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Creates a dedicated Ski Area Fee Retention Account in the U.S. Treasury to receive and hold ski area permit rental charges and sets rules for how those receipts are distributed and spent. The law directs a share of the money to the local National Forest unit that collected the fee and another share to the Forest Service more broadly, defines allowable and prohibited uses of the funds, and takes effect 60 days after enactment.
Adds a new subsection (k) entitled “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 National Forest System unit that collects the ski area permit rental charge; and “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture.
Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a special account in the Treasury called the Ski Area Fee Retention Account.
Ski area permit rental charges collected by the Secretary must be deposited into the Ski Area Fee Retention Account, be available for use by the Secretary without further appropriation, and remain available for 4 fiscal years beginning with the first fiscal year after the year of deposit.
Distribution rules for amounts deposited from a covered unit: by default 80% of fees collected at the covered unit are to be expended at that covered unit and 20% may be expended at any National Forest System unit. Of the 80% used at the covered unit, 75% must be used for activities described in paragraph (5)(A) and 25% for activities described in paragraph (5)(B).
Who is affected and how:
Local National Forest units: Receive a defined share of ski area permit rental receipts, giving them more direct funding for allowable local purposes (for example: operations, maintenance, visitor services, or other statutorily approved activities). That can improve local planning and responsiveness but also places statutory limits on how funds are used.
Forest Service (agency-level programs): Receives the remainder of the retained receipts for broader Service purposes as authorized, increasing flexible funding available for agency-level activities identified as permissible by the statute.
Visitors to federal recreational areas and the tourism industry: Indirect beneficiaries when retained funds are used for facility upkeep, safety, visitor services, and improvements at ski areas and surrounding recreation infrastructure; the law itself does not change fees charged to visitors.
Ski area operators and permit holders (private concessionaires or permittees): Affected operationally because the law changes how permit rental charges they pay or collect are allocated and spent by the Forest Service; may see more stable local funding for shared services and infrastructure.
Local communities and businesses near ski areas: Likely to see indirect local benefits from improved recreation facilities and services funded by account receipts.
Potential benefits:
Potential risks or trade-offs:
Budgetary implications: The provision creates a dedicated receipt account rather than making a direct appropriation; spending is controlled by the statute's rules for allowable uses and the Forest Service's implementation of those rules.
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text: CR S795-796)
Introduced February 6, 2025 by John A. Barrasso · Last progress February 6, 2025
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 333.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Lee without amendment. With written report No. 119-104.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text: CR S795-796)