Rep. Jen Kiggans pushes SAFE Beaches and Safe Swimmers Act after summer lifeguard crisis on Assateague Island

Chincoteague Mayor testifies before House Committee

U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans urged swift passage of her bipartisan legislation, H.R. 5063, the SAFE Beaches and Safe Swimmers Act, during a House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands hearing Tuesday, warning that without clear federal rules, coastal communities like Chincoteague could again be forced to pay for lifeguards on federally owned beaches.

The hearing came months after a federal hiring freeze left Assateague Island National Seashore—managed by the National Park Service—unable to staff lifeguards during the peak 2024 summer season, despite earlier assurances from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that seasonal workers would be exempt.

“As the representative for Virginia’s Second District, water safety is an essential issue for the Eastern Shore,” Kiggans said in her opening statement. “This shortage put public safety at risk at the height of tourist season.”

After Kiggans sent a June 20 letter demanding answers and pressed the Department of the Interior directly, a last-minute July agreement allowed the Town of Chincoteague and Accomack County to hire a private lifeguard contractor from Virginia Beach. Coverage finally began July 17—well into the busy season—and lasted only 35 days. The town and county each spent roughly $14,000 and are still awaiting reimbursement from the federal government.

Chincoteague Mayor Denise Bowden described the real-world consequences testifying before the committee.

“Right before the contracted lifeguards arrived, beachgoers themselves had to rescue a swimmer in distress,” Bowden told the subcommittee. “In our small area, word spreads fast. People start saying, ‘I’m not sure I want to come this year.’”

She emphasized that visitors to Chincoteague and Assateague “come for the beach and the ponies—that’s it.” With limited emergency services on the remote barrier island, reliable lifeguard presence is non-negotiable for both safety and the region’s tourism-driven economy.

“By July, most of our summer is quickly wrapping up,” Bowden added. “We can’t go through this again.”

Rep. Kiggans’s SAFE Beaches and Safe Swimmers Act would require the Secretary of the Interior to partner with local governments to ensure lifeguard staffing on federal beaches whenever shortages occur—and mandate that the National Park Service fully cover the costs, eliminating financial uncertainty for towns and counties.

“States and localities should be able to hire for public safety positions in times of crisis without worrying about how to pay for it,” Kiggans said. “Keeping the families who come for the Pony Swim and our beautiful beaches safe must be a priority.”

The congresswoman pledged to continue pressing the Department of the Interior for the overdue $28,000 reimbursement owed to Chincoteague and Accomack County while working to move the bill forward.

Subcommittee Chairman Tom Tiffany (R-WI) scheduled the markup at Kiggans’s request, and the legislation has drawn support from coastal lawmakers across party lines. Advocates hope it will advance quickly through committee and be included in a broader public-lands package before the end of the 119th Congress.