Sponsors (9)
The bill removes targeted free national-park entry on a President's birthday to preserve fee revenue and reduce perceptions of favoritism, at the cost of visitors losing a free benefit and reduced flexibility for outreach and equity-focused fee relief.
Taxpayers and federally managed sites: will retain consistent entrance-fee revenue because the bill prevents politically targeted free access on a President's birthday, avoiding episodic revenue losses.
Local governments and the public: clarifies and limits agency discretion over fee waivers for presidential birthdays, reducing the appearance of favoritism in how fee relief is applied.
Visitors who previously received free entry: will lose that benefit and must pay entrance fees on a President's birthday, increasing out-of-pocket costs for those attendees.
State and local governments and equity-focused programs: the bill limits the Secretary of the Interior's flexibility to grant targeted fee relief, which can complicate management of outreach and programs aimed at increasing access for underrepresented groups.
Local governments and park outreach efforts: National Park and Refuge units may collect less public goodwill and see reduced attendance at outreach events tied to Presidential birthday observances when free-entry incentives are removed.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits waiving or reducing entrance fees at fee‑charging national parks or wildlife refuges to commemorate a sitting President’s birthday, except when that birthday falls on a Federal holiday.
Official title: To prohibit National Park System entrance fee waivers commemorating the birthday of a sitting President, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 15, 2026 by Gabe Amo · Last progress January 15, 2026
Prohibits waiving or reducing entrance fees at units of the National Park System or National Wildlife Refuge System to commemorate the birthday of a sitting President, except when that birthday falls on an existing Federal holiday. The rule applies only to entrance fees charged under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act provision cited and limits the Secretary’s discretion to create Presidential birthday fee‑free days.