STARS Act

The STARS Act would designate a one-day, nationwide fee waiver on September 17, 2026, to celebrate the United States’ semiquincentennial (250th anniversary). Specifically, the bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to make entrance fees free on that date for all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee, and to waive standard amenity recreation fees on that date for sites managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation. It also requires the Secretary of Agriculture to waive standard amenity recreation fees on that date for Forest Service sites. The intent is to encourage public visitation and tourism as part of the anniversary celebration. The definitions used for “entrance fee” and “standard amenity recreation fee” reference the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to ensure consistency. In short, the bill creates a single, nationwide, fee-free day tied to America’s 250th anniversary, reducing or eliminating typical access charges for visitors to multiple federal recreation sites on that day.