[House Report 104-757]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



104th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 2d Session                                                     104-757
_______________________________________________________________________


 
      VISITOR SERVICES IMPROVEMENT AND OUTDOOR LEGACY ACT OF 1996

                                _______
                                

 September 4, 1996.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Young  of Alaska, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                             together with

                            DISSENTING VIEWS

                        [To accompany H.R. 2107]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 2107) to amend the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act 
of 1965 to improve the quality of visitor services provided by 
Federal land management agencies through an incentive-based 
recreation fee program, and for other purposes, having 
considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment 
and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.
  The amendment is as follows:
  Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Visitor Services Improvement and 
Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

  The purpose of this Act is to improve the overall quality of the 
visitor recreation experience on Federal lands through increased 
funding provided by an innovative and incentive-based recreation fee 
program combined with an appropriation targeted to meet the increasing 
demand for recreational use of the Federal lands.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF EXISTING RECREATION FEE PROGRAM AND ESTABLISHMENT OF 
                    NEW RECREATION FEE PROGRAM.

  Section 4 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 
U.S.C. 460l-6a) is amended to read as follows:
                        ``recreation fee program
  ``Sec. 4. (a) Program Goals and Policies.--
          ``(1) Congressional goals.--It is the policy of Congress that 
        the Federal land management agencies develop and implement high 
        quality recreation programs adequate to meet the needs of the 
        American people and to fund a portion of the cost of providing 
        recreation services through recreation fees.
          ``(2) Administrative policies.--The administering Secretaries 
        shall jointly issue an integrated policy for the establishment 
        and collection of recreation fees under this section. Such 
        policy shall--
                  ``(A) permit flexibility with regard to the amounts 
                charged;
                  ``(B) provide for maximization of the number of 
                persons who pay fees to ensure that fees remain at the 
                lowest possible level;
                  ``(C) provide that comparable fees be charged by the 
                several Federal agencies for similar services and 
                facilities;
                  ``(D) provide for the establishment of fees in a 
                manner which is equitable among user groups and which 
                accounts for any other fees, such as commercial tour 
                fees and concession fees, which are paid by user groups 
                and used on Federal lands for recreational purposes;
                  ``(E) define administrative overhead and specify 
                accounting procedures to ensure that administrative 
                overhead is not included in the cost of visitor 
                services provided;
                  ``(F) provide for a uniform procedure for accounting 
                for fees collected under this section; and
                  ``(G) recognize the importance of the convenience of 
                the public by avoiding fee programs which are overly 
                complex or which would require the payment of numerous 
                fees at a particular area.
  ``(b) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
          ``(1) Administering secretaries.--The term `administering 
        Secretaries' means--
                  ``(A) the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to 
                the Forest Service; and
                  ``(B) the Secretary of the Interior with respect to 
                the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, 
                United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of 
                Reclamation.
          ``(2) Agency.--The term `agency' means an agency referred to 
        in paragraph (1) (A), (B), or (C).
          ``(3) Area.--The term `area' means an administrative area 
        managed by an agency, such as a unit of the National Park 
        System, a national forest, a national wildlife refuge, and a 
        project area with respect to the Bureau of Reclamation, but 
        does not include Bureau of Reclamation areas managed by a non-
        Federal entity.
          ``(4) Area of concentrated public use.--The term `area of 
        concentrated public use' means an area which--
                  ``(A) provides developed facilities or services 
                necessary to accommodate public use maintained at 
                Federal expense;
                  ``(B) contains at least one major visitor attraction, 
                including (but not limited to) a lake, river, 
                historical or cultural site, or geologic feature; and
                  ``(C) provides public access such that admission fees 
                can be cost-effectively collected.
          ``(5) Recreation fees.--The term `recreation fees' means 
        admission fees, recreation use fees, and fees granted to 
        Federal agencies from States whether collected by agency 
        personnel or others.
          ``(6) Admission fees.--The term `admission fees' means fees 
        charged for entry into any area designated by the administering 
        Secretary.
          ``(7) Recreation use fee.--The term `recreation use fee' 
        means the charge for specialized recreation services or 
        facilities furnished at Federal Government expense, including 
        (but not limited to) campgrounds, boat ramps, and back country 
        camping by permit.
          ``(8) Visitor services.--The term `visitor services' means 
        services and costs directly associated with management of 
        recreation visitors to Federal lands, including (but not 
        limited to) such programs as maintenance of facilities which 
        serve primarily visitor recreation use (such as campgrounds, 
        scenic roads, trails, visitor centers and picnic areas), public 
        information and interpretation, resource protection directly 
        related to public use (such as stream improvement to improve 
        fishing or mitigation of impacts to resources resulting from 
        visitor use), and other activities of personnel assigned 
        predominantly to management of visitors or public safety 
        programs, but not including costs of regional and Washington 
        headquarters offices or any administrative services such as 
        personnel, budget and finance, and procurement.
          ``(9) Pre-1996 authorized recreation receipts.--The term 
        `pre-1996 authorized recreation receipts' means the receipts 
        that would have been received for a fiscal year from fees 
        collected under section 4 of the Land and Water Conservation 
        Fund Act of 1965 as such section was in effect on the day 
        before the date of the enactment of the Visitor Services 
        Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996.
          ``(10) Concession fees.--The term `concession fees' means 
        fees paid to the United States pursuant to provisions of law 
        other than this section for the privilege of providing 
        concession services, fees paid for the lease of government-
        owned facilities, and amounts paid for construction of visitor 
        facilities.
  ``(c) Establishment.--
          ``(1) In general.--In order to improve the quality of the 
        visitor experience on Federal lands, the administering 
        Secretaries shall establish and implement a fee program in 
        accordance with this section which provides for partial 
        recovery of the costs of visitor services provided through 
        admission fees, recreation use fees, and concession fees. In 
        carrying out such program, the administering Secretaries are 
        authorized and directed to collect admission fees in accordance 
        with this section at areas administered by the National Park 
        Service and areas of concentrated public use. In addition, the 
        administering Secretaries shall collect recreation use fees at 
        areas under their administration.
          ``(2) Factors in establishing and adjusting amount of fees.--
        (A) All fees established pursuant to this section shall be fair 
        and equitable, taking into consideration the direct and 
        indirect cost to the Federal Government, the benefits to the 
        recipient, the public policy or interest served, the comparable 
        recreation fees charged by other public and private entities, 
        the economic and administrative feasibility of fee collection, 
        convenience to the recreation user, and other pertinent 
        factors.
          ``(B) Any adjustments in fees shall take into account the 
        factors specified in subparagraph (A).
          ``(3) Public comment and federal register notice on admission 
        and commercial tour fees.--(A) In the case of public admission 
        fees, the administering Secretaries shall publish in the 
        Federal Register, for a 30-day comment period, a proposed 
        schedule of all changes to such fees not later than six months 
        prior to such fee changes.
          ``(B) In the case of changes to commercial tour fees or 
        initiating a new commercial tour fee, the administering 
        Secretaries shall publish in the Federal Register--
                  ``(i)(I) for a 30-day comment period, a proposed 
                schedule of all significant changes in such fees not 
                later than 14 months prior to such fee change or 
                initiation; and
                  ``(II) a final schedule not later than 12 months 
                prior to such fee change or initiation; and
                  ``(ii) a schedule of all changes (other than those 
                subject to clause (i)), in such fees not later than six 
                months prior to such fee changes.
          ``(4) Continuation of fee authority.--Until an admission or 
        commercial tour fee is initiated and in effect under this 
        section, the admission or commercial tour fee at an area 
        administered by the agencies shall be determined in accordance 
        with the applicable laws in effect on the day before the date 
        of enactment of the Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor 
        Legacy Act of 1996.
          ``(5) Notice of fees.--Clear notice that a fee has been 
        established pursuant to this section, and the amount thereof, 
        shall be prominently posted at appropriate locations in each 
        area and shall be included in agency publications distributed 
        with respect to such areas.
          ``(6) Target recreation revenue goals.--Effective for the 
        fifth fiscal year beginning after the enactment of this 
        section, the administering Secretary shall develop annually a 
        target recreation revenue goal for each area administered by 
        the Secretary which reflects the estimated ability for such 
        area to collect recreation fees. The administering Secretary 
        shall develop that target based on historical data, projected 
        visitation, and such other data as are available to the 
        Secretary.
          ``(7) Fee collection personnel.--Personnel exclusively 
        assigned to fee collection duties, which are over and above the 
        number of such personnel assigned exclusively to fee collection 
        duties on the day prior to enactment of this Act, shall not be 
        counted against any full-time equivalent ceiling established 
        for that agency.
  ``(d) Recreation Fees.--
          ``(1) Single admission visits.--Reasonable admission fees for 
        a single visit to any designated area shall be established by 
        the administering Secretary. A `single visit' means a more or 
        less continuous stay within a designated area. Payment of a 
        single visit admission fee shall authorize exits from and 
        reentries to a single designated area for a period of from one 
        to fifteen days, such period to be defined for each designated 
        area by the administering Secretary based upon a determination 
        of the period of time reasonably and ordinarily necessary for 
        such a single visit. The single visit entrance fee for private 
        parties and commercial tours shall be set by the administering 
        Secretaries and may be adjusted, taking into account the 
        factors specified in subsection (c)(2). The Secretaries shall 
        ensure that where appropriate the admission fee schedule 
        developed provides economic incentives for use of alternative 
        modes of transportation, including mass transportation, at 
        areas experiencing high levels of automobile traffic. The 
        administering Secretaries are authorized to implement admission 
        fee practices which vary by day of the week, season, expedite 
        entry and reduce congestion.
          ``(2) Annual admission permits: golden eagle passport.--(A) 
        Golden eagle passport.--For admission into any area at which 
        admission fees are charged pursuant to this section, an 
        admission permit, to be known as the `Golden Eagle Passport', 
        valid for a 12-month period, shall be available. The fee for 
        the passport shall be set jointly by the administering 
        Secretaries, taking into account the factors specified in 
        subsection (c)(2). The permittee and all persons accompanying 
        the permittee in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle or, 
        alternatively, the permittee and the permittee's spouse, 
        children, and parents accompanying the permittee shall be 
        entitled to general admission into any area designated pursuant 
        to this section. The permit shall be nontransferable, and the 
        unlawful use thereof shall be punishable in accordance with 
        regulations established pursuant to subsection (g). The permit 
        shall be available for purchase at any such designated area.
          ``(B) The administering Secretaries may authorize units of 
        State or local government, organizations, businesses, and 
        nonprofit entities to sell and collect admission fees, 
        including the Golden Eagle Passport, subject to such conditions 
        as the Secretaries may jointly prescribe. The Secretaries shall 
        develop detailed guidelines for promotional advertising of non-
        Federal passport sales and monitor compliance with those 
        guidelines. The Secretaries may authorize the seller or sellers 
        to maintain an inventory of Golden Eagle Passports for periods 
        not to exceed six months and to withhold amounts up to, but not 
        exceeding, eight percent of the gross fees collected from 
        Golden Eagle Passport sales as reimbursement for actual 
        expenses of the sales.
          ``(3) Annual geographic admission permits.--For admission 
        into a specific designated area or into several specific areas 
        located in a particular geographic region at which admission 
        fees are charged pursuant to this section, the administering 
        Secretary or Secretaries are authorized to make available an 
        annual admission permit. The permit shall convey the privileges 
        of, and shall be subject to the same terms and conditions as, 
        the Golden Eagle Passport, except that it shall be valid only 
        for admission into the specific area or areas indicated at the 
        time of purchase.
          ``(4) Golden access passport.--The Secretary of the Interior 
        and the Secretary of Agriculture shall establish procedures 
        providing for the issuance of a lifetime admission permit to 
        any citizen of, or person legally domiciled in, the United 
        States, if such citizen or person applies for such permit and 
        is permanently disabled. Such procedures shall ensure that a 
        lifetime admission permit shall be issued only to persons who 
        have been medically determined to be permanently disabled. A 
        lifetime admission permit shall be nontransferable, shall be 
        issued without charge, and shall entitle the permittee and one 
        accompanying individual to general admission into any area 
        designated pursuant to this section, notwithstanding the method 
        of travel.
          ``(5) Recreation use fees.--Each agency developing, 
        administering, providing, or furnishing at Federal expense 
        services for such activities as camping, including back country 
        camping under permit, guarded swimming sites, boat launch 
        facilities, group activities including picnic sites, managed 
        parking lots, motorized recreation use and other recreation 
        uses, shall in accordance with this section provide for the 
        collection of recreation use fees at the place of use or any 
        reasonably convenient location. The administering Secretary may 
        establish both daily and annual recreation use fees. Fees may 
        not be charged by any such agency for the use, either singly or 
        in any combination, of drinking water, wayside exhibits, 
        overlook sites, toilet facilities, or picnic tables.
          ``(6) Commercial tour use fee.--(A) For each area for which 
        an admission fee is charged under this section, the 
        administering Secretary shall charge any fee on a per vehicle 
        basis for each vehicle or vessel and passengers entering the 
        area for the purpose of providing commercial tour services.
          ``(B) The Secretary of the Interior shall charge a commercial 
        tour fee for aircraft entering the airspace of units of the 
        National Park System in the same manner and by the same means 
        as provided in section 4(n) of the Land and Water Conservation 
        Fund Act of 1965, as in effect immediately before the enactment 
        of the Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 
        1996.
          ``(C) Within 12 months after the date of enactment of the 
        Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996, 
        the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
        Transportation shall jointly submit a report to the appropriate 
        committees of Congress outlining revisions to the commercial 
        tour fee schedule for aircraft which encourages the use of 
        quiet aircraft technology.
          ``(7) Transportation provided by the secretary.--Where the 
        administering Secretary provides transportation to visit all or 
        a portion of any area, he may impose a charge for such service. 
        Collection of such fees may occur at the transportation staging 
        area or any reasonably convenient location, whether inside or 
        outside of the area boundary. The administering Secretary may 
        enter into arrangements with qualified public or private 
        entities pursuant to which such entities may collect such fees. 
        Such funds collected shall be retained at the area where the 
        service was provided and expended for costs associated with the 
        transportation system.
          ``(8) Persons 12 years of age or under.--The admission fee 
        for a person who is 12 years of age or under at any area for 
        which admission fees are charged on a per person basis shall be 
        no greater than 50 percent of the per person admission fee of a 
        person older than 12 years.
  ``(e) Establishment of Accounts and Deposit of Recreation Fees.--
          ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall 
        establish a special account in the Treasury for each agency 
        which collects recreation fees under this section. Within each 
        such account, the administering Secretary shall separately 
        account for receipts and disbursements of funds for each area.
          ``(2) Deposits.--(A) The administering Secretary shall 
        deposit in each agency account all receipts from fees collected 
        pursuant to this section by any Federal agency (or by any 
        public or private entity under contract with a Federal agency).
          ``(B) All funds from the sale of the Golden Eagle Passport 
        shall be divided among the agencies based on a formula which 
        the administering Secretaries shall devise and which considers 
        total recreation admission fees collected by the agency and 
        total recreation use at designated admission fee areas provided 
        by the agency. Funds from the sale of the Golden Eagle Passport 
        shall be deposited as recreation fees collected into the 
        appropriate agency account.
          ``(C) All funds from the sale of geographic admission permits 
        under subsection (d)(3) shall be divided among the areas for 
        which such permits were issued on the basis of visitor use, 
        length of stay, and other pertinent factors as determined by 
        the administering Secretaries and shall be deposited as 
        recreation fees collected from those areas into the appropriate 
        agency account.
          ``(3) Fee collection costs.--Notwithstanding any other 
        provision of law, the administering Secretary may, in any 
        fiscal year, withdraw from the special account established 
        under paragraph (1) an amount up to 15 percent of all receipts 
        collected under this section in the preceding fiscal year. The 
        amounts so withdrawn shall be retained by the administering 
        Secretaries, and shall be available, without further 
        appropriation, for expenditure by the Secretary concerned to 
        cover fee collection costs, and shall remain available until 
        expended. For the purposes of this paragraph, for any fiscal 
        year, the term `fee collection costs' means those costs for 
        personnel and infrastructure directly associated with the 
        collection of fees imposed under this section.
          ``(4) Use of recreation fees.--Amounts covered into the 
        special account for each agency during each fiscal year shall 
        be available after the end of such fiscal year for 
        appropriation for visitor services, except as provided in 
        paragraphs (3) and (5). Funds credited to the special account 
        shall remain available until expended.
          ``(5) Amounts in excess of pre-1996 authorized recreation 
        receipts.--Beginning in fiscal year 1996 and each fiscal year 
        thereafter, all funds deposited in special accounts in the 
        Treasury for each agency under this section which are in 
        addition to funds collected in fiscal year 1995 shall be made 
        immediately available to that agency without further 
        appropriation. Of the amounts made available under this 
        paragraph after the application of paragraph (3), 75 percent 
        shall be allocated among the units or areas of each agency in 
        the same proportion as fees collected from that specific area 
        bear to the total amount of fees collected from all areas of 
        that agency for the fiscal year. In addition, one-third of the 
        amount of recreation fees collected from the area which exceeds 
        the target recreation revenue goal specified in subsection 
        (c)(5) for that area shall be made available to that area 
        without further appropriation. The remainder of the fees 
        collected pursuant to this section shall be allocated among 
        each agency's areas on the basis of need as determined by the 
        Secretary. All such funds shall remain available until 
        expended. Funds deposited into accounts under this paragraph 
        may only be used (A) to fund visitor services on Federal lands, 
        (B) for repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of visitor use 
        facilities, and (C) for construction of new facilities 
        necessary to establish a recreation fee program at any area.
  ``(f) Accountability of Funding.--The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall conduct periodic audits to ensure that amounts 
received under this section are fully accounted for and not diverted to 
administrative overhead or other programs not directly related to 
visitor services.
  ``(g) Enforcement of Fee Collection Policies.--In accordance with the 
provisions of this section, the administering Secretaries may prescribe 
rules and regulations for areas under their administration for the 
collection of any fee established pursuant to this section. Persons 
authorized by the administering Secretaries to enforce any such rules 
or regulations issued under this section may, within areas under the 
administration or authority of such administering Secretary and with 
or, if the offense is committed in his presence, without a warrant, 
arrest any person who violates such rules and regulations. Any person 
so arrested may be tried and sentenced by the United States magistrate 
specifically designated for that purpose by the court by which he was 
appointed, in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as 
provided in subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) of section 3401 of title 
18, United States Code. Any violations of the rules and regulations 
issued under this subsection shall be punishable by a fine as provided 
by law.
  ``(h) Non-Federal Reservations.--The administering Secretary, under 
such terms and conditions as he deems appropriate, may contract with 
any public or private entity to provide visitor reservation services. 
Any such contract may provide that the contractor shall be permitted to 
deduct a commission to be fixed by the agency head from the amount 
charged the public for providing such services and to remit the net 
proceeds therefrom to the contracting agency.
  ``(i) Use of Volunteers For Fee Collection.--When authorized by the 
administering Secretary, volunteers at designated areas may collect 
fees authorized or established pursuant to this section. The 
administering Secretary shall ensure that such volunteers have adequate 
training for this purpose. The administering Secretary may require a 
surety bond for any such volunteer performing services under this 
subsection. Funds available to the collecting agency may be used to 
cover the cost of any such surety bond.
  ``(j) Mitigation of Any Impacts of Recreational Fees on Low-Income 
Individuals.--In carrying out this section, the administering 
Secretaries shall implement such programs as are necessary to ensure 
any impacts of recreational fees on low-income persons are minimized. 
The administering Secretaries shall determine any effects on low-income 
individuals of recreation use and admission fees and shall jointly 
submit recommendations to the Congress regarding actions to be taken to 
resolve such impacts. Such recommendations shall be included as part of 
the four-year report required to be submitted under subsection (m)(1).
  ``(k) Limitations on Fees.--
          ``(1) Activities not subject to fees.--Nothing in this 
        section shall be construed to--
                  ``(A) authorize Federal hunting or fishing licenses 
                or fees;
                  ``(B) affect any rights or authority of the States 
                with respect to fish and wildlife;
                  ``(C) authorize the collection of fees from any 
                person who has a right of access for hunting or fishing 
                privileges under a specific provision of law or treaty;
                  ``(D) authorize charges for commercial or other 
                activities not related to recreation; or
                  ``(E) authorize an admission fee or a commercial tour 
                fee at any area for organized school groups on outings 
                conducted for educational purposes.
          ``(2) Through travel.--No admission fee shall be charged for 
        travel by private, noncommercial vehicle or commercial tour 
        vehicle over any national parkway or any road or highway 
        established as a part of the National Federal Aid System, as 
        defined in section 101, title 23, United States Code, which is 
        commonly used by the public as a means of travel between two 
        places either or both of which are outside the area. Nor shall 
        any fee be charged for travel by private, noncommercial vehicle 
        over any road or highway to any land in which such person has 
        any property right if such land is within any such designated 
        area.
          ``(3) Persons conducting governmental business.--No admission 
        fee shall be charged to persons engaged in the conduct of 
        official Federal, State or local government business or to 
        others authorized by the administering Secretary to conduct 
        administrative duties within the area.
          ``(4) Lifetime admission permits.--No admission fee shall be 
        charged under this section to any person who possesses a 
        lifetime admission permit issued under section 4(a)(4) of this 
        Act as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of 
        the Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 
        1996.
  ``(l) Annual Reporting Requirements.--Reports indicating the number 
and location of fee collection areas, visitor use statistics, fees 
collected, and other pertinent data, shall be coordinated and compiled 
by the administering Secretaries and transmitted to the Committee on 
Resources of the United States House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate. 
These reports shall be transmitted annually not later than the 
submission of the President's budget under section 1105 of title 31, 
United States Code, and shall include any recommendations which the 
Secretaries may have with respect to improving the recreation fee 
program.
  ``(m) Implementation Report; Effective Date For Fees And Targets.--
Not later than four years after the date of enactment of the Visitor 
Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996, the administering 
Secretaries shall submit reports to Congress on the implementation of 
this section. Such reports shall include the policy statement developed 
under subsection (a)(2), the likely level of potential cost recovery 
from the recreation fee program for each agency, the fees to be charged 
under this section, and the target recreation revenue goals for each 
area subject to this section. Such fees and target recreation revenue 
goals shall be effective beginning with the fifth fiscal year beginning 
after the enactment of the Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor 
Legacy Act of 1996 unless Congress enacts a joint resolution before the 
beginning of such fiscal year specifying otherwise.
  ``(n) Exemption of Fees.--Amounts collected under this section which 
exceed the 1995 authorized recreation receipts shall not be taken into 
account for the purposes of the Act of May 23, 1908, and the Act of 
March 1, 1911 (16 U.S.C. 500), the Act of March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 
501), the Act of July 22, 1937 (7 U.S.C. 1012), the Act of August 8, 
1937, and the Act of May 24, 1939 (43 U.S.C. 1181f et seq.), the Act of 
June 14, 1926 (43 U.S.C. 869-4), chapter 69 of title 31, United States 
Code, section 401 of the Act of June 15, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 715s), the 
Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-1-4-460l-
11), and any other provision of law relating to revenue allocation.
  ``(o) Authorization of Appropriations.--
          ``(1) First 4 years.--During the first four fiscal years 
        beginning after the enactment of the Visitor Services 
        Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996, there is authorized 
        to be appropriated for a fiscal year amounts which would have 
        been appropriated for that fiscal year under section 4 of the 
        Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as such section 
        was in effect on the day before the date of enactment of the 
        Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996.
          ``(2) Guarantee of funding enhancement beginning with the 5th 
        fiscal year.--(A) Effective for the fifth fiscal year beginning 
        after the enactment of the Visitor Services Improvement and 
        Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996 and thereafter, after target 
        recreation revenue goals are submitted to the Congress under 
        subsection (m), there is authorized to be appropriated for each 
        agency for each fiscal year an amount such that the total 
        funding available for visitor services from recreational fees 
        and appropriated amounts is not less than 125 percent of the 
        adjusted 1995 base amount.
          ``(B) For the purpose of subparagraph (A), the term `adjusted 
        1995 base amount' means the amount appropriated for visitor 
        services for fiscal year 1995 increased or decreased for a 
        fiscal year by the percentage (if any) by which the average 
        Consumer Price Index for the preceding fiscal year exceeds the 
        average Consumer Price Index for fiscal year 1995. For purposes 
        of this subparagraph, the term `Consumer Price Index' means the 
        Consumer Price Index for all-urban consumers published by the 
        Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.''.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

  (a)(1)(A) Title I of the Department of the Interior and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 1994 is amended by striking out the third 
proviso under the heading ``administrative provisions'' which is under 
the heading ``National Park Service'' (related to recovery of costs 
associated with special use permits).
  (B) For those recreational activities for which a fee was charged 
prior to September 30, 1995, under the provision of law amended by 
subparagraph (A), the Secretary may continue to charge and retain such 
fees until such park is able to receive reimbursement under section 4 
of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as amended by this 
Act.
  (2) Section 3 of the Act entitled ``An Act to establish a National 
Park Service, and for other purposes'', approved August 25, 1916 (16 
U.S.C. 3), is amended--
          (A) by inserting ``(a)'' after ``3.''; and
          (B) by adding at the end the following:
  ``(b) The Secretary shall publish regulations governing commercial or 
nonrecreational special uses of units of the National Park System for 
which a fee is not authorized to be charged under section 4 of the Land 
and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-6), including 
(but not limited to) such activities as filming, special athletic or 
sporting events, weddings, cultural events and festivals. After 
adoption of such regulations, the Secretary may retain an amount equal 
to the direct administrative costs associated with issuing any permits 
and managing such activities (including, but not limited to, personnel 
costs, clean up costs, and other special services) for which such 
permit is issued. Such amounts retained shall be credited to the 
appropriation current at the time, and may only be spent for activities 
directly in support of the purposes for which the permit was issued. 
Such amounts retained are authorized to remain available until 
expended.''.
  (b) The following Public Laws are amended as follows:
          (1) Section 5(e) of Public Law 87-657 (16 U.S.C. 459c-5(e)), 
        as amended, is hereby repealed.
          (2) Section 3(b) of Public Law 87-750 (16 U.S.C. 398e(b)) is 
        hereby repealed.
          (3) Section 4(e) of Public Law 92-589 (16 U.S.C. 460bb-3), as 
        amended, is further amended by striking the first sentence.
          (4) Section 6(j) of Public Law 95-348 (92 Stat. 493) is 
        hereby repealed.
          (5) Section 207 of Public Law 96-199 (94 Stat. 77) is hereby 
        repealed.
          (6) Section 106 of Public Law 96-287 (94 Stat. 600) is 
        amended by striking the last sentence.
          (7) Section 204 of Public Law 96-287 (94 Stat. 601) is 
        amended by striking the last sentence.
          (8) Section 5 of Public Law 96-428 (94 Stat. 1842) is hereby 
        repealed.
          (9) Public Law 100-55 (101 Stat. 371) is hereby repealed.
          (10) Section 203 of the Alaska National Interest Lands 
        Conservation Act shall not apply with respect to charging an 
        admission fee at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

SEC. 5. SAVINGS PROVISION RELATING TO AREAS ADMINISTERED BY THE UNITED 
                    STATES ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS.

  Areas at civil works projects administered by the United States Army 
Corps of Engineers shall be subject to section 4 of the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as in effect immediately before the 
enactment of this Act, in lieu of being subject to the amendments made 
by this Act.

                          Purpose of the Bill

    The purpose of H.R. 2107 is to improve the overall quality 
of the visitor recreation experience on Federal lands through 
increased funding provided by an innovative and incentive-based 
recreation fee program combined with a targeted appropriation.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    Recreation use fees for Federal lands date back to at least 
1907, when an entrance fee was charged at Mount Ranier National 
Park. In fact, as recently as 1937, both Yosemite and 
Yellowstone National Parks paid for themselves through 
recreation fees.
    However, the Federal Government's recreation fee program is 
now seriously outdated. The admission fee at Mount Ranier 
National Park has not increased for 89 years. Visitors who use 
Federal lands pay only about 11 percent of the $970 million 
annual cost of services provided to them. The balance of the 
costs of annual visitor services, and the entire cost of 
development of visitor facilities, is subsidized by the 
taxpayer at large.
    If the level of funding for visitor programs was adequate, 
the need for reforming the recreation fee program would not be 
so critical. However, such is clearly not the case. All Federal 
land management agencies report acute funding shortages. The 
National Park Service alone reports a $6 billion backlog in 
major facility construction, which would require 40 years to 
address at existing funding levels. Park roads are crumbling, 
wastewater treatment facilities are in non-compliance with 
health standards and visitor interpretive programs have been 
seriously cut back.
    The Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965 (LWCFA), 
included in Section 4 a broad-based recreation fee program for 
Federal lands. The underlying philosophy of the LWCFA was that 
recreation use fees (along with motorboat fuel taxes and 
general receipts) would be used to underwrite the cost of land 
acquisition at the Federal level, and acquisition and 
development of parks at the state level. Just three years 
later, when it was recognized that recreation fees were 
inadequate to meet the needs of those programs, LWCFA was 
amended to authorize the use of up to $900 million annually 
from receipts of offshore oil and gas activities.
    Since 1965, there have been a number of piecemeal 
modifications to the fee collection provisions of LWCFA. Among 
the most significant were 1987 amendments which permitted fees 
collected by the National Park Service only to be 
reappropriated back to the agency to cover operational costs. 
While the National Park Service has substantially increased its 
recreation fee collection, to $76 million in 1994, the agency 
collects far less than is authorized. In 1993, the Interior 
Inspector General reported that 63 parks authorized to collect 
fees were not, resulting in a failure to collect nearly $54 
million (Report No. 93-I-793).
    Since fee monies must be reappropriated the following year, 
and because the actual appropriations to the National Park 
Service for park operations has far exceeded the increase due 
to fees alone, it is impossible for park managers, or the 
public, to understand the relationship between recreation fees 
and funding available. Further, both the General Accounting 
Office and the Interior Inspector General have expressed 
concern about the tracking of recreation fees.
    Last year, the General Accounting Office reported that the 
National Park Service was at a crossroads, and that drastic 
action was needed to avoid a crisis within the agency (GAO RCED 
95-238). Recreation fees was part of the solution to the 
National Park Service problems recommended by the General 
Accounting Office. However, another adjustment to the existing 
LWCFA provisions appears unlikely to provide the fundamental 
changes necessary to address the visitor program funding 
problems faced by the Federal land management agencies.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 2107 was introduced on July 26, 1995, by Congressman 
James V. Hansen. The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on 
National Parks, Forests and Lands. On August 3, 1995, the 
Subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 2107 (H. Hrg. 104-35). On 
December 19, 1996, the Subcommittee met to mark up H.R. 2107. 
An amendment in the nature of a substitute was offered by Mr. 
Hansen, and adopted by voice vote. The bill was then ordered 
favorably reported to the Full Committee. On March 13, 1996, 
the Full Resources Committee met to consider H.R. 2107. 
Congressman Hansen offered an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute. The following amendments were offered to the Hansen 
amendment:
    (1) Congressman Don Young of Alaska offered and withdrew an 
amendment which removed Army Corps of Engineers facilities from 
the new recreational fee structure.
    (2) Congressman Bill Richardson offered an amendment which 
reinstated the golden eagle passport; the amendment failed on a 
rollcall vote of 14-23, as follows:

         committee on resources--104th congress, Rollcall No. 1

    Bill: H.R. 2107, Short Title, Recreation Fees.
    Amendment or matter voted on: Richardson No. 2--Golden Age 
Passport.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Members                Yeas      Nays     Present        Members          Yes      Nays     Present 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Young (Chairman)...........  ........        X   .........  Mr. Miller.......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Tauzin.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Markey.......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Hansen.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Rahall.......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Saxton.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Vento........        X   ........  .........
Mr. Gallegly...................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Kildee.......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Duncan.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Williams.....  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Hefley.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Gejdenson....        X   ........  .........
Mr. Dootlittle.................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Richardson...        X   ........  .........
Mr. Allard.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. DeFazio......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Gilchrest..................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Faleomavaega.  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Calvert....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Johnson......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Pombo......................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Abercrombie..  ........        X   .........
Mr. Torkildsen.................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Studds.......  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Hayworth...................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Ortiz........  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Cremeans...................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Pickett......  ........  ........  .........
Mrs. Cubin.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Pallone......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Cooley.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Dooley.......  ........        X   .........
Mrs. Chenoweth.................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Romero-              X   ........  .........
                                                                 Barcelo.                                       
Mrs. Smith.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Hinchey......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Radanovich.................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Underwood....  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Jones......................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Farr.........  ........        X   .........
Mr. Thornberry.................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Kennedy......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Hastings...................  ........        X   .........                                                  
Mr. Metcalf....................  ........        X   .........                                                  
Mr. Longley....................  ........  ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Shadegg....................  ........        X   .........                                                  
Mr. Ensign.....................        X   ........  .........                                                  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (3) Congressman Richardson offered an amendment to prohibit 
an admission fee for persons 16 years old or less. Congressman 
Wayne Allard offered a substitute to the Richardson amendment 
which set fees for persons 12 years old at 50 percent or less 
of the fee charged for persons older than 12, in those cases 
where fees were charged on a per person basis. The Allard 
substitute was adopted on a rollcall vote of 17-13, as follows:

         committee on resources--104th congress, rollcall no. 2

    Bill: H.R. 2107, Short Title, Recreation Fees.
    Amendment or matter voted on: Allard Amendment offered as 
Substitute to Richardson amendment No. 3.
    Amendment or matter voted on: Allard Amendment offered as 
Substitute to Richardson amendment No. 3.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Members                Yeas      Nays     Present        Members          Yes      Nays     Present 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Young (Chairman)...........        X   ........  .........  Mr. Miller.......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Tauzin.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Markey.......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Hansen.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Rahall.......  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Saxton.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Vento........  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Gallegly...................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Kildee.......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Duncan.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Williams.....  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Hefley.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Gejdenson....  ........        X   .........
Mr. Dootlittle.................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Richardson...  ........        X   .........
Mr. Allard.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. DeFazio......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Gilchrest..................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Faleomavaega.  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Calvert....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Johnson......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Pombo......................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Abercrombie..  ........        X   .........
Mr. Torkildsen.................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Studds.......  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Hayworth...................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Ortiz........  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Cremeans...................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Pickett......  ........  ........  .........
Mrs. Cubin.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Pallone......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Cooley.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Dooley.......  ........        X   .........
Mrs. Chenoweth.................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Romero-        ........        X   .........
                                                                 Barcelo.                                       
Mrs. Smith.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Hinchey......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Radanovich.................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Underwood....  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Jones......................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Farr.........  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Thornberry.................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Kennedy......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Hastings...................        X   ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Metcalf....................  ........  ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Longley....................  ........  ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Shadegg....................        X   ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Ensign.....................        X   ........  .........                                                  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Richardson amendment, as amended, was then adopted by 
voice vote. The Committee then recessed until March 28, 1996.
    On March 28, 1996, the Committee continued its 
consideration of H.R. 2107. To the pending Hansen amendment in 
the nature of a substitute, the following amendments were 
offered:
    (1) Congressman Don Young reoffered his amendment to exempt 
Army Corps of Engineers facilities from the new recreational 
fee system; the amendment was adopted by voice vote.
    (2) Congressman James V. Hansen offered amendments en bloc 
to allow an increase in the set aside for fee collection if 
collection costs increased and to clarify that recreation fees 
collected in fiscal year 1995 will be the baseline above which 
all new recreation fees will be available without 
appropriation; the amendments were adopted by voice vote.
    (3) Congressman Tim Johnson of South Dakota offered an 
amendment to exempt Mount Rushmore National Memorial from 
recreation fee collection; the amendment was adopted by voice 
vote.
    (4) Congresswoman Barbara Cubin offered an amendment, later 
modified technically by voice vote, to delete authority for the 
federal government to charge fee for hunting and fishing; the 
amendment was adopted by voice vote.
    (5) Congressman Bill Richardson offered an amendment to cap 
admission fees; it failed by voice vote.
    (6) Congressman Bill Richardson offered amendments en bloc 
to eliminate fees for campgrounds and visitor centers; the 
amendments were defeated by voice vote.
    (7) Congressman Sam Gejdenson offered an amendment to 
restore fees for commercial aircraft tours over national parks. 
Congressman James V. Hansen offered an amendment to the 
Gejdenson amendment which requires a report on appropriate fee 
schedules to encourage the use of quiet aircraft technology. 
The Hansen amendment to the Gejdenson amendment was adopted by 
voice vote, and the Gejdenson amendment, as amended, was 
adopted by voice vote.
    (8) Congressman Bill Richardson offered a substitute 
amendment, which failed on a rollcall vote of 15-24, as 
follows:

         COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES--104TH CONGRESS, ROLLCALL NO. 1

    Bill: H.R. 2107, Short Title, Recreation Fees.
    Amendment or matter voted on: Richardson amendment No. 17, 
Amendment in Nature of Substitute.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Members                Yeas      Nays     Present        Members         Yeas      Yays     Present 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Young (Chairman)...........  ........        X   .........  Mr. Miller.......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Tauzin.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Markey.......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Hansen.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Rahall.......  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Saxton.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Vento........        X   ........  .........
Mr. Gallegly...................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Kildee.......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Duncan.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Williams.....  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Hefley.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Gejdenson....        X   ........  .........
Mr. Doolittle..................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Richardson...        X   ........  .........
Mr. Allard.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. DeFazio......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Gilchrest..................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Faleomavaega.  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Calvert....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Johnson......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Pombo......................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Abercrombie..        X   ........  .........
Mr. Torkildsen.................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Studds.......  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Hayworth...................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Ortiz........        X   ........  .........
Mr. Cremeans...................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Pickett......  ........        X   .........
Mrs. Cubin.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Pallone......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Cooley.....................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Dooley.......  ........        X   .........
Mrs. Chenoweth.................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Romero-              X   ........  .........
                                                                 Barcelo.                                       
Mrs. Smith.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Hinchey......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Radanovich.................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Underwood....  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Jones......................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Farr.........        X   ........  .........
Mr. Thornberry.................  ........        X   .........  Mr. Kennedy......        X   ........  .........
Mr. Hastings...................  ........  ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Metcalf....................  ........        X   .........                                                  
Mr. Longley....................  ........        X   .........                                                  
Mr. Shadegg....................  ........        X   .........                                                  
Mr. Ensign.....................  ........        X   .........                                                  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Hansen amendment in the nature of a substitute, as 
amended, was adopted by voice vote. H.R. 2107, as amended, was 
then ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives 
by a rollcall vote of 26-12, as follows:

         committee on resources--104th congress, rollcall no. 2

    Bill: H.R. 1207, Short Title, Recreation Fees.
    Amendment or matter voted on: Final passage.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Members                Yeas      Nays     Present        Members         Yeas      Yays     Present 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Young (Chairman)...........  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Miller.......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Tauzin.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Markey.......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Hansen.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Rahall.......  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Saxton.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Vento........  ........        X   .........
Mr. Gallegly...................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Kildee.......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Duncan.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Williams.....  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Hefley.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Gejdenson....  ........        X   .........
Mr. Doolittle..................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Richardson...  ........        X   .........
Mr. Allard.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. DeFazio......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Gilchrest..................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Faleomavaega.  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Calvert....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Johnson......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Pombo......................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Abercrombie..  ........        X   .........
Mr. Torkildsen.................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Studds.......  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Hayworth...................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Ortiz........        X   ........  .........
Mr. Cremeans...................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Pickett......        X   ........  .........
Mrs. Cubin.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Pallone......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Cooley.....................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Dooley.......        X   ........  .........
Mrs. Chenoweth.................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Romero-              X   ........  .........
                                                                 Barcelo.                                       
Mrs. Smith.....................  ........  ........  .........  Mr. Hinchey......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Radanovich.................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Underwood....  ........  ........  .........
Mr. Jones......................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Farr.........        X   ........  .........
Mr. Thornberry.................        X   ........  .........  Mr. Kennedy......  ........        X   .........
Mr. Hastings...................  ........  ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Metcalf....................        X   ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Longley....................        X   ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Shadegg....................        X   ........  .........                                                  
Mr. Ensign.....................        X   ........  .........                                                  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

                         Section 1. Short Title

    Section 1 provides the short title of the bill.

                           Section 2. Purpose

    Section 2 provides the purpose of the bill which is to 
improve the quality of the visitor experience on Federal lands. 
This goal would be accomplished through increased funding which 
would be provided through a combination of increased fees along 
with targeted appropriations.

Section 3. Repeal of Existing Recreation Fee Program and Establishment 
                     of New Recreation Fee Program

    Section 3 provides a comprehensive revision of the existing 
language of Section 4 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
Act of 1965 (LWCFA) which pertains to recreation fees. Although 
there have been a number of amendments to this section over the 
last 30 years, this is the first comprehensive rewrite of the 
section.
    New LWCFA section (a)(1) outlines the Congressional goals 
of the new section. The Committee has heard ample testimony to 
support the fact that funding for visitor use and recreation 
programs for all land management agencies is currently 
inadequate. These shortfalls exist despite Congressional 
appropriation increases for many of these activities. At a time 
when balancing the budget is a high priority to all Americans, 
the prognosis for substantial increases in funds through the 
appropriation process in the near future, even for the most 
popular programs, is not good. Further, the Committee is aware 
that recreational users of Federal lands currently only provide 
about 10 percent of the cost of recreation services provided 
through recreation fees. The Committee believes that it is 
appropriate for those persons who are directly benefitting from 
these recreation and visitor service programs to pay a greater 
share of the cost, as opposed to those who never take advantage 
of the services.
    Section (a)(2) outlines a number of very important 
parameters to be considered by the Secretaries in establishing 
a recreation fee policy. The Committee expects the Secretaries 
to issue a joint policy with respect to fees which will provide 
some level of consistency among the various agencies. This is 
very important to the recreating public. At the same time, the 
Committee recognizes that individual agencies can and will 
issue specific guidelines and regulations within the overall 
framework of the policy to meet their particular needs.
    Section (a)(2)(B) provides that the agencies adopt policies 
which maximize the number of persons who pay fees. This is 
critical for maximizing the amount of revenue collected while 
at the same time permitting recreation fees to remain as low as 
possible.
    Section (a)(2)(D) provides that the agencies will develop 
fee programs which will ensure equity among user groups. The 
Committee is concerned that no particular user group be asked 
to pay more than their fair share. The Committee understands 
that commercial tour fees and concessions fees are really just 
another form of recreation use fees. While it is much simpler 
for agencies to collect such recreation fees through others 
with whom they have a contractual relationship, the Committee 
expects that the public, which elects to utilize such services 
and facilities, will not be charged disproportionately. 
Further, this language is intended to address situations where 
fees are paid to a state, which then makes grants to a Federal 
agency, such as the California Green Sticker program.
    Section (a)(2)(E) provides that agencies will develop 
accounting procedures which ensure that recreation fees 
collected are directed back to the needs of the public who paid 
the fees. The Committee recognizes that the success of the 
recreation fee program will depend to a large degree on the 
public being able to recognize that the fees they pay have made 
a difference in the overall quality of their recreation 
experience and nature of facilities available. To the extent 
that agencies divert funds away from visitor service programs 
to overhead or Washington, D.C. office functions, they will be 
less able to ensure that the quality of the visitor experience 
is improved. The Committee recognizes that this is likely to 
necessitate some change in accounting procedures among the 
agencies affected under this bill, and supports such changes.
    Section (a)(2)(G) requires that the agencies consider 
convenience to the public in establishing recreation fee 
programs. This is also considered important to public 
acceptance of the program. In particular, the Committee would 
support a comprehensive fee for the use of any area rather than 
requiring a number of small individual charges for services or 
facilities.
    Section 4(b) provides operational definitions.
    Section (b)(1) provides that this provision of law will 
continue to guide the fee collection activities of the Forest 
Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish 
and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Reclamation.
    Section (b)(8) provides the definition of visitor services 
as used in the section. This definition is critically important 
to the overall success of this legislation since it defines the 
manner in which recreation fees can be spent. The definition 
includes not only the cost of visitor programs but costs 
associated with protection of resources directly related to 
public use.
    New LWCFA section 4(c) states the overall policy of the 
legislation. It recognizes that recreation fees are comprised 
of admission fees, use fees and concession fees. Admission fees 
may only be charged at areas managed by the National Park 
Service and other areas of concentrated use. Recreation use 
fees may be collected at any areas where specialized 
recreational services are offered.
    Section (c)(2) specifies the factors that agencies shall 
consider when establishing the amount of fees. The Committee 
agrees that the Administration needs to be granted flexibility 
in establishing individual fee levels and that it is 
inappropriate for Congress to determine a one size fits all fee 
for the wide array of services and facilities provided by the 
Federal Government. At the same time, the Committee has 
provided guidance, but no particular formula, to the agencies 
to ensure that similar factors are considered by the agencies 
when they establish those fee levels.
    Section (c)(3) provides for public comment in the 
establishment of recreation fees. The Committee heard testimony 
seeking an opportunity for public comment in the establishment 
of recreation fees. As the new legislation provides broader 
discretion to the Administration in the setting of admission 
fees than current law, the Committee agrees that public comment 
is necessary and appropriate. Further, due to the length of 
time required for commercial tour companies to organize their 
tours, the legislation provides for commercial tour fees to be 
set 12 months in advance.
    Section (c)(6) provides that the administering Secretaries 
will set a target revenue goal for each area they administer. 
Such a goal is important to estimate the total recreation fee 
revenue which will be generated by each agency and to ensure 
accountability of the Federal land managers.
    Section (c)(7) provides that persons assigned exclusively 
to fee collection duties, over and above the number of persons 
now assigned to such duties, would not be counted toward any 
full-time equivalent ceiling for the agency. The Committee 
understands that existing staffing levels for some agencies are 
already at the current ceiling. Therefore, it is impossible for 
those agencies to hire additional personnel to collect fees, 
unless the agencies divert existing staff from other duties or 
contract out this function. The Committee has included this 
provision to ensure that existing personnel ceilings do not 
become a barrier to implementation of this legislation.
    New LWCFA section (d) outlines the various types of 
recreation fees which may be charged pursuant to this Act.
    Section (d)(1) describes the admission permit. Admission 
fees may only be charged at units of the park system and other 
areas of concentrated public use.
    Section (d)(2) describes the annual Golden Eagle Passport.
    Section (d)(2)(B) provides for the non-Federal sale of the 
Golden Eagle Passport. The Committee notes that this section 
provides for non-Federal entities to maintain inventories of 
Golden Eagle Passports on consignment.
    Section (d)(5) provides the policy for establishing 
recreation use fees. Unlike admission fees, use fees can be 
charged by any of the agencies wherever specialized services 
are provided. The Committee has specifically provided for 
charging for backcountry camping by permit, but notes that this 
is not intended to apply to at-large camping on Forest Service 
or Bureau of Land Management lands, where no permit is 
required.
    Section (d)(6)(A) provides for charging of a commercial 
tour use fee at each area where an admission fee is charged. 
The language provides that such fees will be charged on a per 
vehicle basis to avoid the administrative problems associated 
with charging on a per person basis.
    Section (d)(6)(B) provides for continuation of the existing 
commercial air tour fee at Grand Canyon, Haleakala and Hawaii 
Volcanoes National Parks.
    Section (d)(6)(C) provides for the Secretaries of 
Transportation and Interior to develop a fee schedule for air 
tour operations which encourages the use of quiet aircraft 
technology.
    Section (d)(7)(A) provides that where the Secretaries 
provide transportation to visit an area, they may charge a fee 
for such service and retain any revenues. The Committee 
strongly supports and encourages the development of 
transportation systems to reduce vehicular congestion at 
popular destinations.
    New LWCFA section (e) provides for the establishment of 
special accounts for deposit of recreation fee revenues. The 
Secretary of the Treasury shall establish an account for each 
agency into which all recreation fees collected by that agency 
would be deposited. Funds from the sales of Golden Eagle 
Passports and annual geographic permits would also be deposited 
into these accounts based on a formula to be developed by the 
Secretaries.
    Funds deposited into the special accounts would be 
available for appropriation to cover visitor service costs. 
Each agency would be permitted to withdraw from the special 
account up to 15 percent of the previous year's fee collections 
to cover the costs of collections. The 15 percent would be 
available for expenditure without further appropriations 
action, while the remaining funds deposited into the special 
accounts (except as provided in section (e)(5)) would be 
available for appropriation in the following year.
    Section (e)(5) provides that recreation fees in excess of 
those collected by each agency in fiscal year 1995 would be 
immediately available to that agency without further 
appropriation. The Committee intends for the 15 percent to be 
deducted before determining amounts made available under this 
subsection. Of those amounts which would be available without 
further appropriation, 75 percent would be available for 
expenditure at the area where it is collected. In addition, one 
third of the amount which is collected which is above the 
target revenue goal for each area would be returned to the area 
where it is collected. Funds over and above the 75 percent to 
remain in the area where they are collected plus funds made 
available for exceeding the target revenue goals would be 
available for expenditure at other areas managed by the agency, 
as determined by the administering Secretary. The funds would 
be available until expended. Funds would be available for 
visitor services, as well as repair, replacement and 
rehabilitation of visitor facilities. The Committee has limited 
the construction of new facilities to those necessary to 
establish fee collection programs because of the Committee's 
concern about expanding the maintenance backlog of the 
agencies.
    New LWCFA section (j) protects low-income individuals from 
being priced off the Federal lands. While the Committee is 
concerned about how increases in recreation fees could impact 
low-income persons, the Committee notes that information 
regarding the income level of Federal recreation users is 
limited. Therefore, the Committee expects the administering 
Secretaries to collect adequate information to determine 
whether their policies are having an impact on low-income 
persons, to modify their policies accordingly and to forward 
that information to Congress as appropriate.
    New LWCFA section (k) provides a number of exemptions to 
these fee collection policies including: persons with a right 
of hunting or fishing by law or treaty, school groups, through 
travelers, persons conducting government business and persons 
accessing private property.
    New LWCFA section (m) provides that the Secretaries shall 
submit an implementation report to Congress no later that four 
years after the date of enactment. Such report is to detail the 
potential cost recovery from the recreation fees for each 
agency and the target recreation revenue goals for each area. 
The Committee intends that this implementation report should 
set a long-term direction for the recreation fee program. Prior 
to submittal of this report, the agencies are expected to fully 
implement all authorities provided under this Act.
    New LWCFA section (n) provides that recreation fees 
collected in excess of the 1995 authorized amounts would be 
exempt from the cost-sharing provisions imposed by a variety of 
existing statutes. The Committee decided to protect the 
existing revenue stream to the counties, while at the same time 
ensuring that a maximum amount of funds is available for on-
site management of visitor services.
    New LWCFA section (o) provides for the authorization of 
appropriations. For the first four years after enactment, 
funding would continue to be authorized as currently provided 
in Section 4 of LWCFA. After that four year period, funding for 
visitor services would total at least 125 percent of the fiscal 
year 1995 base level, adjusted for inflation, through a 
combination of appropriations plus recreation fees. The 
Committee has inserted this language to ensure that increases 
for visitor services provided by increased recreation fees are 
not offset by reductions in appropriations.

                    Section 4. Conforming Amendments

    Section 4 deletes language from the 1994 Interior and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act which permits the National 
Park Service to establish a recreation fee policy inconsistent 
with the LWCFA. The Committee has provided a new authority 
which permits the National Park Service to continue to charge 
for special park uses and transition language which permits 
those recreational activities for which the Park Service is 
currently charging a fee to continue until the agency can 
receive funds through the amendments to the LWCFA provided in 
this legislation. Specifically, this language would provide for 
continuation of the fishing fee at Yellowstone National Park 
and the fee for tunnel escorts at Zion National Park.
    Section 4(b) eliminates a number of legislative provisions 
which prohibit admission fee collection at certain park areas.

  Section 5. Savings Provision Relating to Areas Administered by the 
                 United States Army Corps of Engineers

    Section 5 provides that the existing recreation fee 
collection program for the Corps of Engineers would continue 
without change.

            Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations

    With the respect to the requirements of clause 2(l)(3) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and 
clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Resources' oversight findings 
and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                     Inflationary Impact Statement

    Pursuant to clause 2(l)(4) of rule XI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee estimates that the 
enactment of H.R. 2107 will have no significant inflationary 
impact on prices and costs in the operation of the national 
economy.

                        Cost of the Legislation

    Clause 7(a) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the 
Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out 
H.R. 2107. However, clause 7(d) of that rule provides that this 
requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in 
its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill 
prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
under section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

                     Compliance with House Rule XI

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(B) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, H.R. 
2107 does not contain any new budget authority, credit 
authority, or an increase or decrease in tax expenditures. H.R. 
2107 increases offsetting receipts by a total $184 million from 
1997-2002. The bill also provides new spending authority.
    2. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(D) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee has received no report of oversight findings and 
recommendations from the Committee on Government Reform and 
Oversight on the subject of H.R. 2107.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(C) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee has received the following cost estimate for H.R. 
2107 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, June 20, 1996.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2107, the Visitor 
Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996.
    Enactment of H.R. 2107 would affect direct spending. 
Therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply to the bill.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them.
            Sincerely,
                                              James L. Blum
                                   (For June E. O'Neill, Director).
    Enclosure.

               congressional budget office cost estimate

    1. Bill number: H.R. 2107.
    2. Bill title: Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor 
Legacy Act of 1996.
    3. Bill status: As ordered reported by the House Committee 
on Resources on March 28, 1996.
    4. Bill purpose: H.R. 2107 would direct the U.S. Department 
of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) 
to implement new recreation fee programs designed to improve 
the recovery of visitor-related costs. To provide greater 
authority and new incentives to the agencies within the two 
departments that collect recreation fees, the bill would amend 
the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (LWCFA) to:
          eliminate existing caps on admission fees at 
        recreation sites, including those for single visits, 
        annual park passes, and Golden Eagle Passports;
          remove certain limitations on imposing admission and 
        recreation use fees, including the repeal of existing 
        prohibitions against such charges at specific national 
        park units;
          remove current restrictions that impede federal 
        agencies from collecting recreation fees and marketing 
        Golden Eagle Passport through nonfederal vendors;
          reduce the number of visitors that pay no recreation 
        fees by modifying existing special fee provisions for 
        children, senior citizens, and handicapped visitors; 
        and
          authorize the agencies to retain and spend fee 
        receipts that exceed their fiscal year 1995 
        collections.
    In addition, the bill would require the two departments to 
develop target receipt levels for each recreation area under 
their jurisdictions, effective the fifth year after the 
legislation's enactment. Once the participating agencies have 
established site-specific targets, the respective secretaries 
would submit these targets, along with corresponding fee 
schedules, cost-recovery projections, and progress reports, to 
the Congress. For each year after this submission is made, the 
bill would authorize the appropriation of whatever sums are 
necessary in order to provide each participating agency with 
125 percent of the amount it received in 1995 (adjusted for 
inflation) for visitor services.
    5. Estimated cost to the Federal Government: CBO estimates 
that implementing H.R. 2107 would increase offsetting receipts 
by a total of about $184 million between fiscal years 1997 and 
2002. Because the bill would create new budget authority of 
more than this amount, however, the net impact on the federal 
budget would be an increase in outlays of about $72 million 
over the next six years. The budgetary effects of the 
legislation are summarized in Table 1.

                                TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED BUDGETARY IMPACT OF H.R. 2107                               
                                    [By fiscal year, in millions of dollars]                                    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     1996     1997     1998     1999     2000     2001     2002 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 DIRECT SPENDING                                                
Net spending under current law: \1\                                                                             
    Estimated budget authority...................      -79      -83      -86      -88      -90      -93      -95
    Estimated outlays............................      -83      -90      -88      -85      -90      -93      -95
Proposed changes:                                                                                               
    Estimated budget authority...................  .......        5        7       17       19       22       26
    Estimated outlays............................  .......        3        3        9       14       19       24
Estimated spending under H.R. 2107:                                                                             
    Estimated budget authority...................      -79      -78      -79      -71      -71      -71      -69
    Estimated outlays............................      -83      -87      -85      -76      -76      -74      -67
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ These amounts represent offsetting receipts from recreation fees charged by agencies within DOI and USDA,   
  net of associated direct spending. For fiscal years 1997 and 1998, net spending under current law includes new
  receipts to be earned (and spent) under the temporary authority provided by Public Law 104-134, the Omnibus   
  Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act, which directs USDA and DOI to initiate fee demonstration     
  programs at up to 50 recreation sites for each participating agency.                                          

    The costs of this bill fall within budget function 300.
    This estimate does not include any additional amounts that 
may be appropriated to agencies that exceed target receipt 
levels after fiscal year 2001 because it is not possible to 
estimate such amounts until each participating agency develops 
and submits targets for areas under its jurisdiction.
    6. Basis of estimate: For purposes of this estimate, CBO 
assumes that H.R. 2107 would be enacted by October 1, 1996, and 
that USDA and DOI would implement the mandated new fee programs 
over the following two years in accordance with the 
legislation's specific requirements for public notification and 
joint rulemaking. We also assume that most rate increases would 
be phased in over a period of several years. All estimates are 
based on information provided by the National Park Service 
(NPS), the Office of Management and Budget, and other federal 
agencies. Estimated receipts and spending authority for fiscal 
years 1997 and 1998 are in addition to amounts that will be 
collected and spent under the fee demonstration program 
authorized by the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and 
Appropriations Act (OCRA).
    Finally, the estimates shown in Tables 1 through 3 include 
receipts and direct spending of the NPS, the Forest Service, 
and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). No amounts have been 
included for the Bureau of Reclamation or the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service because we estimate that the bill would have 
no significant effect on their existing fee programs and 
associated spending.
    Offsetting Receipts.--CBO estimates that additional fee 
collections under H.R. 2107 would reach about $30 million in 
fiscal year 1999 and rise to about $50 million annually by 
2002. As a result of routine planning activities and public 
notification and joint rulemaking procedures specified by the 
bill, new receipts would be much lower initially: less than $2 
million in 1997 and about $12 million in 1998. In total, CBO 
estimates that offsetting receipts would increase by $184 
million over the 1997-2002 period. The estimated impact on 
offsetting receipts is shown in Table 2.

                         TABLE 2.--ESTIMATED IMPACT OF H.R. 2107 ON OFFSETTING RECEIPTS                         
                                    [By fiscal year, in millions of dollars]                                    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              1997     1998     1999     2000     2001     2002 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 DIRECT SPENDING                                                
Offsetting receipts under current law: \1\                                                                      
    Estimated budget authority............................     -107     -113     -103     -106     -109     -112
    Estimated outlays.....................................     -107     -113     -103     -106     -109     -112
Proposed changes:                                                                                               
    Estimated budget authority............................       -2      -12      -30      -42      -48      -50
    Estimated outlays.....................................       -2      -12      -30      -42      -48      -50
Offsetting receipts under H.R. 2107:                                                                            
    Estimated budget authority............................     -109     -125     -133     -148     -157     -162
    Estimated outlays.....................................     -109     -125     -133     -148     -157     -162
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ For fiscal year 1997 and 1998, current-law receipts include amounts earned under OCRA.                      

    Based on the historical performance of federal land-
management agencies under previously enacted statutes, CBO 
expects that the vast majority of all new receipts realized 
from enacting H.R. 2107 would be earned by the NPS. However, 
because H.R. 2107 would provide a strong incentive to collect 
more fees (by allowing the collecting agency to retain 100 
percent of any additional receipts earned rather than the 15 
percent they may now spend under the LWCFA), it is possible 
that other agencies covered by the bill would try to improve 
their fee collection efforts. If so, the increase in offsetting 
receipts would be higher than shown in Table 2, and new direct 
spending (shown below) would rise correspondingly. Such 
increases, if they occur at all, would probably be relatively 
small (in comparison to NPS earnings). Moreover, new fee 
programs at other agencies would probably require much longer 
implementation periods because the agencies most likely to be 
affected--the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 
Management--would probably need more time to develop new fee 
schedules, hire additional personnel, and construct the 
necessary facilities at collection sites.
    Direct Spending.--The new spending authority provided by 
H.R. 2107 would increase federal outlays by about $5 million in 
fiscal year 1997. The amount of additional spending would 
increase over time to about $74 million in 2002, for a total of 
$256 million over the six-year period. The additional budget 
authority and outlays estimated for the bill are shown in Table 
3.
    H.R. 2107 would authorize the Forest Service and DOI to 
retain and spend any additional fee receipts above the amounts 
they collected in fiscal year 1995. As a result of this 
provision, new mandatory budget authority would increase not 
only by the amount of new receipts earned under the bill but 
also by any receipt increases realized from growth in 
visitation or other changes that would have occurred even in 
the absence of new legislation. Of the amounts shown in Table 3 
as new spending authority, about $2 million in 1997 and a total 
of $184 million through 2002 would stem from the new fee 
programs mandated by the bill. The balance--$5 million and a 
total of $96 million through 2002--would be the result of 
growth in receipts collected by the NPS, BLM, and the Forest 
Service under current law. Estimated increases in new budget 
authority and outlays are net of small savings that would 
result from a provision of H.R. 2107 that would delay the 
availability of funds to cover collection costs, which are 
currently made available without appropriation in the year 
received.

                           TABLE 3.--ESTIMATED IMPACT OF H.R. 2107 ON DIRECT SPENDING                           
                                    [By fiscal year, in millions of dollars]                                    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              1997     1998     1999     2000     2001     2002 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spending under current law:\1\                                                                                  
    Estimated budget authority............................       24       27       15       16       16       17
    Estimated outlays.....................................       20       25       18       16       16       17
Proposed changes:                                                                                               
    Estimated budget authority............................        7       19       47       61       70       76
    Estimated outlays.....................................        5       15       39       56       67       74
Estimated spending under H.R. 2107:                                                                             
    Estimated budget authority............................       30       46       63       77       87       92
    Estimated outlays.....................................       25       41       57       72       83      91 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Estimated budget authority and outlays under current law include amounts retained and spent under OCRA,     
  which allows each participating agency to spend without further appropriation 100 percent of any amounts it   
  earns above a certain threshold (in addition to the 15 percent automatically made available under section 4(i)
  of the LWCFA).                                                                                                

    7. Pay-as-you-go considerations: Section 252 of the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 sets 
up pay-as-you-go procedures for legislation affecting direct 
spending or receipts through 1998. CBO estimates that enacting 
H.R. 2107 would affect direct spending by increasing both 
offsetting receipts and mandatory spending. Therefore, pay-as-
you-go procedures would apply. The net increase in direct 
spending is shown below.

                [By fiscal year, in millions of dollars]                
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            1996       1997       1998  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Change in outlays......................          0          3          3
Change in receipts.....................      (\1\)      (\1\)     (\1\) 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Not applicable.                                                     

    8. Estimated impact on State, local, and tribal 
governments: H.R. 2107 contains no intergovernmental mandates 
as defined in Public Law 104-4. The bill could impose some 
costs on state governments, in the form of lost receipts, but 
these costs would not be the result of an enforceable duty and, 
therefore, would not be costs of a mandate.
    Enacting this bill could reduce the amount of recreation 
receipts paid to states in future years, because it provides 
that states may not share in recreation fees collected in 
excess of the 1995 authorized level. While the phrase ``1995 
authorized level'' could be interpreted to refer to whatever 
amount of receipts could be collected in future years under the 
laws in effect in 1995, CBO believes it would probably be 
interpreted to refer to the amount actually collected in that 
year. Under this interpretation, the provision not only would 
preclude states from sharing in the additional receipts 
collected as a result of this bill, but also could affect 
states' share of receipts collected under current law.
    This provision would affect fees collected by the Forest 
Service--the only federal agency that currently shares 
recreation fees with states. States receive 25 percent of 
recreation fees collected by the Forest Service. We expect 
that, under current law, Forest Service recreation receipts for 
each of the next few years will be about $2 million greater 
than the 1995 level. If this program is interpreted to apply to 
this increase, H.R. 2107 would result in states losing receipts 
of $500,000 annually to which they are currently entitled. 
Receipts are expected to increase under current law for a 
number of reasons, including an increase in the number of 
visitors that pay recreation fees.
    H.R. 2107 would also allow federal agencies to authorize 
state or local governments to sell admission permits and to 
contract with these governments to provide visitor reservation 
services. These activities would be voluntary on the part of 
participating state or local governments.
    9. Estimated impact on the private sector: This bill would 
impose no new private-sector mandates as defined in Public Law 
104-4.
    10. Previous CBO estimate: None.
    11. Estimate prepared by: Federal Cost Estimate: Deborah 
Reis; State and Local Government Impact: Marjorie Miller; 
Private-Sector Impact: Amy Downs.
    12. Estimate approved by: Robert A. Sunshine, Paul N. Van 
de Water, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                    Compliance With Public Law 104-4

    H.R. 2107 contains no unfunded mandates.

                          Departmental Reports

    The Committee has received no departmental reports on H.R. 
2107.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3 of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the 
bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed 
to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is 
printed in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed 
is shown in roman):

              LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND ACT OF 1965

          * * * * * * *

            TITLE I--LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION PROVISIONS

          * * * * * * *

         [admission and use fees; establishment and regulations

  [Sec. 4. (a) Admission Fees.--Entrance or admission fees 
shall be charged only at designated units of the National Park 
System or National Conservation Areas administered by the 
Department of the Interior and National Recreation Areas, 
National Monuments, National Volcanic Monuments, National 
Scenic Areas, and no more than 21 areas of concentrated public 
use administered by the Department of Agriculture. For purposes 
of this subsection, the term ``area of concentrated public 
use'' means an area that is managed primarily for outdoor 
recreation purposes, contains at least one major recreation 
attraction, where facilities and services necessary to 
accommodate heavy public use are provided, and public access to 
the area is provided in such a manner that admission fees can 
be efficiently collected at one or more centralized locations. 
No admission fees of any kind shall be charged or imposed for 
entrance into any other federally owned areas which are 
operated and maintained by a Federal agency and used for 
outdoor recreation purposes.
          [(1)(A)(i) For admission into any such designated 
        area, an annual admission permit (to be known as the 
        Golden Eagle Passport) shall be available, for a fee of 
        not more than $25. The permittee and any person 
        accompanying him in a single, private noncommercial 
        vehicle, or alternatively, the permittee and his 
        spouse, children, and parents accompanying him where 
        entry to the area is by any means other than private, 
        noncommercial vehicle, shall be entitled to general 
        admission into any area designated pursuant to this 
        subsection. The annual permit shall be valid for a 
        period of 12 months from the date the annual fee is 
        paid. The annual permit shall not authorize any uses 
        for which additional fees are charged pursuant to 
        subsections (b) and (c) of this section. The annual 
        permit shall be nontransferable and the unlawful use 
        thereof shall be punishable in accordance with 
        regulations established pursuant to subsection (e). The 
        annual permit shall be available for purchase at any 
        such designated area.
          [(ii) The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 
        of Agriculture may authorize businesses, nonprofit 
        entities, and other organizations to sell and collect 
        fees for the Golden Eagle Passport subject to such 
        terms and conditions as the Secretaries may jointly 
        prescribe. The Secretaries shall develop detailed 
        guidelines for promotional advertising of non-Federal 
        Golden Eagle Passport sales and shall monitor 
        compliance with such guidelines. The Secretaries may 
        authorize the sellers to withhold amounts up to, but 
        not exceeding 8 percent of the gross fees collected 
        from the sale of such passports as reimbursement for 
        actual expenses of the sales. Receipts from such non-
        Federal sales of the Golden Eagle Passport shall be 
        deposited into the special account established in 
        subsection (i), to be allocated between the Secretary 
        of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture in the 
        same ratio as receipts from admission into Federal fee 
        areas administered by the Secretary of Agriculture and 
        the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to subsection 
        (a).
          [(B) For admission into a specific designated unit of 
        the National Park System, or into several specific 
        units located in a particular geographic area, the 
        Secretary is authorized to make available an annual 
        admission permit for a reasonable fee. The fee shall 
        not exceed $15 regardless of how many units of the park 
        system are covered. The permit shall convey the 
        privileges of, and shall be subject to the same terms 
        and conditions as, the Golden Eagle Passport, except 
        that it shall be valid only for admission into the 
        specific unit or units of the National Park System 
        indicated at the time of purchase.
          [(2) Reasonable admission fees for a single visit at 
        any designated area shall be established by the 
        administering Secretary for persons who choose not to 
        purchase the annual permit. A ``single visit'' means 
        more or less continuous stay within a designated area. 
        Payment of a single visit admission fee shall authorize 
        exits from and reentries to a single designated area 
        for a period of from one to fifteen days, such period 
        to be defined for each designated area by the 
        administering Secretary based upon a determination of 
        the period of time reasonably and ordinarily necessary 
        for such a single visit. The fee for a single-visit 
        permit at any designated area applicable to those 
        persons entering by private, noncommercial vehicle 
        shall be no more than $5 per vehicle. The single-visit 
        permit shall admit the permittee and all persons 
        accompanying him in a single vehicle. The fee for a 
        single-visit permit at any designated area applicable 
        to those persons entering by any means other than a 
        private noncommercial vehicle shall be no more than $3 
        per person. Except as otherwise provided in this 
        subsection, the maximum fee amounts set forth in this 
        paragraph shall apply to all designated areas.
          [(3) No admission fee shall be charged for travel by 
        private, noncommercial vehicle over any national 
        parkway or any road or highway established as a part of 
        the National Federal Aid System, as defined in section 
        101, title 23, United States Code, which is commonly 
        used by the public as a means of travel between two 
        places either or both of which are outside the area. 
        Nor shall any fee be charged for travel by private, 
        noncommercial vehicle over any road or highway to any 
        land in which such person has any property right if 
        such land is within any such designated area. In the 
        Smoky Mountains National Park, unless fees are charged 
        for entrance into said park on main highways and 
        thoroughfares, fees shall not be charged for entrance 
        on other routes into said park or any part thereof. 
        Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no 
        admission fee may be charged at any unit of the 
        National Park System which provides significant outdoor 
        recreation opportunities in an urban environment and to 
        which access is publicly available at multiple 
        locations.
          [(4) The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 
        of Agriculture shall establish procedures providing for 
        the issuance of a lifetime admission permit (to be 
        known as the ``Golden Age Passport'') to any citizen 
        of, or person domiciled in, the United States sixty-two 
        years of age or older applying for such permit. Such 
        permit shall be nontransferable, shall be issued for a 
        one-time charge of $10, and shall entitle the permittee 
        and any person accompanying him in a single, private, 
        noncommercial vehicle, or alternatively, the permittee 
        and his spouse and children accompanying him where 
        entry to the area is by any means other than private, 
        noncommercial vehicle, to general admission into any 
        area designated pursuant to this subsection. No other 
        free permits shall be issued to any person: Provided, 
        That no fees of any kind shall be collected from any 
        persons who have a right of access for hunting or 
        fishing privileges under a specific provision of law or 
        treaty or who are engaged in the conduct of official 
        Federal, State, or local Government business and 
        Provided further, That for no more than three years 
        after the date of enactment of this Act, visitors to 
        the United States will be granted entrance, without 
        charge, to any designated admission fee area upon 
        presentation of a valid passport.
          [(5) The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 
        of Agriculture shall establish procedures providing for 
        the issuance of a lifetime admission permit to any 
        citizen of, or person domiciled in, the United States, 
        if such citizen or person applies for such permit, and 
        is blind or permanently disabled. Such procedures shall 
        assure that such permit shall be issued only to persons 
        who have been medically determined to be blind or 
        permanently disabled for purposes of receiving benefits 
        under Federal law as a result of said blindness or 
        permanent disability as determined by the Secretaries. 
        Such permit shall be nontransferable, shall be issued 
        without charge, and shall entitle the permittee and any 
        person accompanying him in a single, private, 
        noncommercial vehicle, or alternatively, the permittee 
        and his spouse and children accompanying him where 
        entry to the area is by any means other than private, 
        noncommercial vehicle, to general admission into any 
        area designated pursuant to this subsection.
          [(6)(A) No later than 60 days after the date of 
        enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary of the 
        Interior shall submit to the Committee on Interior and 
        Insular Affairs of the United States House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
        Resources of the United States Senate a report on the 
        entrance fees proposed to be charged at units of the 
        National Park System. The report shall include a list 
        of units of the National Park System and the entrance 
        fee proposed to be charged at each unit. The Secretary 
        of the Interior shall include in the report an 
        explanation of the guidelines used in applying the 
        criteria in subsection (d).
          [(B) Following submittal of the report to the 
        respective committees, any proposed changes to matters 
        covered in the report, including the addition or 
        deletion of park units or the increase or decrease of 
        fee levels at park units shall not take effect until 60 
        days after notice of the proposed change has been 
        submitted to the committees.
          [(7) No admission fee may be charged at any unit of 
        the National Park System for admission of any person 16 
        years of age or less.
          [(8) No admission fee may be charged at any unit of 
        the National Park System for admission of organized 
        school groups or outings conducted for educational 
        purposes by schools or other bona fide educational 
        institutions.
          [(9) No admission fee may be charged at the following 
        units of the National Park System: U.S.S. Arizona 
        Memorial, Independence National Historical Park, any 
        unit of the National Park System within the District of 
        Columbia, Arlington House--Robert E. Lee National 
        Memorial, San Juan National Historic Site, and 
        Canaveral National Seashore.
          [(10) For each unit of the National Park System where 
        an admission fee is collected, the Director shall 
        annually designate at least one day during periods of 
        high visitation as a ``Fee-Free Day'' when no admission 
        fee shall be charged.
          [(11) In the case of the following parks, the fee for 
        a single-visit permit applicable to those persons 
        entering by private, noncommercial vehicle (the 
        permittee and all persons accompanying him in a single 
        vehicle) shall be no more than $10 per vehicle and the 
        fee for a single-visit permit applicable to persons 
        entering by any means other than a private 
        noncommercial vehicle shall be no more than $5 per 
        person: Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton 
        National Park and after the end of fiscal year 1990, 
        Grand Canyon National Park. In the case of Yellowstone 
        and Grand Teton, a single-visit fee collected at one 
        unit shall also admit the vehicle or person who paid 
        such fee for a single-visit to the other unit.
          [(12) Notwithstanding section 203 of the Alaska 
        National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the Secretary 
        may charge an admission fee under this section at 
        Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.  
  [(b) Recreation Use Fees.--Each Federal agency developing, 
administering, providing or furnishing at Federal expense, 
specialized outdoor recreation sites, facilities, equipment, or 
services shall, in accordance with this subsection and 
subsection (d) of this section, provide for the collection of 
daily recreation use fees at the place of use or any reasonably 
convenient location: Provided, That in no event shall there be 
a charge by any such agency for the use, either singly or in 
any combination, of drinking water, wayside exhibits, roads, 
overlook sites, visitors' centers, scenic drives, or toilet 
facilities, nor shall there be any such charge solely for the 
use of picnic tables: Provided, That in no event shall there be 
a charge for the use of any campground not having a majority of 
the following: tent or trailer spaces, picnic tables, drinking 
water, access road, refuse containers, toilet facilities, 
personal collection of the fee by an employee or agent of the 
Federal agency operating the facility, reasonable visitor 
protection, and simple devices for containing a campfire (where 
campfires are permitted). For the purposes of this subsection, 
the term ``specialized outdoor recreation sites'' includes, but 
is not limited to, campgrounds, swimming sites, boat launch 
facilities, and managed parking lots. Any Golden Age Passport 
permittee, or permittee under paragraph (5) of subsection (a) 
of this section, shall be entitled upon presentation of such 
permit to utilize such special recreation facilities at a rate 
of 50 per centum of the established use fee.
  [(c) Recreation Permits.--Special recreation permits for uses 
such as group activities, recreation events, motorized 
recreation vehicles, and other specialized recreation uses may 
be issued in accordance with procedures and at fees established 
by the agency involved.
  [(d) All fees established pursuant to this section shall be 
fair and equitable, taking into consideration the direct and 
indirect cost to the Government, the benefits to the recipient, 
the public policy or interest served, the comparable recreation 
fees charged by non-Federal public agencies, the economic and 
administrative feasibility of fee collection and other 
pertinent factors. Clear notice that a fee has been established 
pursuant to this section shall be prominently posted at each 
area and at appropriate locations therein and shall be included 
in publications distributed at such areas. It is the intent of 
this Act that comparable fees should be charged by the several 
Federal agencies for comparable services and facilities.
  [(e) In accordance with the provisions of this section, the 
heads of appropriate departments and agencies may prescribe 
rules and regulations for areas under their administration for 
the collection of any fee established pursuant to this section. 
Persons authorized by the heads of such Federal agencies to 
enforce any such rules or regulations issued under this 
subsection may, within areas under the administration or 
authority of such agency head and with or, if the offense is 
committed in his presence, without a warrant, arrest any person 
who violates such rules and regulations. Any person so arrested 
may be tried and sentenced by the United States magistrate 
specifically designated for that purpose by the court by which 
he was appointed, in the same manner and subject to the same 
conditions as provided in title 18, United States Code, section 
3401, subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e), as amended. Any 
violations of the rules and regulations issued under this 
subsection shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $100.
  [(f) The head of any Federal agency, under such terms and 
conditions as he deems appropriate, may contract with any 
public or private entity to provide visitor reservation 
services. Any such contract may provide that the contractor 
shall be permitted to deduct a commission to be fixed by the 
agency head from the amount charged the public for providing 
such services and to remit the net proceeds therefrom to the 
contracting agency.
  [(g) Nothing in this Act shall authorize Federal hunting or 
fishing licenses or fees or charges for commercial or other 
activities not related to recreation, nor shall it affect any 
rights or authority of the States with respect to fish and 
wildlife, nor shall it repeal or modify any provision of law 
that permits States or political subdivisions to share in the 
revenues from Federal lands or any provision of law that 
provides that any fees or charges collected at particular 
Federal areas shall be used for or credited to specific 
purposes or special funds as authorized by that provision of 
law.
  [(i)(1)(A) Except in the case of fees collected by the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service or the Tennessee Valley 
Authority, all receipts from fees collected pursuant to this 
section by any Federal agency (or by any public or private 
entity under contract with a Federal agency) shall be covered 
into a special account for that agency established in the 
Treasury of the United States. Fees collected by the Secretary 
of Agriculture pursuant to this subsection shall continue to be 
available for the purposes of distribution to States and 
counties in accordance with applicable law.
  [(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), in any fiscal year, 
the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior 
may withhold from the special account established under 
subparagraph (A) such portion of all receipts collected from 
fees imposed under this section in such fiscal year as the 
Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior, as 
appropriate, determines to be equal to the fee collection costs 
for that fiscal year: Provided, That such costs shall not 
exceed 15 percent of all receipts collected from fees imposed 
under this section in that fiscal year. The amounts so withheld 
shall be retained by the Secretary of Agriculture or the 
Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate, and shall be 
available, without further appropriation, for expenditure by 
the Secretary concerned to cover fee collection costs in that 
fiscal year. The Secretary concerned shall deposit into the 
special account established pursuant to subparagraph (A) any 
amounts so retained which remain unexpended and unobligated at 
the end of the fiscal year. For the purposes of this 
subparagraph, for any fiscal year, the term ``fee collection 
costs'' means those costs for personnel and infrastructure 
directly associated with the collection of fees imposed under 
this section.
  [(2) Amounts covered into the special account for each agency 
during each fiscal year shall, after the end of such fiscal 
year, be available for appropriation solely for the purposes 
and in the manner provided in this subsection. No funds shall 
be transferred from fee receipts made available under this Act 
to each unit of the national park system: Provided, however, 
That in making appropriations, funds derived from such fees may 
be used for any purpose authorized therein. Funds credited to 
the special account shall remain available until expended.
  [(3) For agencies other than the National Park Service, such 
funds shall be made available for resource protection, 
research, interpretation, and maintenance activities related to 
resource protection in areas managed by that agency at which 
outdoor recreation is available. To the extent feasible, such 
funds should be used for purposes (as provided for in this 
paragraph) which are directly related to the activities which 
generated the funds, including but not limited to water-based 
recreational activities and camping.
  [(4) Amounts covered into the special account for the 
National Park Service shall be allocated among park system 
units in accordance with subsection (j) for obligation or 
expenditure by the Director of the National Park Service for 
the following purposes:
          [(A) In the case of receipts from the collection of 
        admission fees: for resource protection, research, and 
        interpretation at units of the National Park System.
          [(B) In the case of receipts from the collection of 
        user fees: for resource protection, research, 
        interpretation, and maintenance activities related to 
        resource protection at units of the National Park 
        System.
  [(j)(1) 10 percent of the funds made available to the 
Director of the National Park Service under subsection (i) in 
each fiscal year shall be allocated among units of the National 
Park System on the basis of need in a manner to be determined 
by the Director.
  [(2) 40 percent of the funds made available to the Director 
of the National Park Service under subsection (i) in each 
fiscal year shall be allocated among units of the National Park 
System in accordance with paragraph (3) of this subsection and 
50 percent shall be allocated in accordance with paragraph (4) 
of this subsection.
  [(3) The amount allocated to each unit under this paragraph 
for each fiscal year shall be a fraction of the total 
allocation to all units under this paragraph. The fraction for 
each unit shall be determined by dividing the operating 
expenses at that unit during the prior fiscal year by the total 
operating expenses at all units during the prior fiscal year.
  [(4) The amount allocated to each unit under this paragraph 
for each fiscal year shall be a fraction of the total 
allocation to all units under this paragraph. The fraction for 
each unit shall be determined by dividing the user fees and 
admission fees collected under this section at that unit during 
the prior fiscal year by the total of user fees and admission 
fees collected under this section at all units during the prior 
fiscal year.
  [(5) Amounts allocated under this subsection to any unit for 
any fiscal year and not expended in that fiscal year shall 
remain available for expenditure at that unit until expended.
  [(k) When authorized by the head of the collecting agency, 
volunteers at designated areas may sell permits and collect 
fees authorized or established pursuant to this section. The 
head of such agency shall ensure that such volunteers have 
adequate training regarding--
          [(1) the sale of permits and the collection of fees,
          [(2) the purposes and resources of the areas in which 
        they are assigned, and
          [(3) the provision of assistance and information to 
        visitors to the designated area.
The Secretary shall require a surety bond for any such 
volunteer performing services under this subsection. Funds 
available to the collecting agency may be used to cover the 
cost of any such surety bond. The head of the collecting agency 
may enter into arrangements with qualified public or private 
entities pursuant to which such entities may sell (without cost 
to the United States) annual admission permits (including 
Golden Eagle Passports) at any appropriate location. Such 
arrangements shall require each such entity to reimburse the 
United States for the full amount to be received from the sale 
of such permits at or before the agency delivers the permits to 
such entity for sale.
  [(l)(1) Where the National Park Service provides 
transportation to view all or a portion of any unit of the 
National Park System, the Director may impose a charge for such 
service in lieu of an admission fee under this section. The 
charge imposed under this paragraph shall not exceed the 
maximum admission fee under subsection (a).
  [(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, half of the 
charges imposed under paragraph (1) shall be retained by the 
unit of the National Park System at which the service was 
provided. The remainder shall be covered into the special 
account referred to in subsection (i) in the same manner as 
receipts from fees collected pursuant to this section. Fifty 
percent of the amount retained shall be expended only for 
maintenance of transportation systems at the unit where the 
charge was imposed. The remaining 50 percent of the retained 
amount shall be expended only for activities related to 
resource protection at such units.
  [(m) Where the primary public access to a unit of the 
National Park System is provided by a concessioner, the 
Secretary may charge an admission fee at such units only to the 
extent that the total of the fee charged by the concessioner 
for access to the unit and the admission fee does not exceed 
the maximum amount of the admission fee which could otherwise 
be imposed under subsection (a).
  [(n)(1) In the case of each unit of the National Park System 
for which an admission fee is charged under this section, the 
Secretary of the Interior shall establish, by October 1, 1993, 
a commercial tour use fee to be imposed on each vehicle 
entering the unit for the purpose of providing commercial tour 
services within the unit. Fee revenue derived from such 
commercial tour use fees shall be deposited into the special 
account established under subsection (i).
  [(2) The Secretary shall establish the amount of fee per 
entry as follows:
          [(A) $25 per vehicle with a passenger capacity of 25 
        persons or less, and
          [(B) $50 per vehicle with a passenger capacity of 
        more than 25 persons.
  [(3) The Secretary may periodically make reasonable 
adjustments to the commercial tour use fee imposed under this 
subsection.
  [(4) The commercial tour use fee imposed under this 
subsection shall not apply to either of the following:
          [(A) Any vehicle transporting organized school groups 
        or outings conducted for educational purposes by 
        schools or other bona fide educational institutions.
          [(B) Any vehicle entering a park system unit pursuant 
        to a contract issued under the Act of October 9, 1965 
        (16 U.S.C. 20-20g) entitled ``An Act relating to the 
        establishment of concession policies in the areas 
        administered by the National Park Service and for other 
        purposes.''.
  [(5)(A) The provisions of this subsection shall apply to 
aircraft entering the airspace of units of the National Park 
System identified in section 2(b) and section 3 of Public Law 
100-91 for the specific purpose of providing commercial tour 
services within the airspace of such units.
  [(B) The provisions of this subsection shall also apply to 
aircraft entering the airspace of other units of the National 
Park System for the specific purpose of providing commercial 
tour services if the Secretary determines that the level of 
such services is equal to or greater than the level at those 
units of the National Park System specified in subparagraph 
(A).]


                         recreation fee program


  Sec. 4. (a) Program Goals and Policies.--
          (1) Congressional goals.--It is the policy of 
        Congress that the Federal land management agencies 
        develop and implement high quality recreation programs 
        adequate to meet the needs of the American people and 
        to fund a portion of the cost of providing recreation 
        services through recreation fees.
          (2) Administrative policies.--The administering 
        Secretaries shall jointly issue an integrated policy 
        for the establishment and collection of recreation fees 
        under this section. Such policy shall--
                  (A) permit flexibility with regard to the 
                amounts charged;
                  (B) provide for maximization of the number of 
                persons who pay fees to ensure that fees remain 
                at the lowest possible level;
                  (C) provide that comparable fees be charged 
                by the several Federal agencies for similar 
                services and facilities;
                  (D) provide for the establishment of fees in 
                a manner which is equitable among user groups 
                and which accounts for any other fees, such as 
                commercial tour fees and concession fees, which 
                are paid by user groups and used on Federal 
                lands for recreational purposes;
                  (E) define administrative overhead and 
                specify accounting procedures to ensure that 
                administrative overhead is not included in the 
                cost of visitor services provided;
                  (F) provide for a uniform procedure for 
                accounting for fees collected under this 
                section; and
                  (G) recognize the importance of the 
                convenience of the public by avoiding fee 
                programs which are overly complex or which 
                would require the payment of numerous fees at a 
                particular area.
  (b) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
          (1) Administering secretaries.--The term 
        ``administering Secretaries'' means--
                  (A) the Secretary of Agriculture with respect 
                to the Forest Service; and
                  (B) the Secretary of the Interior with 
                respect to the National Park Service, Bureau of 
                Land Management, United States Fish and 
                Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation.
          (2) Agency.--The term ``agency'' means an agency 
        referred to in paragraph (1) (A), (B), or (C).
          (3) Area.--The term ``area'' means an administrative 
        area managed by an agency, such as a unit of the 
        National Park System, a national forest, a national 
        wildlife refuge, and a project area with respect to the 
        Bureau of Reclamation, but does not include Bureau of 
        Reclamation areas managed by a non-Federal entity.
          (4) Area of concentrated public use.--The term ``area 
        of concentrated public use'' means an area which--
                  (A) provides developed facilities or services 
                necessary to accommodate public use maintained 
                at Federal expense;
                  (B) contains at least one major visitor 
                attraction, including (but not limited to) a 
                lake, river, historical or cultural site, or 
                geologic feature; and
                  (C) provides public access such that 
                admission fees can be cost-effectively 
                collected.
          (5) Recreation fees.--The term ``recreation fees'' 
        means admission fees, recreation use fees, and fees 
        granted to Federal agencies from States whether 
        collected by agency personnel or others.
          (6) Admission fees.--The term ``admission fees'' 
        means fees charged for entry into any area designated 
        by the administering Secretary.
          (7) Recreation use fee.--The term ``recreation use 
        fee'' means the charge for specialized recreation 
        services or facilities furnished at Federal Government 
        expense, including (but not limited to) campgrounds, 
        boat ramps, and back country camping by permit.
          (8) Visitor services.--The term ``visitor services'' 
        means services and costs directly associated with 
        management of recreation visitors to Federal lands, 
        including (but not limited to) such programs as 
        maintenance of facilities which serve primarily visitor 
        recreation use (such as campgrounds, scenic roads, 
        trails, visitor centers and picnic areas), public 
        information and interpretation, resource protection 
        directly related to public use (such as stream 
        improvement to improve fishing or mitigation of impacts 
        to resources resulting from visitor use), and other 
        activities of personnel assigned predominantly to 
        management of visitors or public safety programs, but 
        not including costs of regional and Washington 
        headquarters offices or any administrative services 
        such as personnel, budget and finance, and procurement.
          (9) Pre-1996 authorized recreation receipts.--The 
        term ``pre-1996 authorized recreation receipts'' means 
        the receipts that would have been received for a fiscal 
        year from fees collected under section 4 of the Land 
        and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 as such section 
        was in effect on the day before the date of the 
        enactment of the Visitor Services Improvement and 
        Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996.
          (10) Concession fees.--The term ``concession fees'' 
        means fees paid to the United States pursuant to 
        provisions of law other than this section for the 
        privilege of providing concession services, fees paid 
        for the lease of government-owned facilities, and 
        amounts paid for construction of visitor facilities.
  (c) Establishment.--
          (1) In general.--In order to improve the quality of 
        the visitor experience on Federal lands, the 
        administering Secretaries shall establish and implement 
        a fee program in accordance with this section which 
        provides for partial recovery of the costs of visitor 
        services provided through admission fees, recreation 
        use fees, and concession fees. In carrying out such 
        program, the administering Secretaries are authorized 
        and directed to collect admission fees in accordance 
        with this section at areas administered by the National 
        Park Service and areas of concentrated public use. In 
        addition, the administering Secretaries shall collect 
        recreation use fees at areas under their 
        administration.
          (2) Factors in establishing and adjusting amount of 
        fees.--(A) All fees established pursuant to this 
        section shall be fair and equitable, taking into 
        consideration the direct and indirect cost to the 
        Federal Government, the benefits to the recipient, the 
        public policy or interest served, the comparable 
        recreation fees charged by other public and private 
        entities, the economic and administrative feasibility 
        of fee collection, convenience to the recreation user, 
        and other pertinent factors.
          (B) Any adjustments in fees shall take into account 
        the factors specified in subparagraph (A).
          (3) Public comment and federal register notice on 
        admission and commercial tour fees.--(A) In the case of 
        public admission fees, the administering Secretaries 
        shall publish in the Federal Register, for a 30-day 
        comment period, a proposed schedule of all changes to 
        such fees not later than six months prior to such fee 
        changes.
          (B) In the case of changes to commercial tour fees or 
        initiating a new commercial tour fee, the administering 
        Secretaries shall publish in the Federal Register--
                  (i)(I) for a 30-day comment period, a 
                proposed schedule of all significant changes in 
                such fees not later than 14 months prior to 
                such fee change or initiation; and
                  (II) a final schedule not later than 12 
                months prior to such fee change or initiation; 
                and
                  (ii) a schedule of all changes (other than 
                those subject to clause (i)), in such fees not 
                later than six months prior to such fee 
                changes.
          (4) Continuation of fee authority.--Until an 
        admission or commercial tour fee is initiated and in 
        effect under this section, the admission or commercial 
        tour fee at an area administered by the agencies shall 
        be determined in accordance with the applicable laws in 
        effect on the day before the date of enactment of the 
        Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 
        1996.
          (5) Notice of fees.--Clear notice that a fee has been 
        established pursuant to this section, and the amount 
        thereof, shall be prominently posted at appropriate 
        locations in each area and shall be included in agency 
        publications distributed with respect to such areas.
          (6) Target recreation revenue goals.--Effective for 
        the fifth fiscal year beginning after the enactment of 
        this section, the administering Secretary shall develop 
        annually a target recreation revenue goal for each area 
        administered by the Secretary which reflects the 
        estimated ability for such area to collect recreation 
        fees. The administering Secretary shall develop that 
        target based on historical data, projected visitation, 
        and such other data as are available to the Secretary.
          (7) Fee collection personnel.--Personnel exclusively 
        assigned to fee collection duties, which are over and 
        above the number of such personnel assigned exclusively 
        to fee collection duties on the day prior to enactment 
        of this Act, shall not be counted against any full-time 
        equivalent ceiling established for that agency.
  (d) Recreation Fees.--
          (1) Single admission visits.--Reasonable admission 
        fees for a single visit to any designated area shall be 
        established by the administering Secretary. A ``single 
        visit'' means a more or less continuous stay within a 
        designated area. Payment of a single visit admission 
        fee shall authorize exits from and reentries to a 
        single designated area for a period of from one to 
        fifteen days, such period to be defined for each 
        designated area by the administering Secretary based 
        upon a determination of the period of time reasonably 
        and ordinarily necessary for such a single visit. The 
        single visit entrance fee for private parties and 
        commercial tours shall be set by the administering 
        Secretaries and may be adjusted, taking into account 
        the factors specified in subsection (c)(2). The 
        Secretaries shall ensure that where appropriate the 
        admission fee schedule developed provides economic 
        incentives for use of alternative modes of 
        transportation, including mass transportation, at areas 
        experiencing high levels of automobile traffic. The 
        administering Secretaries are authorized to implement 
        admission fee practices which vary by day of the week, 
        season, expedite entry and reduce congestion.
          (2) Annual admission permits: golden eagle 
        passport.--(A) Golden eagle passport.--For admission 
        into any area at which admission fees are charged 
        pursuant to this section, an admission permit, to be 
        known as the ``Golden Eagle Passport'', valid for a 12-
        month period, shall be available. The fee for the 
        passport shall be set jointly by the administering 
        Secretaries, taking into account the factors specified 
        in subsection (c)(2). The permittee and all persons 
        accompanying the permittee in a single, private, non-
        commercial vehicle or, alternatively, the permittee and 
        the permittee's spouse, children, and parents 
        accompanying the permittee shall be entitled to general 
        admission into any area designated pursuant to this 
        section. The permit shall be nontransferable, and the 
        unlawful use thereof shall be punishable in accordance 
        with regulations established pursuant to subsection 
        (g). The permit shall be available for purchase at any 
        such designated area.
          (B) The administering Secretaries may authorize units 
        of State or local government, organizations, 
        businesses, and nonprofit entities to sell and collect 
        admission fees, including the Golden Eagle Passport, 
        subject to such conditions as the Secretaries may 
        jointly prescribe. The Secretaries shall develop 
        detailed guidelines for promotional advertising of non-
        Federal passport sales and monitor compliance with 
        those guidelines. The Secretaries may authorize the 
        seller or sellers to maintain an inventory of Golden 
        Eagle Passports for periods not to exceed six months 
        and to withhold amounts up to, but not exceeding, eight 
        percent of the gross fees collected from Golden Eagle 
        Passport sales as reimbursement for actual expenses of 
        the sales.
          (3) Annual geographic admission permits.--For 
        admission into a specific designated area or into 
        several specific areas located in a particular 
        geographic region at which admission fees are charged 
        pursuant to this section, the administering Secretary 
        or Secretaries are authorized to make available an 
        annual admission permit. The permit shall convey the 
        privileges of, and shall be subject to the same terms 
        and conditions as, the Golden Eagle Passport, except 
        that it shall be valid only for admission into the 
        specific area or areas indicated at the time of 
        purchase.
          (4) Golden access passport.--The Secretary of the 
        Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
        establish procedures providing for the issuance of a 
        lifetime admission permit to any citizen of, or person 
        legally domiciled in, the United States, if such 
        citizen or person applies for such permit and is 
        permanently disabled. Such procedures shall ensure that 
        a lifetime admission permit shall be issued only to 
        persons who have been medically determined to be 
        permanently disabled. A lifetime admission permit shall 
        be nontransferable, shall be issued without charge, and 
        shall entitle the permittee and one accompanying 
        individual to general admission into any area 
        designated pursuant to this section, notwithstanding 
        the method of travel.
          (5) Recreation use fees.--Each agency developing, 
        administering, providing, or furnishing at Federal 
        expense services for such activities as camping, 
        including back country camping under permit, guarded 
        swimming sites, boat launch facilities, group 
        activities including picnic sites, managed parking 
        lots, motorized recreation use and other recreation 
        uses, shall in accordance with this section provide for 
        the collection of recreation use fees at the place of 
        use or any reasonably convenient location. The 
        administering Secretary may establish both daily and 
        annual recreation use fees. Fees may not be charged by 
        any such agency for the use, either singly or in any 
        combination, of drinking water, wayside exhibits, 
        overlook sites, toilet facilities, or picnic tables.
          (6) Commercial tour use fee.--(A) For each area for 
        which an admission fee is charged under this section, 
        the administering Secretary shall charge any fee on a 
        per vehicle basis for each vehicle or vessel and 
        passengers entering the area for the purpose of 
        providing commercial tour services.
          (B) The Secretary of the Interior shall charge a 
        commercial tour fee for aircraft entering the airspace 
        of units of the National Park System in the same manner 
        and by the same means as provided in section 4(n) of 
        the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as in 
        effect immediately before the enactment of the Visitor 
        Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996.
          (C) Within 12 months after the date of enactment of 
        the Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act 
        of 1996, the Secretary of the Interior and the 
        Secretary of Transportation shall jointly submit a 
        report to the appropriate committees of Congress 
        outlining revisions to the commercial tour fee schedule 
        for aircraft which encourages the use of quiet aircraft 
        technology.
          (7) Transportation provided by the secretary.--Where 
        the administering Secretary provides transportation to 
        visit all or a portion of any area, he may impose a 
        charge for such service. Collection of such fees may 
        occur at the transportation staging area or any 
        reasonably convenient location, whether inside or 
        outside of the area boundary. The administering 
        Secretary may enter into arrangements with qualified 
        public or private entities pursuant to which such 
        entities may collect such fees. Such funds collected 
        shall be retained at the area where the service was 
        provided and expended for costs associated with the 
        transportation system.
          (8) Persons 12 years of age or under.--The admission 
        fee for a person who is 12 years of age or under at any 
        area for which admission fees are charged on a per 
        person basis shall be no greater than 50 percent of the 
        per person admission fee of a person older than 12 
        years.
  (e) Establishment of Accounts and Deposit of Recreation 
Fees.--
          (1) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Treasury 
        shall establish a special account in the Treasury for 
        each agency which collects recreation fees under this 
        section. Within each such account, the administering 
        Secretary shall separately account for receipts and 
        disbursements of funds for each area.
          (2) Deposits.--(A) The administering Secretary shall 
        deposit in each agency account all receipts from fees 
        collected pursuant to this section by any Federal 
        agency (or by any public or private entity under 
        contract with a Federal agency).
          (B) All funds from the sale of the Golden Eagle 
        Passport shall be divided among the agencies based on a 
        formula which the administering Secretaries shall 
        devise and which considers total recreation admission 
        fees collected by the agency and total recreation use 
        at designated admission fee areas provided by the 
        agency. Funds from the sale of the Golden Eagle 
        Passport shall be deposited as recreation fees 
        collected into the appropriate agency account.
          (C) All funds from the sale of geographic admission 
        permits under subsection (d)(3) shall be divided among 
        the areas for which such permits were issued on the 
        basis of visitor use, length of stay, and other 
        pertinent factors as determined by the administering 
        Secretaries and shall be deposited as recreation fees 
        collected from those areas into the appropriate agency 
        account.
          (3) Fee collection costs.--Notwithstanding any other 
        provision of law, the administering Secretary may, in 
        any fiscal year, withdraw from the special account 
        established under paragraph (1) an amount up to 15 
        percent of all receipts collected under this section in 
        the preceding fiscal year. The amounts so withdrawn 
        shall be retained by the administering Secretaries, and 
        shall be available, without further appropriation, for 
        expenditure by the Secretary concerned to cover fee 
        collection costs, and shall remain available until 
        expended. For the purposes of this paragraph, for any 
        fiscal year, the term ``fee collection costs'' means 
        those costs for personnel and infrastructure directly 
        associated with the collection of fees imposed under 
        this section.
          (4) Use of recreation fees.--Amounts covered into the 
        special account for each agency during each fiscal year 
        shall be available after the end of such fiscal year 
        for appropriation for visitor services, except as 
        provided in paragraphs (3) and (5). Funds credited to 
        the special account shall remain available until 
        expended.
          (5) Amounts in excess of pre-1996 authorized 
        recreation receipts.--Beginning in fiscal year 1996 and 
        each fiscal year thereafter, all funds deposited in 
        special accounts in the Treasury for each agency under 
        this section which are in addition to funds collected 
        in fiscal year 1995 shall be made immediately available 
        to that agency without further appropriation. Of the 
        amounts made available under this paragraph after the 
        application of paragraph (3), 75 percent shall be 
        allocated among the units or areas of each agency in 
        the same proportion as fees collected from that 
        specific area bear to the total amount of fees 
        collected from all areas of that agency for the fiscal 
        year. In addition, one-third of the amount of 
        recreation fees collected from the area which exceeds 
        the target recreation revenue goal specified in 
        subsection (c)(5) for that area shall be made available 
        to that area without further appropriation. The 
        remainder of the fees collected pursuant to this 
        section shall be allocated among each agency's areas on 
        the basis of need as determined by the Secretary. All 
        such funds shall remain available until expended. Funds 
        deposited into accounts under this paragraph may only 
        be used (A) to fund visitor services on Federal lands, 
        (B) for repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of 
        visitor use facilities, and (C) for construction of new 
        facilities necessary to establish a recreation fee 
        program at any area.
  (f) Accountability of Funding.--The Comptroller General of 
the United States shall conduct periodic audits to ensure that 
amounts received under this section are fully accounted for and 
not diverted to administrative overhead or other programs not 
directly related to visitor services.
  (g) Enforcement of Fee Collection Policies.--In accordance 
with the provisions of this section, the administering 
Secretaries may prescribe rules and regulations for areas under 
their administration for the collection of any fee established 
pursuant to this section. Persons authorized by the 
administering Secretaries to enforce any such rules or 
regulations issued under this section may, within areas under 
the administration or authority of such administering Secretary 
and with or, if the offense is committed in his presence, 
without a warrant, arrest any person who violates such rules 
and regulations. Any person so arrested may be tried and 
sentenced by the United States magistrate specifically 
designated for that purpose by the court by which he was 
appointed, in the same manner and subject to the same 
conditions as provided in subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) of 
section 3401 of title 18, United States Code. Any violations of 
the rules and regulations issued under this subsection shall be 
punishable by a fine as provided by law.
  (h) Non-Federal Reservations.--The administering Secretary, 
under such terms and conditions as he deems appropriate, may 
contract with any public or private entity to provide visitor 
reservation services. Any such contract may provide that the 
contractor shall be permitted to deduct a commission to be 
fixed by the agency head from the amount charged the public for 
providing such services and to remit the net proceeds therefrom 
to the contracting agency.
  (i) Use of Volunteers For Fee Collection.--When authorized by 
the administering Secretary, volunteers at designated areas may 
collect fees authorized or established pursuant to this 
section. The administering Secretary shall ensure that such 
volunteers have adequate training for this purpose. The 
administering Secretary may require a surety bond for any such 
volunteer performing services under this subsection. Funds 
available to the collecting agency may be used to cover the 
cost of any such surety bond.
  (j) Mitigation of Any Impacts of Recreational Fees on Low-
Income Individuals.--In carrying out this section, the 
administering Secretaries shall implement such programs as are 
necessary to ensure any impacts of recreational fees on low-
income persons are minimized. The administering Secretaries 
shall determine any effects on low-income individuals of 
recreation use and admission fees and shall jointly submit 
recommendations to the Congress regarding actions to be taken 
to resolve such impacts. Such recommendations shall be included 
as part of the four-year report required to be submitted under 
subsection (m)(1).
  (k) Limitations on Fees.--
          (1) Activities not subject to fees.--Nothing in this 
        section shall be construed to--
                  (A) authorize Federal hunting or fishing 
                licenses or fees;
                  (B) affect any rights or authority of the 
                States with respect to fish and wildlife;
                  (C) authorize the collection of fees from any 
                person who has a right of access for hunting or 
                fishing privileges under a specific provision 
                of law or treaty;
                  (D) authorize charges for commercial or other 
                activities not related to recreation; or
                  (E) authorize an admission fee or a 
                commercial tour fee at any area for organized 
                school groups on outings conducted for 
                educational purposes.
          (2) Through travel.--No admission fee shall be 
        charged for travel by private, noncommercial vehicle or 
        commercial tour vehicle over any national parkway or 
        any road or highway established as a part of the 
        National Federal Aid System, as defined in section 101, 
        title 23, United States Code, which is commonly used by 
        the public as a means of travel between two places 
        either or both of which are outside the area. Nor shall 
        any fee be charged for travel by private, noncommercial 
        vehicle over any road or highway to any land in which 
        such person has any property right if such land is 
        within any such designated area.
          (3) Persons conducting governmental business.--No 
        admission fee shall be charged to persons engaged in 
        the conduct of official Federal, State or local 
        government business or to others authorized by the 
        administering Secretary to conduct administrative 
        duties within the area.
          (4) Lifetime admission permits.--No admission fee 
        shall be charged under this section to any person who 
        possesses a lifetime admission permit issued under 
        section 4(a)(4) of this Act as in effect on the day 
        before the date of the enactment of the Visitor 
        Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996.
  (l) Annual Reporting Requirements.--Reports indicating the 
number and location of fee collection areas, visitor use 
statistics, fees collected, and other pertinent data, shall be 
coordinated and compiled by the administering Secretaries and 
transmitted to the Committee on Resources of the United States 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the United States Senate. These reports 
shall be transmitted annually not later than the submission of 
the President's budget under section 1105 of title 31, United 
States Code, and shall include any recommendations which the 
Secretaries may have with respect to improving the recreation 
fee program.
  (m) Implementation Report; Effective Date for Fees and 
Targets.--Not later than four years after the date of enactment 
of the Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 
1996, the administering Secretaries shall submit reports to 
Congress on the implementation of this section. Such reports 
shall include the policy statement developed under subsection 
(a)(2), the likely level of potential cost recovery from the 
recreation fee program for each agency, the fees to be charged 
under this section, and the target recreation revenue goals for 
each area subject to this section. Such fees and target 
recreation revenue goals shall be effective beginning with the 
fifth fiscal year beginning after the enactment of the Visitor 
Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996 unless 
Congress enacts a joint resolution before the beginning of such 
fiscal year specifying otherwise.
  (n) Exemption of Fees.--Amounts collected under this section 
which exceed the 1995 authorized recreation receipts shall not 
be taken into account for the purposes of the Act of May 23, 
1908, and the Act of March 1, 1911 (16 U.S.C. 500), the Act of 
March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501), the Act of July 22, 1937 (7 
U.S.C. 1012), the Act of August 8, 1937, and the Act of May 24, 
1939 (43 U.S.C. 1181f et seq.), the Act of June 14, 1926 (43 
U.S.C. 869-4), chapter 69 of title 31, United States Code, 
section 401 of the Act of June 15, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 715s), the 
Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-1-
4-460l-11), and any other provision of law relating to revenue 
allocation.
  (o) Authorization of Appropriations.--
          (1) First 4 years.--During the first four fiscal 
        years beginning after the enactment of the Visitor 
        Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996, 
        there is authorized to be appropriated for a fiscal 
        year amounts which would have been appropriated for 
        that fiscal year under section 4 of the Land and Water 
        Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as such section was in 
        effect on the day before the date of enactment of the 
        Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 
        1996.
          (2) Guarantee of funding enhancement beginning with 
        the 5th fiscal year.--(A) Effective for the fifth 
        fiscal year beginning after the enactment of the 
        Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 
        1996 and thereafter, after target recreation revenue 
        goals are submitted to the Congress under subsection 
        (m), there is authorized to be appropriated for each 
        agency for each fiscal year an amount such that the 
        total funding available for visitor services from 
        recreational fees and appropriated amounts is not less 
        than 125 percent of the adjusted 1995 base amount.
          (B) For the purpose of subparagraph (A), the term 
        ``adjusted 1995 base amount'' means the amount 
        appropriated for visitor services for fiscal year 1995 
        increased or decreased for a fiscal year by the 
        percentage (if any) by which the average Consumer Price 
        Index for the preceding fiscal year exceeds the average 
        Consumer Price Index for fiscal year 1995. For purposes 
        of this subparagraph, the term ``Consumer Price Index'' 
        means the Consumer Price Index for all-urban consumers 
        published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department 
        of Labor.
                              ----------                              


  DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1994

                  TITLE I--DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

          * * * * * * *

                         National Park Service

          * * * * * * *

                       administrative provisions

  Appropriations for the National Park Service shall be 
available for the purchase of not to exceed 447 passenger motor 
vehicles, of which 323 shall be for replacement only, including 
not to exceed 345 for police-type use, 12 buses, and 5 
ambulances: Provided, That none of the funds in this Act may be 
used to upgrade the Burr Trail National Rural Scenic Road in 
Utah except to meet health, safety and environmental concerns: 
Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated to the 
National Park Service may be used to process any grant or 
contract documents which do not include the text of 18 U.S.C. 
1913: [Provided further, That notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the National Park Service may hereafter 
recover all costs of providing necessary services associated 
with special use permits, such reimbursements to be credited to 
the appropriation current at that time:] Provided further, That 
none of the funds appropriated to the National Park Service may 
be used to implement an agreement for the redevelopment of the 
southern end of Ellis Island until such agreement has been 
submitted to the Congress and shall not be implemented prior to 
the expiration of 30 calendar days (not including any day in 
which either House of Congress is not in session because of 
adjournment of more than three calendar days to a day certain) 
from the receipt by the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
and the President of the Senate of a full and comprehensive 
report on the development of the southern end of Ellis Island, 
including the facts and circumstances relied upon in support of 
the proposed project.
          * * * * * * *
                              ----------                              


                         ACT OF AUGUST 25, 1916

CHAP. 408.--AN ACT To establish a National Park Service, and for other 
                                purposes

          * * * * * * *
  Sec. 3. (a) That the Secretary of the Interior shall make and 
publish such rules and regulations as he may deem necessary or 
proper for the use and management of the parks, monuments, and 
reservations under the jurisdiction of the National Park 
Service, and any violations of any of the rules and regulations 
authorized by this Act shall be punished as provided for in 
section fifty of the Act entitled ``An Act to codify and amend 
the penal laws of the United States,'' approved March fourth, 
nineteen hundred and nine, as amended by section six of the Act 
of June twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and ten (Thirty-sixth 
United States Statutes at Large, page eight hundred and fifty-
seven). He may also, upon terms and conditions to be fixed by 
him, sell or dispose of timber in those cases where in his 
judgment the cutting of such timber is required in order to 
control the attacks of insects or diseases or otherwise 
conserve the scenery or the natural or historic objects in any 
such park, monument, or reservation. He may also provide in his 
discretion for the destruction of such animals and of such 
plant life as may be detrimental to the use of any of said 
parks, monuments, or reservations. He may also grant 
privileges, leases, and permits for the use of land for the 
accommodation of visitors in the various parks, monuments, or 
other reservations herein provided for, but for periods not 
exceeding thirty years; and no natural curiosities, wonders, or 
objects of interest shall be leased, rented, or granted to 
anyone on such terms as to interfere with free access to them 
by the public: Provided, however, That the Secretary of the 
Interior may, under such rules and regulations and on such 
terms as he may prescribe, grant the privilege to graze live 
stock within any national park, monument, or reservation herein 
referred to when in his judgment such use is not detrimental to 
the primary purpose for which such park, monument, or 
reservation was created, except that this provision shall not 
apply to the Yellowstone National Park: And provided further, 
That the Secretary of the Interior may grant said privileges, 
leases, and permits and enter into contracts relating to the 
same with responsible persons, firms, or corporations without 
advertising and without securing competitive bids: And provided 
further, That no contract, lease, permit, or privilege granted 
shall be assigned or transferred by such grantees, permittees, 
or licensees, without the approval of the Secretary of the 
Interior first obtained in writing: And provided further, That 
the Secretary may, in his discretion, authorize such grantees, 
permittees, or licensees to execute mortgages and issue bonds, 
shares of stock, and other evidences of interest in or 
indebtedness upon their rights, properties, and franchises, for 
the purposes of installing, enlarging, or improving plant and 
equipment and extending facilities for the accommodation of the 
public within such national parks and monuments.
  (b) The Secretary shall publish regulations governing 
commercial or nonrecreational special uses of units of the 
National Park System for which a fee is not authorized to be 
charged under section 4 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-6), including (but not limited to) 
such activities as filming, special athletic or sporting 
events, weddings, cultural events and festivals. After adoption 
of such regulations, the Secretary may retain an amount equal 
to the direct administrative costs associated with issuing any 
permits and managing such activities (including, but not 
limited to, personnel costs, clean up costs, and other special 
services) for which such permit is issued. Such amounts 
retained shall be credited to the appropriation current at the 
time, and may only be spent for activities directly in support 
of the purposes for which the permit was issued. Such amounts 
retained are authorized to remain available until expended.
          * * * * * * *
                              ----------                              


                       ACT OF SEPTEMBER 13, 1962

 AN ACT To establish the Point Reyes National Seashore in the State of 
                   California, and for other purposes

          * * * * * * *
  Sec. 5. (a)  * * *
          * * * * * * *
  [(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no fee or 
admission charge may be levied for admission of the general 
public to the seashore.]
          * * * * * * *
                              ----------                              


                         ACT OF OCTOBER 5, 1962

  AN ACT To revise the boundaries of the Virgin Island National Park, 
           Saint John, Virgin Islands, and for other purposes

          * * * * * * *
  Sec. 3. (a)  * * *
  [(b) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no 
fee or charge shall be imposed for entrance or admission into 
the Virgin Islands National Park.]
          * * * * * * *
                              ----------                              


                        ACT OF OCTOBER 27, 1972

  AN ACT To establish the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the 
              State of California, and for other purposes

          * * * * * * *

                             administration

  Sec. 4. (a)  * * *
          * * * * * * *
  [(e) No fees or admission charges shall be levied for 
admission of the general public to the recreation area except 
to portions under lease or permit for a particular and limited 
purpose authorized by the Secretary. The Secretary may 
authorize reasonable charges for public transportation and for 
admission to the sailing vessel Balclutha any other historic 
vessels of the National Maritime Museum.]
          * * * * * * *
                              ----------                              


                         ACT OF AUGUST 18, 1978

  AN ACT To authorize appropriations for certain insular areas of the 
                 United States, and for other purposes

          * * * * * * *

              war in the pacific national historical park

  Sec. 6. (a)  * * *
          * * * * * * *
  [(j) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no 
fee or charge shall be imposed for entrance or admission into 
the War in the Pacific National Historical Park.]
          * * * * * * *
                              ----------                              


                          ACT OF MARCH 5, 1980

 AN ACT To establish the Channel Islands National Park, and for other 
                                purposes

          * * * * * * *

                                TITLE II

          * * * * * * *
  [Sec. 207. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no 
fees shall be charged for entrance or admission to the park.]
          * * * * * * *
                              ----------                              


                          ACT OF JUNE 28, 1980

    AN ACT To establish the Biscayne National Park, to improve the 
administration of the Fort Jefferson National Monument, to enlarge the 
     Valley Forge National Historical Park, and for other purposes

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

                    TITLE I--BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK

          * * * * * * *
  Sec. 106. In addition to the sums previously authorized to be 
appropriated for Biscayne National Monument, there are 
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for 
the administration of the park, and not to exceed $8,500,000 
for the acquisition of lands and interests therein, as provided 
in this title. [Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no 
fees shall be charged for entrance or admission to the park.]
          * * * * * * *

               TITLE II--FORT JEFFERSON NATIONAL MONUMENT

          * * * * * * *
  Sec. 204. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this title. 
[Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no fees shall be 
charged for entrance or admission to the monument.]
          * * * * * * *
                              ----------                              


                        ACT OF OCTOBER 10, 1980

 AN ACT To establish the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic 
          Site in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes

          * * * * * * *
  [Sec. 5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no fees 
shall be charged for entrance or admission to the national 
historic site or the preservation district established by this 
Act.]
          * * * * * * *
                              ----------                              


                          ACT OF JUNE 19, 1987

 AN ACT To prohibit the imposition of an entrance fee at the Statue of 
           Liberty National Monument, and for other purposes

  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, [That, 
notwithstanding any other provision of law, after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall not 
charge any entrance or admission fee at the Statue of Liberty 
National Monument, New Jersey and New York.]
             DISSENTING VIEWS ON H.R. 2107--RECREATION FEES

    We do not support H.R. 2107 in its present form. We believe 
the majority has undermined what could and should be bipartisan 
legislation, similar to that approved on a bipartisan basis by 
the committee in the last Congress. While there is room to 
increase Federal recreation fees as a means to enhance the 
management of Federal lands, the bill in its present form goes 
too far.
    At the height of the summer recreation season, when tens of 
millions of Americans most enjoy their national parks and other 
public lands, this legislation proposes massive changes in fee 
structures that are financially unfair to seniors, families and 
children, and overly generous to private business that operate 
in our parks.
    We are concerned with the scope and nature of fees to be 
charged; the proposed fees impact on senior citizens, families 
and other recreational users; as well as how agencies would be 
funded under what is a convoluted authorization of 
appropriations. We are especially disturbed by the fact that 
while recreational users of our Federal lands are being asked 
to bear an increased financial burden for the management of 
these lands, the same is not being asked of the many subsidized 
individuals, businesses, and industries whose consumptive use 
of Federal lands have far more impact.
    We are troubled by the inconsistent manner in which the 
majority is applying recreation fees. Under this bill, the 
prohibition on charging admission fees will be repealed for 
some national parks, while other parks will be allowed to 
maintain such a prohibition. Further, despite the committee's 
clear legislative jurisdiction on recreation fees at Corps of 
Engineers [COE] sites, the majority abdicated the committee's 
jurisdiction. In doing so, it is setting up an unfair situation 
whereby recreation fees for the identical use of Federal 
facilities differ solely because such facilities are located on 
COE-administered lands rather than all the other Federal lands 
covered by the bill.
    The majority's decision to eliminate the Golden Age 
Passport for senior citizens is manifestly unfair. Many of 
those who will be most impacted by this change in policy are 
those who can likely least afford it. Despite the stereotype, 
senior citizens in Winnebagos and campers are the exception 
rather than the rule. The stark fact is that senior citizens 
have a high poverty rate.
    We supported an alternative that would have permitted 
seniors to purchase the passport at less than the full price 
required by this legislation while placing reasonable 
restrictions on the use of the Golden Age Passport. We believe 
these reforms to be far more reasonable than outright repeal of 
the passport.
    We also strongly oppose the majority's imposition of new 
entrance fees on children. Current law provides free admission 
to those 16 years of age or less. We believe this policy to be 
pro-children and pro-family. Many talk about our parks as 
classrooms but now the majority wants kids to pay to attend 
class.
    How much additional revenue can the majority expect to 
squeeze out of children? Our national shrines and the national 
heritage embodied in our public lands provide an exceptional 
and unique place in which to instill a solid value system in 
our children. We should be encouraging this, not hindering it.
    It is unfortunate that the majority that proposes 
substantial increases in park fees--at the height of the summer 
recreation season--has been unwilling even to hold a hearing on 
H.R. 721, to reduce the generous subsidies corporations receive 
from the use of public resources. It is regrettable that the 
majority apparently believes that only private citizens, not 
timber, mining, and other corporations that profit from the 
resources of this Nation, should be called upon to pay more.
    We are also disappointed that the majority put no dollar 
limit on the fees that can be charged. While we support 
reasonable admission fees, we do not accept the notion that 
such fees should be unlimited, which will interfere with public 
access and the reasons for which the parks were created in the 
first place. It will be a sad day when families and other 
visitors have to look in their wallets to see if they can 
afford to use our great system of national parks, forests, and 
public lands, in which they, the public, share ownership.
    We want to be able to support a fair and reasonable 
recreation fee program. We voted for the substitute offered by 
Mr. Richardson, which was the text of the bipartisan recreation 
fee legislation that the committee reported in the 103d 
Congress with the support of the administration. It is nearly 
identical to the recreation fee legislation that the Senate 
adopted last fall.
    Rather than moving a bill that does not have broad support, 
we hope that the House will support amendments to ensure that 
we have a fair and reasonable recreation fee program that we 
can all support.

                                   George Miller.
                                   Maurice Hinchey.
                                   Dale E. Kildee.
                                   Bruce F. Vento.
                                   Edward J. Markey.
                                   Sam Gejdenson.
                                   Bill Richardson.
                            A P P E N D I X

                              ----------                              

    Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
                                  House of Representatives,
                                    Washington, DC, March 26, 1996.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Don: It has come to my attention, that during your 
Committee's markup of H.R. 2107, the ``Visitor Services 
Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996,'' questions were 
raised by members of your committee challenging assertions that 
the portion of the amendment that would alter recreation user 
fees assessed at Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) water 
resources projects would be within the jurisdiction of the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The purpose of 
this letter is to provide you with the backbround material that 
you might require to fully respond to these questions.
    The issue of recreational user fees at Corps projects is 
one that has traditionally been, and continues to be, one of 
great importance to me personally and to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure. This committee and its 
predecessor, the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, 
has traditionally given a great deal of scrutiny to any 
proposal that would have the effect of raising user fees at 
Corps projects.
    Any proposal by the Resources Committee that could result 
in a change in recreation user fees at Corps projects would 
force me to seek a sequential referral for both substantive and 
jurisdictional reasons. Given the past jurisdictional 
determinations by the House Parliamentarian relating to Section 
4 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, I am confident 
that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure would 
receive a sequential referral. For example, our Committee 
jurisdiction in these matters was recognized consistently 
during consideration of omnibus budget reconciliation 
legislation in 1993.
    In an effort to help facilitate consideration of the bill 
by the full House and to address my substantive and 
jurisdictional concerns, I propose that the Resource Committee 
reconsider the amendment that was jointly developed by our 
respective staffs and offered but withdrawn by you at your 
recent markup of H.R. 2107 and that we work together to resolve 
jurisdictional issues with an exchange of letters. If you have 
any questions or comments or if I may be of further assistance 
please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to 
resolving this important matter in a mutually acceptable 
manner.
    With kind personal regards, I remain
            Sincerely,
                                             Bud Shuster, Chairman.
                              ----------                              

    Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
                                  House of Representatives,
                                    Washington, DC, April 30, 1996.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The purpose of this letter is to clarify 
jurisdictional issues related to H.R. 2107, the ``Visitor 
Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996.'' I 
greatly appreciate that the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure's substantive concerns were addressed during the 
Committee on Resources' consideration of this legislation and 
your willingness to address these issues.
    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has 
jurisdiction over the civil works programs of the Corps of 
Engineers. The issue of recreation user fees at Corps projects 
is one that has traditionally been, and continues to be, of 
great importance to me personally and to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure. This committee and its 
predecessor, the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, 
have traditionally given a great deal of scrutiny to any 
proposal that would affect user fees at Corps projects.
    As introduced, H.R. 2107 would have changed recreational 
user fees charged at Corps of Engineers civil works projects. 
The Committee reported version of H.R. 2107 includes clarifying 
language in section 5 that user fees at Corps of Engineers 
civil works projects would be treated as they are under current 
law; that is, they would not be affected by the changes to 
other programs made by the bill.
    Because the amendment to section 5 of H.R. 2107 retains 
current law regarding the imposition of user fees at Army Corps 
civil works projects, I do not intend to seek a sequential 
referral of this legislation. Your assistance and that of your 
staff in resolving the outstanding issues related to this 
legislation is greatly appreciated.
    With kind personal regards, I remain
            Sincerely,
                                             Bud Shuster, Chairman.
                              ----------                              

                            Committee on Resources,
                                  House of Representatives,
                                       Washington, DC, May 6, 1996.
Hon. Bud Shuster,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, 
        DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding H.R. 
2107, the Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act 
of 1995. You are correct that the bill as reported will 
continue the existing recreational fee collection system for 
Army Corps of Engineers civil works projects and I appreciate 
your willingness to waive a sequential referral of the bill 
based on this understanding.
    Thank you again for your cooperation on this matter and I 
look forward to working with you in the future on issues which 
affect both of our Committees. I will be pleased to include 
your letter and this response in the Committee report on H.R. 
2107.
            Sincerely,
                                               Don Young, Chairman.
                              ----------                              

                          Committee on Agriculture,
                                  House of Representatives,
                                     Washington, DC, July 23, 1996.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for forwarding a copy of H.R. 
2107 the ``Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act 
of 1996'' as ordered reported by your Committee, and 
acknowledging the Committee on Agriculture's right to a 
sequential referral.
    As you know, H.R. 2107 as amended does in fact affect fees 
within National Forest System units not created from public 
domain that are within the jurisdiction of this Committee. 
However, in the interest of expediting consideration of H.R. 
2107, I do not intend to request a sequential referral of the 
bill to the Committee on Agriculture. This action is not 
intended to waive this Committee's jurisdiction over this 
matter, and should this legislation go to conference, this 
Committee reserves the right to request to be included as 
conferees on any provision within the Committee on 
Agriculture's jurisdiction in the event of a House-Senate 
conference on this bill or its Senate equivalent.
    Once again, I appreciate your cooperation in this matter 
and look forward to working with you on matters of shared 
jurisdiction between our respective committees.
            Sincerely,
                                             Pat Roberts, Chairman.