December 10, 2025
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to designate an entrance-fee free date in 2026 at National Park Service sites in order to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Semiquincentennial Tourism and Access to Recreation Sites Act
or the STARS Act
.
Sec. 2. Waived fees at public recreational sites in honor of America’s 250th anniversary
(a) In general
In honor of the semiquincentennial of the United States of America—
(1)
the Secretary of the Interior shall—
(A)
designate September 17, 2026, as an entrance-fee free date on which admission is free to all visitors with respect to each National Park Service site that charges an entrance fee; and
(B)
waive standard amenity recreation fees on September 17, 2026, for each visitor to each site managed by the Bureau of Land Management, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or Bureau of Reclamation that charges a standard amenity recreation fee; and
(2)
the Secretary of Agriculture shall waive standard amenity recreation fees for September 17, 2026, for each visitor to each site managed by the Forest Service that charges a standard amenity recreation fee.
(b) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Entrance fee
The term entrance fee has the meaning given the term in section 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801).
(2) Standard amenity recreation fee
The term standard amenity recreation fee has the meaning given the term in section 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801).