{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-colleagues-introduce-legislation-to-codify-fee-free-days-of-public-service-on-federal-lands", "Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Codify Fee-Free Days of Public Service on Federal Lands", "2025-12-12", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", "wyden", "https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Trump Removed MLK Day and Juneteenth from List of Fee-Free Days, Included His Birthday Instead\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate and House colleagues to introduce legislation that would guarantee that visitors can enter National Parks and other federal lands free-of-charge six days a year.\n\nThe Encouraging Public Service in Our National Parks and Public Land Act would direct the Secretary of the Interior to officially designate Martin Luther King, Jr.\u2019s Birthday, the first day of National Park Week, Juneteenth, Great American Outdoors Day, National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day as fee-free entry days.\n\n\u201cIt is practically embedded in the DNA of all Oregonians to be good stewards for our beautiful natural spaces,\u201d Wyden said. \u201cWith this legislation, I hope to export Oregonians\u2019 rich history of forest stewardship and support for outdoor economies, and I will continue to advocate for solutions that protect and expand access to our nation\u2019s scenic public lands.\u201d\n\nSince the National Park System and other land management agencies began collecting entry and recreation fees, the Department of the Interior has offered fee-free days to promote America\u2019s public lands and encourage visitors to volunteer in the National Parks, especially on select federal holidays where many Americans already have the day off. Last week, the Trump Administration cut Martin Luther King, Jr.\u2019s birthday and Juneteenth, two holidays honoring Black history, from its list of free entrance days next year and replaced them with Trump\u2019s birthday.\n\nThe legislation would restore these two holidays to the list of free entrance days and make a list of public service days permanently fee-free. Additional free entry days would be possible at the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior. The dates are as follows:\n\nMartin Luther King, Jr.\u2019s Birthday, the third Monday in January\n\nThe first day of National Park Week in April\n\nJuneteenth, June 19\n\nGreat American Outdoors Day, August 4\n\nNational Public Lands Day, the fourth Saturday in September\n\nVeterans Day, November 11\n\nThe bill was led by U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. In addition to Wyden, the legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Adam Schiff, D-Calif.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-colleagues-introduce-legislation-to-codify-fee-free-days-of-public-service-on-federal-lands"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8242460899055004, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}