Paterson Great Falls Park Facilities Get New Names Honoring Congressman Pascrell, Jr.

This piece of legislation is straightforward: it renames two specific locations within the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in New Jersey to honor Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. If you’ve ever visited the park, the bridge on the Great Falls Scenic Overlook Trail will now officially be known as the Bill Pascrell, Jr. Scenic Overlook Trail Bridge. Similarly, the area currently called Overlook Park will become Bill Pascrell, Jr. Overlook Park.

The Administrative Cleanup

For most park visitors, this means new signs and updated maps. For the federal government, however, the bill mandates a specific administrative cleanup. Section 1 requires that every official document, map, regulation, and record produced by the U.S. government that mentions the old names must automatically be treated as if it refers to the new names. This is the government making sure that the new names stick and that there’s no confusion in the official paperwork.

What This Means for Park Users and Taxpayers

Since this bill is purely about renaming, the real-world impact is minimal but visible. For the average person visiting the park, the experience won't change, but the signage will. The cost of this bill isn't tied to any new programs or services, but rather the administrative labor required to update maps, websites, and physical signs in the park—a typical, if small, expense whenever a public facility is renamed. This kind of legislation is common; it’s the government’s way of formally recognizing a public figure by attaching their name to a specific, permanent fixture.