Senate committee advances bill easing park fees for veterans after removing active-duty members

The Senate Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Committee voted to advance a substitute for SB190 as amended, approving language that expands fee-free access or reduced-fee access for veterans, gold-star families and certain family members but removes active-duty service members from the bill.

Committee chair Ed Harbison, who was presiding for Chairman Payne, said he had not read the substitute in full before the meeting and asked members to review amendments and hear public testimony before taking action. A member of the committee moved to strike language referencing "active duty members of the military" from multiple lines of the substitute; that amendment passed on a committee voice vote.

Supporters during public comment described the bill as a matter of wellness and access. Vietra Cruz, a U.S. Navy veteran and founder of the Women Veterans Company, said, "This bill represents something much bigger than access to parks. It represents access to healing," and urged the committee to remove financial barriers that prevent many veterans from accessing outdoor programs. Carla Trina Mignano Walker, also a U.S. Navy veteran, described how outdoor rehabilitative retreats helped her manage lupus and tinnitus, thanking the committee for "taking my life and my life story into consideration with this bill." Retired Army Lt. Col. Dave Durden called the measure "fiscally responsible" and urged members to "do the right thing, move this thing on, and make it official."

A committee member who sponsored the substitute explained the reason for removing active-duty members: personnel stationed at installations such as Fort Benning and Fort Stewart already receive certain park amenities, so the amendment excises active-duty references from lines cited in the substitute. The committee also confirmed that veterans retain priority for any benefits the bill creates. After debate and the amendment vote, the committee approved the substitute (LC461469S) as amended and advanced the bill out of committee.

The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript; votes were taken by voice and the chair declared the motions passed. The committee adjourned after concluding business.