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Creates a new Treasury account called the Ski Area Fee Retention Account and requires ski-area permit rental charges collected on National Forest lands to be deposited into it. The Forest Service may spend money from that account without further appropriation for up to four fiscal years after deposit, split between the local covered unit and other National Forest System units for specified recreation, safety, and administrative purposes. The law also lists allowed uses and two principal prohibited uses and becomes effective 60 days after enactment.
Adds a new subsection (k), "Ski area fee retention account," to Section 701 of division I of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 497c).
Defines terms used in the new subsection: "Account" means the Ski Area Fee Retention Account; "covered unit" means the unit of the National Forest System that collects the ski area permit rental charge; "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture.
Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a special Treasury account called the "Ski Area Fee Retention Account."
Requires that ski area permit rental charges collected under this section be deposited into the Ski Area Fee Retention Account, be available to the Secretary for use without further appropriation, and remain available for 4 fiscal years beginning with the first fiscal year after the deposit.
Local distribution: The Secretary shall expend 80 percent of the ski area permit rental charges deposited in the Account from a covered unit at that covered unit, except as provided in the reduction rule; of that amount, 75 percent must be used for activities listed in paragraph (5)(A) and 25 percent for activities listed in paragraph (5)(B).
Who is affected and how:
Ski area operators and mountain-resort businesses: Fees they pay or collect under National Forest permits are directed into a dedicated account; that flow could influence local investment and operations because the law channels revenue into specific uses benefiting ski-area infrastructure, recreation, and safety.
U.S. Forest Service (agency and local National Forest units): Gains a dedicated funding stream that can be obligated and spent without annual appropriation action for up to four fiscal years after deposit, improving ability to fund recreation, safety, and administration projects but constrained to the statute's allowed uses and the two statutory prohibitions.
Local National Forest units and nearby communities: Receive an allocated share of deposited funds for recreation, safety, and admin uses; potential local benefits include improved trail, facility, and safety resources at ski areas and surrounding recreation sites.
Public land users and outdoor recreationists: May see improved recreation and safety services at ski areas and in other National Forest System units financed by the retained fees (e.g., maintenance, safety programs, visitor services).
Federal budgeting and oversight stakeholders: The provision permits outlays without further annual appropriations, which affects how these fees appear in budgetary and program oversight; funds are time-limited to four fiscal years after deposit and subject to the statute's use restrictions.
Overall, the bill redirects existing ski-area permit rental revenue into a time-limited, dedicated account under Forest Service control for recreation/safety/administration spending, benefiting operators, local units, and visitors while imposing statutory restrictions and a multi-year availability window.
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Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced February 6, 2025 by Joseph Neguse · Last progress February 6, 2025
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House