Congress mandates six free-entry days at national parks annually
H.R. 9282 — Encouraging Public Service in Our National Parks and Public Land Act · Filed by Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) · 26 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 11, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill amends federal law to require that entrance fees be waived on six specific days each year at national parks and other federal recreational lands and waters: MLK Jr. Day, the first day of National Park Week, Juneteenth, Great American Outdoors Day, National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day. The bill converts a discretionary authority (the Secretary 'may' waive fees) into a mandatory requirement (the Secretary 'shall' waive fees) on those dates, while preserving the Secretary's ability to designate additional fee-free days beyond the six mandated ones.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward conversion of discretionary authority into a mandatory duty to waive entrance fees on six named days. It is a direct public-access expansion with no hidden riders or narrow beneficiaries.
What the text implies
- The bill does not specify how parks will offset lost fee revenue on those six days, potentially creating budget pressure on park operations unless Congress appropriates replacement funding.
- The mandate applies to 'Federal recreational lands and waters' broadly, which may include lesser-known BLM, Forest Service, and other agency lands beyond the National Park System, expanding the scope beyond the title's focus on 'national parks'.
- The bill preserves the Secretary's discretion to add additional fee-free days beyond the six mandated, potentially creating a ratchet effect where future administrations face political pressure to expand the list.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens gain guaranteed free access to federal parks and public lands on six significant dates annually, removing a financial barrier to recreation and civic participation. The bill does not restrict any existing rights or impose new costs on the public; it only mandates what was previously optional.
Named in the bill
National Park Service, Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA), Section 805(e) FLREA
Where it stands
26 cosponsors: 26 Democrats.
- Jun 11, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jun 11, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period…”
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 (1,553 characters) on Aug 13, 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 mandates six free-entry days at national parks annually” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr9282 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.