Analyses / Procedural Viability Check / 119 · S 1135 Procedural Viability Check

119-S-1135 DC Insider Procedural Viability Check

119 · S 1135 A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

park Public Lands and Natural Resources
Procedural read

Small, low-cost Senate lands bill with clear committee momentum (Dec 9 Subcommittee hearing) and a live House companion. Best path is hitching to an ENR-led lands package; stand-alone floor time is unlikely this late in the year. Composite viability: 3/5. [1]Congress.gov — Committee Schedule for 12/09/2025 | Congress.gov[2]Congress.gov — H.R.3451 — Bonneville Shoreline Trail Feasibility Study (House c…

3/5
Composite procedural viability
53R seats
Senate party split (R/D+I)
1Yes=1, No=0
House companion present (Y/N)
Analyzed as
DC Insider
Published
11 Dec 2025
Updated
11 Dec 2025
Tags
S.1135 · National Trails System · Procedural viability
Unvetted
01 · Section

Context and control

Institutional posture shapes the path here: GOP runs the trifecta; ENR is chaired by Sen. Mike Lee; National Parks Subcommittee is chaired by Sen. Steve Daines. That structure favors packaging small parks/trails bills rather than burning floor time. [3]Senate.gov — U.S. Senate: Party Division (119th Congress)[4]Congress.gov — Senator John Thune — Majority Leader | Congress.gov[5]Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee — Lee, Heinrich Announce ENR Subcom…[6]Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee — ENR Subcommittee on National Park…

  • Senate control: Republicans (53–47); Majority Leader John Thune. [3]Senate.gov — U.S. Senate: Party Division (119th Congress)[4]Congress.gov — Senator John Thune — Majority Leader | Congress.gov
  • ENR full committee: Chair Mike Lee; Ranking Member Martin Heinrich. [5]Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee — Lee, Heinrich Announce ENR Subcom…
  • ENR National Parks Subcommittee: Chair Steve Daines; RM Angus King. [6]Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee — ENR Subcommittee on National Park…
  • House Natural Resources: Chair Bruce Westerman; Democratic RM Jared Huffman. [7]House Committee on Natural Resources — Chairman Westerman — House Natural Resou…[8]Web search · turn 3 #0
02 · Section

Bill snapshot (S. 1135)

Narrow, Utah-focused feasibility study directive under the National Trails System Act.

Chamber of origin
Senate (introduced March 26, 2025). [9]Congress.gov — Text — S.1135 (119th): Bonneville Shoreline Trail feasibility st…
Sponsors
Sen. John R. Curtis (R-UT), with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). [10]Web search · turn 7 #1
Committee of jurisdiction
Senate Energy & Natural Resources (ENR). [11]Congress.gov — S.1135 — Overview and actions | Congress.gov
Latest movement
Included on ENR National Parks Subcommittee hearing docket, Dec 9, 2025. [1]Congress.gov — Committee Schedule for 12/09/2025 | Congress.gov
House companion
H.R. 3451 (Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-UT-3) — referred to House Natural Resources. [2]Congress.gov — H.R.3451 — Bonneville Shoreline Trail Feasibility Study (House c…
03 · Section

Procedural Viability Check Rubric

Assessment uses the user’s rubric; arrows indicate directional viability for each factor.

Factor Assessment Directional read
Chamber of Origin Senate-originated, majority-party sponsor; early committee activity via Subcommittee hearing. [1]Congress.gov — Committee Schedule for 12/09/2025 | Congress.gov ↑
Vehicle Type Stand-alone authorizing study; not a must-pass vehicle on its own. Potential to be bundled. [12]Congress.gov — S.47 (116th) — John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and… ↔
Senate Threshold Feasible by unanimous consent/hotline if uncontroversial; otherwise 60 for cloture. No evident cross-pressures. (General practice; no specific source required.) ↑
Committee Path Aligned chairs (Lee/Daines) and historically productive parks panel; hearing already held. [5]Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee — Lee, Heinrich Announce ENR Subcom…[6]Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee — ENR Subcommittee on National Park…[1]Congress.gov — Committee Schedule for 12/09/2025 | Congress.gov ↑
Must-Pass Potential Best shot is as a rider in a public-lands package ENR assembles; precedent: 2019 Dingell lands package. [12]Congress.gov — S.47 (116th) — John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and…[13]Web search · turn 10 #1 ↑
Budget Scorekeeping CBO typically scores similar NPS trail feasibility studies at < $500k, subject to appropriations. [14]Congress.gov / CBO — H. Rept. 117-578 — Buckeye National Scenic Trail Feasibili… ↑
Calendar Math Year-end 2025 trains are moving; more realistic window is the next ENR lands bundle in 2026 (target referenced by Subcommittee chair). [15]Office of Sen. Steve Daines — Daines Chairs Senate National Parks Subcommittee… ↔
04 · Section

Composite score and takeaway

Where this lands given the current posture and calendar.

Composite procedural viability
3/5
Senate party split (R/D+I)
53R seats
House companion present (Y/N)
1Yes=1, No=0

Bottom line: This is a classic parks “study” bill — low-cost, low-conflict, and ideal for a package. It is unlikely to get dedicated floor time but is well-positioned to ride an ENR bipartisan lands bundle in 2026. [14]Congress.gov / CBO — H. Rept. 117-578 — Buckeye National Scenic Trail Feasibili…[12]Congress.gov — S.47 (116th) — John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and…

05 · Section

Path to passage (practical)

Procedurally straightforward; the gating item is a vehicle.

  1. ENR markup: Advance S. 1135 out of Subcommittee and full committee on a bipartisan list to minimize individual debate time. [6]Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee — ENR Subcommittee on National Park…
  2. Package strategy: Fold S. 1135 into the Chairman/RM lands package; precedent shows these bundles move with lopsided votes when assembled. [12]Congress.gov — S.47 (116th) — John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and…
  3. Senate floor: Hotlined unanimous consent or inclusion in a larger lands/authorizations package; avoid standalone cloture. (Process description.)
  4. House floor: Move the companion (H.R. 3451) on the suspension calendar out of Natural Resources; align texts before conference or exchange of amendments. [2]Congress.gov — H.R.3451 — Bonneville Shoreline Trail Feasibility Study (House c…[7]House Committee on Natural Resources — Chairman Westerman — House Natural Resou…
  5. Timing: Aim for the next parks package window signaled by Subcommittee leadership (goal of moving key parks bills in 2026). [15]Office of Sen. Steve Daines — Daines Chairs Senate National Parks Subcommittee…
06 · Section

Risks and bottlenecks

Sources cited
  1. [1] Committee Schedule for 12/09/2025 | Congress.gov Congress.gov
  2. [2] H.R.3451 — Bonneville Shoreline Trail Feasibility Study (House companion) | Congress.gov Congress.gov
  3. [3] U.S. Senate: Party Division (119th Congress) Senate.gov
  4. [4] Senator John Thune — Majority Leader | Congress.gov Congress.gov
  5. [5] Lee, Heinrich Announce ENR Subcommittee Assignments (119th) Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee
  6. [6] ENR Subcommittee on National Parks — roster and jurisdiction Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee
  7. [7] Chairman Westerman — House Natural Resources Committee House Committee on Natural Resources
  8. [8] Web search · turn 3 #0
  9. [9] Text — S.1135 (119th): Bonneville Shoreline Trail feasibility study | Congress.gov Congress.gov
  10. [10] Web search · turn 7 #1
  11. [11] S.1135 — Overview and actions | Congress.gov Congress.gov
  12. [12] S.47 (116th) — John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act — All Info Congress.gov
  13. [13] Web search · turn 10 #1
  14. [14] H. Rept. 117-578 — Buckeye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act (CBO: < $500k) Congress.gov / CBO
  15. [15] Daines Chairs Senate National Parks Subcommittee Hearing (Dec 9, 2025) Office of Sen. Steve Daines

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