WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a bill to reauthorize a public lands maintenance fund that would provide $1.9 billion annually over five fiscal years. The committee approved the legislation by voice vote, advancing it to the full Senate.

Senator Steve Daines sponsored the legislation. The committee adopted an amendment that aligned the bill's funding level with a House bill introduced by Representative Bruce Westerman and Representative Jared Huffman. The legislation reauthorizes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, which was established in 2020 and expired at the end of fiscal year 2025.

Senators Lisa Murkowski and Jeff Merkley collaborated to advance the legislation during the committee markup. The National Park Foundation and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable endorsed the legislation. Jessica Turner, President of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, said, "Our public lands and waters depend on sustained investments in access, infrastructure, and visitor experiences."

Daines stated, "This amendment and the bill we're sending to the full Senate represents a bipartisan and bicameral collaborative output." The bill requires the administration to present a list of deferred maintenance projects that the fund will address. Murkowski added, "That requirement ensures that we are not establishing a venue for the administration, or any administration going forward, to pick and choose and inject layers of politics into what should not be political."

The fund was created to address deferred maintenance backlogs at sites operated by various federal agencies, including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Education. A senator stated that the deferred maintenance backlog across federal land management agencies totals approximately $43 million. The fund was originally established by the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020.

The amendment includes a provision to codify nonresident fees for public lands that were established by the Trump administration via executive order. Senator Alex Padilla drafted an amendment that would have specified these nonresident fees apply only to individuals holding tourist visas, but he did not introduce it. Padilla said, "If we codify this, I feel that parks could become de facto immigration checkpoints, where hardworking parks staff would be required to check passports or birth certificates, and that's not their job."

Senator Mike Lee stated that the bill is only partially offset financially. Lee also noted that the legislation does not include proposed changes to the operation of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He said, "There is still a lot of work to be done on the bill." He also added, "We all have a responsibility to ensure that legislation this size is fully paid for before it reaches the president's desk."