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The Safer Parks Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to upgrade emergency call systems in the National Park System to Next Generation 9-1-1 technology, which provides enhanced capabilities like texting and location services. Within one year of enactment, the Secretary must assess all existing public safety call centers in national parks to determine which ones need upgrades and estimate the costs for purchasing, maintaining, and operating the new systems. Following this assessment, the Secretary has an additional year to develop an implementation plan for installing these upgraded systems, after consulting with state and local emergency officials and relevant federal agencies to ensure the new systems work properly with surrounding communities. The bill affects park visitors and emergency responders who depend on call centers in national park units, and it applies across the entire National Park System, though parks that already have adequate Next Generation 9-1-1 systems in place may be exempt from the requirements. The legislation does not specify dedicated federal funding amounts but requires the Department of Interior to identify and report on all costs associated with the upgrades.

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