Statement of Administration Policy: S. 626 - Prohibiting Entrance Fees at the Statue of Liberty National Monument

(House)
(Senator Bradley (D) NJ and 9 others)

The administration opposes enactment of S. 626. Based on objective criteria developed by the National Park Service (NPS) under the guidelines in the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, the monument clearly qualifies for the $1.00 entrance fee currently being charged. Educational groups, children, and senior citizens are all exempt from this modest charge, which is far less than the fees charged by tour boat operators and parking lot managers for their services. None of the parking or boat receipts go toward operations and maintenance of the monument, nor did any of the funds collected for the reconstruction project completed last year. The NPS fee receipts, however, are dedicated to the maintenance of the park system. Finally, it is inappropriate to single out a particular unit of the National Park System as more important than the others, as exempting the monument from entrance fees would do.