Gateway Partnership Act
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The bill would let the National Park Service enter a one-time, up-to-five-year agreement with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host private events at Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, including its Visitor Center and Old Courthouse.
It sets rules to protect public access and park resources, requires the Park Service to recover all costs from the events, and ends the agreement authority after seven years.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to sign a one-time agreement, lasting up to five years, with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host private events at Gateway Arch National Park, including use of the Arch Visitor Center and Old Courthouse. The agreement would have to set conditions such as event caps per month, required staffing levels, liability insurance naming the United States as an additional insured, and a federal liability waiver. Events could not degrade the park or block public access, and the Park Service would have to charge fees covering wear and tear and could recover all related costs. The authority to enter or continue such an agreement would sunset seven years after enactment, and the bill would not limit the Park Service's other existing authority to issue special-use permits or host its own events. A report evaluating the arrangement's operational and financial effects would be due to Congress within four years.
Key provisions
- 1Would authorize a one-time agreement, up to five years, allowing the Foundation to host private events at the park and its buildings
- 2Would require the agreement to include terms on event frequency, staffing, liability insurance, and a federal liability waiver
- 3Would limit private events to those consistent with park purposes and that do not disrupt public access
- 4Would require the Park Service to charge fees for wear and tear and allow full recovery of costs from the events
- 5Would sunset the agreement authority seven years after enactment, terminating any existing agreement at that point
- 6Would require a report to Congress within four years evaluating the agreement's operational and financial impacts
Who would be affected
The National Park Service, which manages Gateway Arch National Park, and the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, the park's philanthropic partner, are directly affected, along with visitors and the general public who use the park and its buildings, including the Arch Visitor Center and Old Courthouse.
Why it matters
The park could gain new private-event revenue and philanthropic partnership opportunities, while the required fees and cost recovery are meant to ensure taxpayers and the Park Service are not left covering maintenance or security costs. Safeguards on access and a seven-year sunset limit how long and how far the arrangement can extend.
What would change
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Authority to enter or carry out the agreement with the Foundation ends
- Report to Congress on the agreement's implementation is due
How implementation would work
The Secretary of the Interior would negotiate a single agreement with the Foundation containing statutorily required terms, including event caps, staffing levels, insurance, and a liability waiver, and could add other conditions. The Park Service would set and collect fees to cover wear-and-tear and other costs, such as utilities, security, and personnel. The agreement and any modifications would need to keep meeting the statutory conditions, and the authority to operate it would automatically expire seven years after enactment. Within four years, the Secretary must report to House and Senate committees on the agreement's operational and financial impacts.
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 authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to enter into a one-time agreement with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host private events at the Gateway Arch National Park and its buildings for a period of up to five years. The NPS manages the park, located in St. Louis, Missouri, and its buildings, such as the Arch Visitor Center and the Old Courthouse.
The bill outlines the terms and conditions that must be included in the agreement. The bill also requires private events hosted at the park or its buildings to be consistent with the park's purposes and compatible with NPS programs. Such events may not (1) degrade the integrity, appearance, or purposes of the park; or (2) take place during times or in locations that prevent or disrupt public use or access to the park or its buildings.
The NPS must charge a fee to cover the cost of wear and tear resulting from the private events. The NPS may recover all costs incurred as a result of the private events, including maintenance, utilities, administrative expenses, security, and personnel costs.
The bill terminates the NPS's authority to enter and carry out an agreement with the foundation seven years after the enactment of this bill.
Legislative subjects
Missouri; Parks, recreation areas, trails; Public Lands and Natural Resources; Public-private cooperation; User charges and fees
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-536