Congress·In Progress·H.R. 5497

Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act

Apostle Islands: National Park Redesignation

Feb 11·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

This bill is currently in the House Committee on Natural Resources where it was approved with changes on February 10, 2026. No further action has been recorded on the bill since February 2026. The bill must now be reported to the full House for further consideration.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 9111 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 9111 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill would change the name of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin to the Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve. If passed, this would create the first official National Park in the state of Wisconsin.
The area would be divided into two sections. The 'National Park' portion would focus on conservation and would generally ban hunting and trapping. The 'National Preserve' portion would continue to allow hunting and trapping exactly as it is permitted today.
Fishing rules would not change under this plan. Additionally, the bill explicitly protects all existing treaty rights for Native American Tribes, ensuring they can still hunt, fish, and gather on the land as they have in the past.
The government would be required to add new educational displays at visitor centers. these signs would explain the history of the region, including the stories of the Ojibwe tribes, the fur trade, logging, and the area's famous lighthouses.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

3 milestones4 actions

Feb 11, 2026House

Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 20 - 17.

The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.

Feb 11, 2026House

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Sep 18, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Sep 18, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act

Bill NumberHR 5497

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionOrdered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 20 - 17.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(5)

R: 5

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.