STARS Act
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Would designate September 17, 2026, as a fee-free day at National Park Service sites, Bureau of Land Management lands, Fish and Wildlife refuges, Bureau of Reclamation sites, and Forest Service sites to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to waive entrance and standard amenity recreation fees at federally managed public recreational sites on September 17, 2026 — the date marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. The Interior Secretary would designate that date as an entrance-fee free day at all National Park Service sites that normally charge admission, and would separately waive standard amenity recreation fees for visitors to Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation sites.
The Forest Service, under the Secretary of Agriculture, would similarly waive standard amenity recreation fees at the sites it manages on that single date. The bill applies only to this one calendar day and does not alter the underlying fee structures or authorize any funding.
Key provisions
- 1Would direct the Secretary of the Interior to designate September 17, 2026, as an entrance-fee free day at all National Park Service sites that charge admission.
- 2Would require the Interior Secretary to waive standard amenity recreation fees on September 17, 2026, at all Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation sites.
- 3Would require the Secretary of Agriculture to waive standard amenity recreation fees on September 17, 2026, at all Forest Service sites that charge such fees.
Who would be affected
Any member of the public who visits a National Park Service site, Bureau of Land Management land, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge, Bureau of Reclamation site, or Forest Service site on September 17, 2026. The agencies managing those sites — and their fee-collection operations — would also be directly affected for that day.
Why it matters
On that single date, visitors who would normally pay entrance or amenity fees at hundreds of federal recreational sites would be admitted at no cost. For families and individuals who find fees a barrier, this could meaningfully expand access to public lands during the national semiquincentennial celebration — though the impact is limited to one day.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801) (Sec. 2(b))
Borrows definitions of 'entrance fee' and 'standard amenity recreation fee' from section 802; the bill itself operates as a one-day waiver under that fee framework.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Fee waivers at all covered federal recreational sites take effect
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates the STARS Act would have a negligible effect on net direct spending over the 2025–2030 period and no effect over the 2025–2035 period.
H.R. 4285, the STARS Act, would direct the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to waive entrance and recreation fees at national parks and other federal recreational sites for one day — September 17, 2026 — to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. CBO estimates the bill would reduce both fees collected and the subsequent spending of those fees (which are recorded in the budget as offsetting collections — that is, reductions in direct spending — and can be spent without further appropriation). Because the fees are spent shortly after they are collected, the net effect on direct spending would be negligible over the 2025–2030 period and zero over the 2025–2035 period. CBO identified no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
The bill is largely self-executing: the Secretary of the Interior formally designates September 17, 2026, as the fee-free date for National Park Service sites and directs fee waivers at other Interior-managed sites, while the Secretary of Agriculture does the same for Forest Service sites. No rulemaking, grant cycles, or reporting requirements are specified. Agencies would need to update signage, ticketing systems, and staff guidance ahead of the date, but the bill establishes no administrative process for doing so.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill directs the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to designate September 17, 2026, as an entrance-fee free date in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. On that date, Interior must waive (1) the entrance fees for all visitors of National Park Service sites; and (2) the standard amenity recreation fees for all visitors to each site managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Bureau of Reclamation. The Forest Service must waive the standard amenity recreation fees on that date for all visitors to sites it manages.
Legislative subjects
Commemorative events and holidays; Parks, recreation areas, trails; Public Lands and Natural Resources; U.S. history; User charges and fees
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-294