Bill > HR1084

This bill establishes a new Ski Area Fee Retention Account to manage fees collected from ski area permits on National Forest System lands. Specifically, the bill creates a special account in the U.S. Treasury where ski area permit rental charges will be deposited and made available for use by the Secretary of Agriculture without additional congressional appropriation. The funds will be distributed with 80% remaining at the local forest unit (75% for ski area program administration and 25% for facility and recreation improvements), and 20% allocated agency-wide for similar purposes. Permitted uses of these funds include processing ski area permit applications, staff training, visitor services, wildfire planning and risk reduction, facility maintenance, habitat restoration, law enforcement, parking area construction, search and rescue activities, and permit administration. The bill explicitly prohibits using these funds for wildfire suppression or land acquisition. Importantly, these retained fees are intended to supplement, not replace, existing congressional appropriations for forest management. The account will retain collected funds for four fiscal years, providing flexibility in budgeting and planning for forest management and ski area development. The provisions aim to support local forest units' operational needs and enhance recreational infrastructure while creating a more sustainable funding mechanism for ski area management.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1084/all-info