Congress opens all national parks free for one day in 2026
H.R. 4285 — STARS Act · Filed by Celeste Maloy (R-UT) · Introduced Jul 2, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill directs the Interior and Agriculture Secretaries to make all federal recreational sites free to enter on September 17, 2026—Constitution Day—to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. Visitors to National Parks, Bureau of Land Management sites, Fish and Wildlife refuges, Bureau of Reclamation areas, and National Forests will pay no entrance or standard amenity fees that day.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a one-time commemorative measure that opens federal recreational sites to the public for free on a single date tied to the nation's 250th anniversary. It is not a permanent policy change, subsidy, or deregulation—merely a symbolic gesture of public access.
What the text implies
- The bill does not address staffing, maintenance, or operational costs on the free-access day—agencies must absorb the workload without additional appropriations.
- September 17 (Constitution Day) is a specific date choice that may have lower visitation than peak summer months, limiting the symbolic impact and revenue loss.
- No provision for managing crowds or infrastructure strain if visitation spikes on the free day at popular sites.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens gain free access to public lands they already own for one day, removing a financial barrier to recreation and celebrating a national milestone. The cost to agencies is minimal (one day of foregone fees) and does not reduce services or protections.
Named in the bill
National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Forest Service, Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture
Where it stands
- Jul 2, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 2, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
- Jul 16, 2025 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
- Jul 23, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Jul 23, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent”
- Dec 9, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5074)”
- Dec 9, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,404 characters) on May 7, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Congress opens all national parks free for one day in 2026” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr4285 Report an error
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