America the Beautiful Act (S. 1547)

Summary

Continues and updates the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to pay for needed repairs on public lands and in national parks.

What problem does this solve?

Our national parks and public lands have a huge list of repairs that have been put off for years, causing buildings, roads, and trails to fall apart. This bill provides money specifically for these repairs and creates new ways to raise funds to fix these important places.

What does this bill do?

Reauthorizes the Legacy Restoration Fund

Extends the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund for five years, from fiscal year 2027 through 2031, to continue funding deferred maintenance projects.

Adds a surcharge for non-resident visitors

Creates a new fee for visitors to National Parks who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The money collected will go into the Legacy Restoration Fund.

Allows licensing of government intellectual property

Gives the Department of the Interior the authority to license its intellectual property, like trademarks and images, to raise money for the Legacy Restoration Fund.

Defines 'deferred maintenance'

Adds a legal definition for 'deferred maintenance', which includes repairs that were put off. It also allows funds to be used to rebuild certain assets that were torn down for safety reasons.

Sets rules for choosing projects

Requires that projects be chosen based on priorities, such as fixing immediate safety threats, preventing bigger repair costs in the future, and improving visitor-facing facilities.

Speeds up environmental reviews and contracting

Allows agencies to use faster environmental review processes and to award contracts to states, tribes, and nonprofits without a full competitive process to get work done quicker.

Prohibits use of funds for certain activities

Forbids using money from the fund to buy new land, pay for normal operations, give employee bonuses, or close certain roads on National Forest or Bureau of Land Management land.

Requires new transparency and accountability standards

Directs agencies to create clear and standard ways to calculate, track, and report deferred maintenance to ensure the money is being used effectively.

Who does this affect?

Visitors to National Parks and Public Lands
Non-resident (international) tourists
Federal land management agencies

What is the real world impact?

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Fixes aging park infrastructure

Provides dedicated funding to address the multi-billion dollar deferred maintenance backlog in national parks and on other public lands. This helps repair deteriorating roads, buildings, trails, and water systems, improving safety and the visitor experience.

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Creates new funding sources without raising taxes

Introduces new ways to pay for park maintenance, such as adding a surcharge for international visitors and licensing government-owned images and logos. This raises money for repairs without using general tax dollars from U.S. citizens.

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Speeds up repair projects

Includes rules to make environmental reviews and the process for awarding contracts faster. This is meant to get projects started and finished more quickly, but some may worry it could weaken environmental protections or reduce competition for contracts.

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Targets international tourists for funding

Establishes a new fee that only applies to visitors who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. While this raises money for parks, some might see it as unfair to foreign tourists or worry it could discourage international travel to the U.S.

When does this start?

The provisions in this bill have several different start dates and deadlines, with many taking effect after it becomes law.

Project list for fiscal years 2027 and 2028

A list of projects to be funded for fiscal years 2027 and 2028 must be submitted to Congress by November 15, 2026.

Historic preservation review process

A streamlined process for historic preservation review must be developed and issued within 180 days after the bill becomes law.

Report on maintenance activities

A report describing actions taken to reduce deferred maintenance must be submitted to Congress within one year of the bill becoming law.

Transparency and accountability metrics

Clear and standard metrics for calculating deferred maintenance must be established within two years of the bill becoming law.

Expiration of non-resident surcharge

The authority to charge an extra fee to non-resident visitors will end on September 30, 2031.