The Semiquincentennial Tourism and Access to Recreation Sites Act (STARS Act) would require federal land managers to designate September 17, 2026 as a nationwide fee-free day in honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary. Specifically, the bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to make National Park Service sites that charge entrance fees free on that date, and to waive standard amenity recreation fees for certain other federal lands (BLM, USFWS, Bureau of Reclamation) and for Forest Service sites that collect such fees. The goal is to boost access and visitation in celebration of the semiquincentennial. The bill relies on definitions from the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) for what counts as an “entrance fee” and a “standard amenity recreation fee.” The act does not provide funding or new authority beyond waiving those established fees on the specified date; it is a one-time, commemorative waiver for September 17, 2026, across multiple federal land-administering agencies.
Key Points
- 1Full name and acronym: Semiquincentennial Tourism and Access to Recreation Sites Act, or STARS Act.
- 2Designated fee-free date: September 17, 2026, for National Park Service sites that charge entrance fees (entrance fees waived).
- 3Waiver of standard amenity recreation fees: On September 17, 2026, waivers apply to:
- 4- Sites managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the Bureau of Reclamation that charge standard amenity recreation fees.
- 5- Forest Service sites that charge standard amenity recreation fees.
- 6Definitions tied to FLREA: The terms “entrance fee” and “standard amenity recreation fee” are defined as they are in the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801 et seq.).
- 7Status and process: Introduced, referred to committee, and reported with an amendment in the 119th Congress; not yet enacted into law.