An Arlington County commission is throwing its weight behind a proposal to have the state government take over operation of Virginia’s national parks during federal shutdowns.
The Park and Recreation Commission agreed last week to include that recommendation as part of its 2026 package of state legislative priorities. The advisory body’s list will be forwarded to County Board members for final consideration.
Del. David Bulova, a Fairfax Democrat, introduced similar legislation in the General Assembly in 2024.
The bill had relatively smooth sailing in the lower house of the legislature, passing on a 95-4 vote. But it stalled in the powerful Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, which first delayed final action to 2025 and ultimately killed the measure.
Andrew Damitio, a Park and Recreation Commission member who proposed support for the measure, noted that Arlington has multiple federally operated sites, including Gravelly Point, which typically close during shutdowns caused by political wrangling over the federal budget.
“It’s probably best to try to keep those parks open in the event of a government shutdown,” Damitio said. “It would be nice to have state funds dedicated toward that.”
Committee member Gary Shinners said the measure would benefit Arlington residents even if parks themselves aren’t located in the county.
“It would be a shame if Great Falls Park got shut down during a government shutdown,” he said.
If a version of Bulova’s bill is resurrected and passed, it would require an agreement between the state government and the U.S. Department of the Interior to lay out the ground rules.
“It’s an interesting concept, for sure,” said commission member Dave Earley.
The unsuccessful 2024 bill would have required funding to come from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the State Park Conservation Resources Fund or other sources. It stipulated that the state could fund oversight of federal parks for no more than 21 days without the General Assembly’s approval.
County Board members have directed advisory commissions to have their 2026 legislative wish lists submitted by Aug. 15. In addition to the park-closure bill, the Park and Recreation Commission settled on three other priorities: stormwater assistance, tree canopy and invasive plants.
Though Board members advised commissions to keep their priority lists to three items, the parks commission felt it wouldn’t be harmful to submit four.
“Go ahead and give them one more,” commission chair Jill Barker said.
It couldn’t hurt to give Board members the fourth proposal, several other members said.
“They’re going to go with whatever priorities they decide on,” commission member Adam Rasmussen said of the Board’s legislative package. It likely will be adopted in December in preparation for the start of the 2026 General Assembly session in January.
Shinners was tasked with writing the letter, which likely will be circulated among commission members before being handed over to the County Board next month.
