Last week, President Trump removed MLK Day, Juneteenth from list of Fee-Free Days, included his birthday instead
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Catherine Cortez Masto, along with five of their Senate colleagues, introduced the Encouraging Public Service in Our National Parks and Public Land Act to codify six days where visitors to National Parks and other federal lands can enter free-of-charge. This legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to officially designate Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, the first day of National Park Week, Juneteenth, Great American Outdoors Day, National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day as fee-free entry days.
“Celebrating our national parks is part of the Colorado way of life,” said Hickenlooper. “Taking away days where people can visit our parks for free is another example of Trump’s attacks on our public lands.”
“Free entry days were created as a way for our National Parks to encourage public service and volunteer work,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “It’s our national responsibility to protect and maintain our public lands – so let’s recommit to ensuring free entry days promote this patriotic act of service, not stroke the President’s ego.”
Since the National Park System and other land management agencies began collecting entry and recreation fees, the Department of the Interior has offered fee-free days to promote America’s public lands, especially on select federal holidays where many Americans already have the day off. Last week, the Trump administration cut Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday and Juneteenth, two holidays honoring Black history, from its list of free entrance days and replaced them with his birthday.
The legislation would restore these two holidays to the list of free entrance days and make a list of public service days permanently fee-free. Additional free entry days would be possible at the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior. The dates are as follows:
- Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, the third Monday in January
- The first day of National Park Week in April
- Juneteenth, June 19
- Great American Outdoors Day, August 4
- National Public Lands Day, the fourth Saturday in September
- Veterans Day, November 11
Full text of the bill is available HERE.
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