Gold Star families might gain free access to national parks
Airman 1st Class Alexis Visser, 90th Munitions Squadron, and Senior Airman Rachel Silverberg, 90th Force Support Squadron, hike the Hidden Falls trail in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, in 2015. (Lan Kim/Air Force)
Families who have lost a service member in war might next year get to enjoy the beauty of America’s national parks — for free.
On July 21 the House passed the Gold Star Families Park Pass Act as part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.
The legislation, introduced in March by Marine veteran and Maine Democrat Rep. Jared Golden, along with Sen. Angus King, an Independent from Maine, would provide “immediate family of fallen service members with access to the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass program,” according to a press release.
It would grant free access to national wildlife refuges and national parks, like Maine’s Acadia National Park and the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
“Free access to our national parks and public lands is a small but meaningful way for our country to thank Gold Star Families,” Golden said in the news release.
Golden has helped push several recent successful efforts focusing on Gold Star families, including efforts to repeal the “widow’s tax” and to pass the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act, which ensures that “the survivor’s benefits of military families weren’t subject to surprise taxes.”
As for the recent legislation, King said in a separate news release, “America’s Gold Star Families have made unimaginable sacrifices for the safety of our country, and we should do everything possible to help them heal.”
“Our national parks are among America’s greatest treasures, and any family who’s lost a loved one in defense of the United States should be able to access those treasures free of charge.”
Discrepancies between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA will be decided on in the fall.
The act was introduced after a constituent came to Golden with the idea, according to the news release.