America the Beautiful Act

Key Points

• The bill reauthorizes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, providing up to $1.9 billion per year from federal onshore land revenues from 2027 through 2031 to fix aging infrastructure at national parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and Bureau of Land Management lands.
• A new surcharge would be charged to foreign visitors (non-citizens and non-permanent residents) at national parks that already have entrance fees. The revenue goes into the maintenance fund, and the surcharge expires September 30, 2031.
• The Department of the Interior gains authority to license its intellectual property, such as trademarks and logos, to outside entities. Revenue from licensing first covers program costs and then flows into the maintenance restoration fund.
• The bill streamlines environmental reviews for maintenance projects by allowing agencies to adopt categorical exclusions from other federal agencies and to create new ones, speeding up the process for routine repair work.
• Agencies must prioritize projects that address imminent threats to public safety, prevent further deterioration that would cost more later, and maximize the reduction of the maintenance backlog. They must also dispose of assets that no longer serve the public interest.
• State, local, and tribal governments, as well as nonprofits and park concession holders, can receive noncompetitive contracts for maintenance work. Congressionally chartered nonprofits must provide dollar-for-dollar matching funds from non-federal sources.