Young, Donnelly Laud House Passage of Indiana Dunes National Park Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Todd Young and Joe Donnelly lauded the passage of bipartisan legislation that would designate the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as a National Park. The bill, authored by U.S. Representative Pete Visclosky (IN-01), passed the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously last night. Earlier this year, Senators Donnelly and Young introduced in the U.S. Senate identical legislation to Visclosky’s. The legislation, having passed the House, now must pass the Senate before it can go to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
Young said, “Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one step closer to becoming Indiana’s first National Park. This designation will help preserve one of our state’s most precious natural areas, and will provided a boost to the local economy. I am going to continue working with my colleagues to bring this bill across the finish line.”
Donnelly said, “The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of our state’s most beautiful natural resources. Designating the dunes as a National Park would give the area the recognition it deserves, attracting more visitors and helping further grow the economy in northwest Indiana. I was proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation in the Senate and am hopeful we can pass it and send it to the President to be signed into law soon.”
The legislation would retitle the “Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore” as the “Indiana Dunes National Park”. The designation would create the first National Park in Ind. and the 60th National Park in the United States, which would give greater recognition to the natural beauty of the dunes and potentially draw more visitors and boost the local economy.