Things are looking up for Olympic National Park funding.

On Saturday, Congress approved a spending bill that will boost the operating budget for Olympic and all national parks by at least 5 percent for the 2005 fiscal year.

That means an increase of as much as $500,000 for Olympic National Park, which has faced dramatic cuts in seasonal employees and visitor center hours in the past few years to deal with a budget shortfall.

“It will be a significant increase, and it’s for every park in the country,” U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, said in a phone interview Saturday afternoon after the House approved the multi-agency appropriations bill.

The legislation boosts the overall National Park Service budget by $95 million, with $75 million dedicated to individual park operations budgets.