H.R. 4604

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4604 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4604

To amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to collect a surcharge from international 
visitors to units of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 22, 2025

Mr. Moore of West Virginia (for himself and Mr. Zinke) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a 
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to collect a surcharge from international 
visitors to units of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting America's Treasures by 
Raising Inflow from Overseas Tourists (PATRIOT) Parks Act''.

SEC. 2. SURCHARGE FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS TO UNITS OF THE NATIONAL 
PARK SYSTEM.

(a) Entrance Fee Surcharge.--Section 803(e) of the Federal Lands 
Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6802(e)) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
``(3) Entrance fee surcharge for international visitors.--
``(A) Definition of international visitor.--In this 
paragraph, the term `international visitor' means a 
nonimmigrant individual admitted into the United States 
under--
``(i) section 101(a)(15)(B) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1101(a)(15)(B)); or
``(ii) section 217 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187).
``(B) Entrance fee surcharge.--
``(i) In general.--Except as provided in 
subparagraph (C), for any unit of the National 
Park System for which an entrance fee is 
charged, the Secretary may, at the election of 
the Secretary, or shall, on request of the 
superintendent of the applicable unit of the 
National Park System, authorize the 
superintendent of the applicable unit of the 
National Park System to establish for any 
international visitors charged the entrance fee 
a surcharge in an amount established by the 
superintendent of the applicable unit of the 
National Park System, by regulation, to be 
collected by the Secretary in accordance with 
this paragraph.
``(ii) Determination of surcharge amount.--
In establishing the amount of a surcharge under 
clause (i), the superintendent of the 
applicable unit of the National Park System 
shall ensure that the amount maximizes revenue 
for the applicable unit of the National Park 
System while retaining international visitation 
at the applicable unit of the National Park 
System.
``(iii) Per-vehicle fee.--In a case in 
which an entrance fee to a unit of the National 
Park System subject to a surcharge under clause 
(i) is a per-vehicle charge, the Secretary 
shall establish, by regulation, a process for 
the superintendent of the applicable unit of 
the National Park System to proportionately 
levy and collect the surcharge from 
international visitors under that clause.
``(iv) Methods of collection.--A surcharge 
established under clause (i) shall be 
collected--
``(I) by the Secretary, using the 
standard methods by which entrance fees 
may be collected for a unit of the 
National Park System under this 
section; and
``(II) if the Secretary enters into 
an agreement with a third-party travel 
vendor to provide for the collection of 
the surcharge, by the applicable third-
party travel vendor, in accordance with 
the agreement.
``(v) Suspension or modification; 
increase.--
``(I) Suspension or modification.--
At the election of the Secretary or on 
request of the superintendent of a unit 
of the National Park System at which a 
surcharge is established under clause 
(i), the Secretary may suspend the 
collection of, or otherwise modify, the 
surcharge for the applicable unit of 
the National Park System, including 
providing for tiered pricing of the 
surcharge based on visitation levels at 
the unit of the National Park System, 
as determined appropriate by the 
Secretary.
``(II) Increase.--The Secretary may 
establish a minimum percentage increase 
that shall apply to a surcharge 
established by a superintendent under 
clause (i) within an applicable 
timeframe established by the Secretary.
``(vi) Visa fees; administration.--A 
surcharge established under clause (i)--
``(I) shall be in addition to, and 
separate from, any statutory immigrant 
visa fee charged to an international 
visitor; and
``(II) shall not be subject to 
administration by the Secretary of 
State or the Secretary of Homeland 
Security.
``(vii) Disposition of proceeds.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all 
proceeds from a surcharge on international 
visitors collected under this paragraph shall 
be retained by the applicable unit of the 
National Park System at which the surcharge was 
collected, to be distributed by the Secretary 
for maintenance, visitor services, staffing, 
and related needs at the unit of the National 
Park System, as determined appropriate by the 
Secretary.
``(C) Exceptions.--The following exceptions to the 
surcharge authorized under subparagraph (B) apply:
``(i) No surcharge may be applied to the 
entrance fee to Washington Monument in the 
District of Columbia.
``(ii) If a unit of the National Park 
System has been designated as an International 
Peace Park by an Act of Congress and is subject 
to a Memorandum of Understanding with the 
government of a foreign country relating to 
management or stewardship of the unit, no 
surcharge may be applied to the entrance fee of 
a national of that foreign country for entry 
onto that unit from an entry point within the 
United States.''.
(b) Recreation Passes.--Section 805(a) of the Federal Lands 
Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6804(a)) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
``(11) Surcharge for certain international visitors.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish, 
by regulation, a surcharge to be collected from the 
sale of any National Parks and Federal Recreational 
Lands Pass to an international visitor (as defined in 
section 803(e)(3)(A)), the amount of which may be 
increased by the Secretary in a percentage and in a 
timeframe determined to be reasonable by the Secretary.
``(B) Disposition of proceeds.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, any amounts collected as a 
surcharge under subparagraph (A) shall be deposited in 
the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration 
Fund established by section 200402(a) of title 54, 
United States Code.''.
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