Washington -- U.S. Representative Barbara Cubin (R-WY) is working to honor the legacy and passion of her friend and former U.S. Senator Craig Thomas by naming a national park visitor center after Thomas and continuing the work the two of them began to expand Grand Teton National Park.

“If there was one thing Craig always brought with him to Washington, it was his love for Wyoming’s wide open spaces and his passion for the abundant wildlife we are blessed to have out west,” Representative Cubin said. “It is absolutely fitting for the visitor center in Grand Teton National Park to bear Craig’s name as a symbol of his love for the park. If the visitors who pass through the park year after year appreciate its beauty with only a fraction of the passion that Craig did, then his legacy will be well honored.”

Earlier today, the House unanimously approved a bill, S. 277, the Grand Teton Land Expansion Act, to add nearly 50 acres to Grand Teton National Park and rename the new Grand Teton visitors center after Wyoming’s former Senator, Craig Thomas. In early May, the House unanimously approved a similar bill Cubin introduced, H.R. 1080, to approve the land donation.

“The Halpin family has been extremely charitable in donating this land to Grand Teton National Park so that it may be permanently preserved and enjoyed,” Cubin said. “However, an Act of Congress is necessary to expand national park boundaries. Getting this bill signed into law make this very generous gift possible.”

The land, adjacent to the Park’s east boundary, is assessed at a value of $19.8 million.

Representative Cubin worked with House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall (D-WV) to unanimously pass S. 277, a bill Thomas sponsored. The Senate passed S. 277 last week after Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi amended the bill to include language to rename the visitor center after Senator Thomas.

The bill now heads to the President’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law.