HR 183 · 119th CongressPassed Chamber

Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Recreation Pass Act

Latest updateJul 21, 2025

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3496)

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor

Tom McClintock

Introduced

January 3, 2025

Latest action

July 22, 2025

Legislative Progress

How far this bill has traveled through Congress

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Plain-Language Summary

AI Generated

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, enacted in 2004, established a system for managing recreation fees on federal lands managed by agencies like the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. Under current law, the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass—commonly known as the America the Beautiful Pass—costs $80 annually and provides unlimited access to over 2,000 federal recreation sites. The law already provides free passes to members of the Armed Forces and their dependents as a benefit for military service. However, law enforcement officers and firefighters, who face occupational hazards and serve the public, have not received similar fee-free access to these federal recreation areas.

This bill amends Section 805(b) of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to extend the free annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass to law enforcement officers and firefighters. The Department of the Interior, through the National Park Service, will administer the program and determine what constitutes adequate proof of eligibility. The bill defines "law enforcement officer" to include any officer, agent, or employee of federal, state, local, or tribal governments authorized to prevent, detect, or investigate criminal violations or supervise offenders. "Firefighter" encompasses any employee of those same government entities who performs work directly related to suppressing fires, including wildland fires.

Implementation will occur through existing pass distribution channels managed by the National Park Service and other federal land agencies. Eligible law enforcement officers and firefighters will need to provide proof of their employment status to receive the free pass, similar to the verification process for military members. The program requires no new appropriations, as it operates within existing recreation fee authority. The change will reduce annual revenue to federal land management agencies by the amount of passes issued to these groups, though the financial impact is expected to be modest given the relatively small population of eligible recipients compared to total pass sales.

Key Provisions

1Requires the Department of the Interior to provide free annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes to law enforcement officers and firefighters upon proof of eligibility.
2Defines 'law enforcement officer' to include any officer, agent, or employee of federal, state, local, or tribal governments authorized by law to prevent, detect, or investigate criminal violations or supervise sentenced offenders.
3Defines 'firefighter' to include any employee of federal, state, local, or tribal governments who performs work directly related to suppressing fires, including wildland fires.
4Maintains the existing free pass benefit for members of the Armed Forces and their dependents while adding law enforcement and firefighter eligibility to the same provision.

★ Why this matters

The free pass eliminates a $80 annual cost for eligible law enforcement officers and firefighters seeking to access federal recreation sites. This reduces a financial barrier for these workers to use national parks, national forests, and other federal lands for recreation and leisure. The change does not alter access rules, safety requirements, or operational procedures at any federal recreation site—it only removes the entrance fee for this specific group.

● Who this affects

Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers and firefighters are the direct beneficiaries. This includes police officers, sheriffs, federal agents, state troopers, wildland firefighters, structural firefighters, and emergency responders employed by any level of government. The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service will administer eligibility verification. Federal land management agencies will experience reduced recreation fee revenue proportional to the number of free passes issued. The general public using federal recreation sites is not directly affected by this change.

Bill Text

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<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 183

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 22, 2025

    Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

                                 AN ACT

 
To amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to provide for a 
free annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass for law 
                 enforcement officers and firefighters.

    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 ``Law Enforcement Officer and 
Firefighter Recreation Pass Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL RECREATIONAL PASSES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND 
              FIREFIGHTERS.

    Section 805(b) of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 
U.S.C. 6804(b)) is amended--
            (1) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
            ``(3) Annual passes.--The Secretary shall make the National 
        Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available, at no 
        cost, to--
                    ``(A) a member of the Armed Forces and their 
                dependents; or
                    ``(B) a law enforcement officer or firefighter,
        who provide adequate proof of eligibility for such pass as 
        determined by the Secretary.''.
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Firefighter.--The term `firefighter' means 
                any employee of the Federal Government, a State, a unit 
                of local government, or an Indian Tribe who performs 
                work directly related to suppressing fires, including 
                wildland fires.
                    ``(B) Law enforcement officer.--The term `law 
                enforcement officer' means any officer, agent, or 
                employee of the Federal Government, a State, a unit of 
                local government, or an Indian Tribe authorized by law 
                or by a government agency to engage in or supervise the 
                prevention, detection, or investigation of any 
                violation of criminal law or who is authorized by law 
                to supervise sentenced criminal offenders.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 21, 2025.

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Angela Alsobrooks

D-Maryland

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Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Recreation Pass Act

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Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Recreation Pass Act

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