Congress·In Committee·H.R. 4604

Protecting America’s Treasures by Raising Inflow from Overseas Tourists (PATRIOT) Parks Act

National Park Fees: Extra Charges for International Tourists

Jul 22, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

StalledNext up: A house committeeNo action in 11 months

This bill is currently sitting in the House Natural Resources and Agriculture committees. It has not moved since July 2025, which means it has been stalled for about 11 months. The bill will not move forward unless these committees decide to take action on it.

Legislative Progress

House

No action since July 2025

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While the bill offers a way to fund parks without taxing citizens, it currently lacks bipartisan cosponsors and most bills of this type struggle to move past the committee stage.

Key Points

This bill would allow National Parks to charge extra fees to visitors who are not from the United States. These surcharges would apply to international tourists visiting on temporary visas or through the visa waiver program.
Each park leader would decide the amount of the extra fee for their specific location. The goal is to set a price that brings in the most money possible for the park without discouraging international travelers from visiting.
The money collected from these surcharges would stay at the park where it was paid. The funds would be used to pay for building repairs, visitor services, hiring staff, and other daily needs to keep the park running.
International visitors who buy a yearly National Parks pass would also have to pay an extra fee. This money would go into a national fund dedicated to fixing old infrastructure and trails across all federal lands.
A few places would be exempt from these extra charges. There would be no surcharge for visiting the Washington Monument, and certain parks shared with neighboring countries would have special rules for citizens of those countries.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jul 22, 2025House

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.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Jul 22, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

News

Fox Newsunknown

'Discriminatory' National Park fee plan slammed by Democrats turns into conservation win, Burgum says

No votes recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Protecting America’s Treasures by Raising Inflow from Overseas Tourists (PATRIOT) Parks Act

Bill NumberHR 4604

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred 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.