119-HR-4285 Journalist Public Summary

Headline Summary

Make parks free for a day in 2026: the bill waives entrance and standard amenity fees on September 17, 2026 (Constitution Day) at national parks and other federal recreation sites to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. [2]GovInfo (U.S. GPO) — House Report 119-294 — Semiquincentennial Tourism and Acce…

What It Does

In plain terms, the bill tells Interior and Agriculture to make Constitution Day 2026 a “free day” outdoors. It makes admission free for everyone at National Park Service sites that normally charge entrance fees and waives standard amenity recreation fees at sites run by the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Forest Service. The definitions match the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. [2]GovInfo (U.S. GPO) — House Report 119-294 — Semiquincentennial Tourism and Acce…[3]Congress.gov — H.R.4285 text (Reported in House) — STARS Act

Who’s For It

• Sponsor: Rep. Celeste Maloy (R‑UT). [1]Congress.gov — H.R.4285 — STARS Act (119th Congress) overview and actions
• House action: Passed the House by voice vote under suspension of the rules on December 9, 2025. [1]Congress.gov — H.R.4285 — STARS Act (119th Congress) overview and actions
• Committee: Reported favorably by the House Natural Resources Committee; markup advanced by unanimous consent (H. Rept. 119‑294). [2]GovInfo (U.S. GPO) — House Report 119-294 — Semiquincentennial Tourism and Acce…
• Senate interest: A bipartisan Senate companion (S.2896) was introduced by Sens. Hickenlooper (D‑CO), Boozman (R‑AR), Padilla (D‑CA), Daines (R‑MT), and Shaheen (D‑NH). [4]Congress.gov — S.2896 — STARS Act (119th Congress) overview and actions[5]Office of Sen. John Hickenlooper — Press release: Senators introduce bipartisan…

Who’s Against It

No formal dissent is noted in the House committee report, which records unanimous consent at markup; the House passed it by voice vote (no roll call). Still, two trade‑offs are often raised with fee‑free days: (1) entrance fees help pay for maintenance and visitor services on public lands, so waiving them reduces that revenue; and (2) popular parks can be more crowded on free days. [2]GovInfo (U.S. GPO) — House Report 119-294 — Semiquincentennial Tourism and Acce…[1]Congress.gov — H.R.4285 — STARS Act (119th Congress) overview and actions[6]U.S. Government Accountability Office — GAO report GAO-06-1016 — Recreation Fee…[7]The Washington Post — National parks’ free entrance days for 2024 (context on c…

What’s Next

As of December 10, 2025, the bill has passed the House and heads to the Senate. A similar Senate bill (S.2896) is in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; if the Senate passes it (or the House bill) and both chambers agree on identical text, it would go to the President. [1]Congress.gov — H.R.4285 — STARS Act (119th Congress) overview and actions[4]Congress.gov — S.2896 — STARS Act (119th Congress) overview and actions