Free national park entry on Federal holidays — but no funding to cover lost revenue
H.R. 6603 — Our Parks Act · Filed by Ritchie Torres (D-NY) · 12 cosponsors · Introduced Dec 10, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal law to waive entrance fees at all national parks and national wildlife refuges on Federal holidays (e.g., July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas). Citizens visiting these public lands on those days would enter free instead of paying the standard entrance fee. The bill applies to every unit of the National Park System and National Wildlife Refuge System that currently charges an entrance fee.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is a straightforward waiver of entrance fees on Federal holidays at national parks and wildlife refuges. It is a transparent, narrowly scoped access-expansion measure with no hidden riders or complex cross-references.
What the text implies
- Revenue impact: National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will lose entrance-fee revenue on 11 Federal holidays annually; the bill does not appropriate replacement funding, so parks may need to absorb the cost or seek supplemental appropriations.
- Visitation surge: Federal holidays are already peak-visitation days; waiving fees may increase crowding, parking pressure, and resource strain at popular parks, potentially degrading visitor experience and accelerating wear on trails and facilities.
- Equity effect: Citizens with flexible schedules and proximity to parks benefit most; rural or low-income citizens without nearby parks or unable to travel on specific holidays see no benefit.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens gain direct financial benefit (waived entrance fees) and expanded access to public lands on Federal holidays, when visitation is typically highest. The cost to the federal government is modest (foregone entrance-fee revenue on 11 days per year) and is justified by the public-interest purpose of increasing access to publicly owned natural resources.
Named in the bill
National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, 5 U.S.C. § 6103
Where it stands
12 cosponsors: 12 Democrats.
- Dec 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Dec 10, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
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 (506 characters) on Aug 21, 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.
“Free national park entry on Federal holidays — but no funding to cover lost revenue” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr6603 Report an error
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