The following is a list of current members of Congress who either support or oppose the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program (Fee Demo). The position on Fee Demo of many Congress members is not known to Free Our Forests. Additionally, the vast majority of Congress has not taken a stand on this issue. Due to the nature of how Fee Demo was put into law via a rider, it is likely that many members of Congress are unaware of Fee Demo's existence.
If you know of member of Congress who supports or opposes the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program and is not on this list, let us know.
At the end of the list are bills concerning Fee Demo that have been introduced to Congress or were introduced in previous sessions of Congress. Three of these bills would end Fee Demo for all of the affected public lands agencies, or only for the Forest Service. Two bills would make Fee Demo permanent.
Respresentatives with an asterisk (*) after their name signed on to a letter, authored by Representative Lois Capps (D-CA), opposing the extension of Fee Demo passed in October, 2000, but have not taken a definitive position against Fee Demo.
Fee Demo Supporters |
Fee Demo Opponents |
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(D = 5) (R = 14) |
(D = 42) (I = 1) (R = 12) |
Fee Demo Supporters |
Fee Demo Opponents |
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(D = 5) (R = 8) |
(D = 4) (I = 1) (R = 5) |
The names on these lists were obtained through one of the following means: the Congress member sponsored or cosponsored legislation to either end Fee Demo or to make it permanent, the Congress member spoke on the floor of the House either for or against amendments to limit or end Fee Demo, the Congress member replied to a letter from a constituent expressing either support for or opposition to Fee Demo, the Congress member signed on to the Capps letter opposing the extension of Fee Demo through 2002, or the Congress member after being contacted indicated they supported or opposed Fee Demo.
Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) offered an amendement in 1998 to cancel a rider added to the 1999 Interior Appropriations Bill (H.R.4193). The rider extended Fee Demo through September, 2001. (It has since been extended through September, 2002). The amendement failed on a recorded vote 81 to 341 with 12 Representatives not voting. This vote was not used to compile this list since it does not represent a position for or against the program, and some members vote with their allies on issues with which they are unfamiliar. Additionally, some of the Representatives who voted on the amendment are no longer in Congress.
Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) introduced H.R. 2818 on November 5, 1997 to terminate the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program and to establish a monthly 5% royalty on hardrock minerals extracted on public lands. These royalties would provide funding for public lands recreation sites. The receipts would be split between lands agencies with 20% going to the Forest Service, 70% to the Park Service, 3% to the Fish and Wildlife Service, 6% to the Bureau of Land Management, and 1% to the Department of Interior to offset the costs of administering the royalty.
This bill never made it out of committee, and was not reintroduced after the end of the 105th Congress.
The Forest Tax Relief Act (H.R.1139), first introduced to the House on September 6, 1998 by Mary Bono (R-CA) and reintroduced to the 106th Congress, was reintroduced on March 21, 2001 to the 107th session of Congress with three co-sponsors: John Doolittle (R-CA), Wally Herger (R-CA), and Bob Stump (R-AZ). This bill would specifically remove the Forest Service from the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program.
Lois Capps first introduced the Forest Access Immediate Relief (FAIR) Act (H.R.908) to the 106th Congress, and was reintroduced on Wednesday March 7, 2001 to the 107th session of Congress. The FAIR Act would remove the Forest Service from the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program and boost Forest Service recreation budgets by reallocating money which currently funds the construction of new logging roads on National Forests (known as Engineering Support for Timber) to the Forest Service's recreation budget. This would amount to a $37.4 million increase in recreation funding for the Forest Service.
On June 29, 2000, Bob Graham (D-FL) intoduced the Recreation Fee Authority Act to the Senate with cosponsor Slade Gorton (R-WA). This act would implement a permanent version of the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program. This act would also extend the program to the Bureau of Reclamation as well as the agencies affected by Fee Demo (Forest Service, Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management).
On June 11, 2001, Bob Graham (D-FL) intoduced the National Parks Stewardship Act to the Senate with cosponsor Daniel Akaka (D-HI). This act would implement a permanent version of the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program. It would also permanently modify the Land Water Conservation Fund to provide broad new recreation fee collection authority, and would facilitate private-public partnerships for development of recreation and tourism infrastructure on public lands. There is also a pilot program within the bill for the purpose of attracting "professionals with expertise in areas such as business management who are not typically attracted to careers in the National Park Service"
On May 8, 2002, Craig Thomas (R-WY) introduced the Recreational Fee Authority Act to the Senate. This bill would make the Recreational Fee Demonstraiton Program permanent only for the Park Service. The bill includes language encouraging partnerships with private entities, including compensation for services provided by private entities. Additionally, it allows the Park Service to engage in agreements with states to make state passes good at National Parks within the state and to make National Park passes good at state parks. There is also a significant change in assessing the cost of fees by making them comparable to fees at nearby private sector facilities.
This bill was reintroduced as S. 1107 in the 108th Congress. The Senate unanimously passed this bill on May 19, 2004. Companion legislation from the House must be passed before it is sent to the president to sign.
On Oct 8, 2003, Ralph Regula (R-OH) introduced the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to the House. This bill would make the Recreational Fee Demonstraiton Program permanent for the Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as expand the program to the Bureau of Reclamation. The bill would require visitors to these public lands to have a pass to access nearly all of the public lands in the country costing at least $85. It would also introduce three layers of fees, all three of which a visitor could be subject to, and more than once. Penalties for failure to comply would be increased to Class B misdemeanors punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $5000 fine. Finally, it would extend the public/ private partnerships already authorized in Fee Demo to develop and implement the program.