SEC. 2. BENTON MACKAYE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL FEASIBILITY 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:
@@ -80,11 +58,34 @@
scenic, nonmotorized trail that traverses approximately
287 miles in the States of Georgia, Tennessee, and
North Carolina.
-``(B) Study.--Not later than 1 year after the date
+``(B) Study.--Not later than 2 years after the date
of the enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary of
Agriculture, in consultation with interested
organizations, including the Benton MacKaye Trail
Association, shall complete and submit to Congress the
feasibility study for designating the Benton MacKaye
Trail as a national scenic trail.''.
-<all>
+Union Calendar No. 502
+
+119th CONGRESS
+
+2d Session
+
+H. R. 2768
+
+[Report No. 119-582]
+
+_______________________________________________________________________
+
+A BILL
+
+To amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of
+Agriculture to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the
+Benton MacKaye Trail as a national scenic trail.
+
+_______________________________________________________________________
+
+April 2, 2026
+
+Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
+House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
Lobbying activity
Organizations whose LDA filings reference this bill, ranked by filing count. Position not disclosed — LDA does not require lobbyists to report support / oppose / monitor. Bill-number references can be stale (lobbyists sometimes copy text year-over-year), so verify against the filing description.
1
filings · 2026 Q1
via Senate LDA · self-reported quarterly. Filing count = filings mentioning this bill (no position required), not money spent on it. Click a client to see all bills they've filed on.
Cosponsors (3)
Members who signed on to support this bill.