Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act

The "Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act" amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to establish a **Ski Area Fee Retention Account** within the Treasury. This account will receive **ski area permit rental charges** collected by the Secretary of Agriculture from National Forest System units. These funds will be available for use by the Secretary without further appropriation for a period of four fiscal years.

The bill outlines a specific distribution model for these retained fees. Eighty percent of the collected charges from a **covered unit** (the unit collecting the fee) are to be expended at that unit, with 75 percent dedicated to activities like ski area program administration, application processing, staff training, visitor services, and wildfire planning or prevention. The remaining 25 percent of the local share is for facility repair, habitat restoration, law enforcement, and search and rescue. The remaining 20 percent of collected fees are distributed agency-wide for similar purposes, and the local percentage can be reduced if local needs are met, with the balance also going to agency-wide distribution. Importantly, these funds are intended to **supplement**, not supplant, existing appropriated funding for the operation and maintenance of these units.