H.R. 4285 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Dec 9, 2025. Received Dec 10, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryFree federal lands day in 2026
This bill designates September 17, 2026—the 250th anniversary of the United States—as a day when federal agencies will waive entrance and recreation fees. The National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation would all let visitors in free of charge at their sites that day.
How it affects you
If you plan to visit any national park, national forest, wildlife refuge, or other federally managed recreation site on September 17, 2026, you won't have to pay the usual entrance or daily-use fees. This is a one-time event with no ongoing impact on recreation fees or park access.
Read the official summary (Reported to House, Sep 15, 2025)
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 the standard amenity recreation fees on that date for all visitors to sites it manages.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 4285
AN ACT
STARS Act
Sponsor: Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-2) · Introduced Jul 2, 2025 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · 4 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Dec 10, 2025: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.”