govt.fyi
US Congress · H.R. 4285 · Passed the House

STARS Act

Introduced
Moved
Reached a final decision
Introduced 2025-07-02
Derived from the official record below.

Officially: “STARS Act Read the full text

Public Lands and Natural Resources

What it does

Semiquincentennial Tourism and Access to Recreation Sites Act or the STARS Act 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 th
Summary by the Congressional Research Service, from the official record. Plain-language version below. Not legal advice.

Read it in plain language

AI plain language2 sections
Written by AI from the complete official bill text and independently fact-checked against it. Not legal advice.
1Short title

This section would give the Act the short title "Semiquincentennial Tourism and Access to Recreation Sites Act," also called the STARS Act.

Show official text
Official text, verbatim from the record

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Semiquincentennial Tourism and Access to Recreation Sites Act or the STARS Act .

2Waived fees at public recreational sites in honor of America's 250th anniversary

This section would require the Secretary of the Interior to designate September 17, 2026, as an entrance-fee-free day at every National Park Service site that normally charges an entrance fee, so admission would be free to all visitors at those sites that day. It would also require the Secretary of the Interior to waive standard amenity recreation fees on September 17, 2026, for every visitor to any site managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Bureau of Reclamation that normally charges such a fee. Separately, it would require the Secretary of Agriculture to waive standard amenity recreation fees on September 17, 2026, for every visitor to any Forest Service site that normally charges such a fee. The terms "entrance fee" and "standard amenity recreation fee" would carry the meanings already given to them in section 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.

Show official text
Official text, verbatim from the record

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 ). Passed the House of Representatives December 9, 2025. Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk.

AI plain languageRead the whole bill in plain language, 2 sections

Where it is

Introduced · 2025-07-02

In the House.

Committee hearing · 2025-07-16
Passed the House · 2025-12-09
Senate floor vote · next · the next step

Official documents

The on-site text is shown verbatim from the GovInfo publication, captured 2026-07-23. The same version at GovInfo.

The numbers

29%
of bills that passed one chamber became law in the 118th Congress, 2023 to 2024 (n=939)
1
sponsor, out of 218 needed to pass
Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record. Last action: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (2025-12-10).