Title 54National Park Service and Related ProgramsRelease 119-73

§102712 Aid to visitors, grantees, permittees, or licensees in emergencies

Title 54 › Subtitle Subtitle I— - National Park System › Chapter CHAPTER 1027— - LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE › § 102712

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary can help in emergencies when no other source is available. The Secretary may sell at cost food, supplies, materials, or special services (including transport and handling) to visitors so they can reach safety, or to grantees, permittees, or licensees providing services to relieve the emergency and keep services running. Money from these sales must go back into the same government fund and be used for similar supplies or for the unit.

Full Legal Text

Title 54, §102712

National Park Service and Related Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary may aid visitors within a System unit in an emergency, when no other source is available for the procurement of food or supplies, by the sale, at cost, of food or supplies in quantities sufficient to enable the visitors to reach safely a point where food or supplies can be purchased. Receipts from the sales shall be deposited as a refund to the appropriation current at the date of the deposit and shall be available for the purchase of similar food or supplies.
(b)The Secretary may in an emergency, when no other source is available for the immediate procurement of supplies, materials, or special services, aid grantees, permittees, or licensees conducting operations for the benefit of the public in a System unit by the sale, at cost, including transportation and handling, of supplies, materials, or special services as may be necessary to relieve the emergency and ensure uninterrupted service to the public. Receipts from the sales shall be deposited as a refund to the appropriation current at the date of the deposit and shall be available for expenditure for System unit purposes.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 102712(a)16 U.S.C. 12.July 3, 1926, ch. 792, § 1, 44 Stat. 900. 102712(b)16 U.S.C. 17c.May 26, 1930, ch. 324, § 4, 46 Stat. 382.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Fees for Medical Services Pub. L. 116–260, div. G, title I, § 118, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1506, provided that: “Beginning in fiscal year 2022 and for each fiscal year thereafter, fees collected pursuant to section 2404 of Public Law 116–9 [see note below] shall be deposited into the National Park Medical Services Fund established pursuant to such section of such Act as discretionary offsetting receipts.” Pub. L. 116–9, title II, § 2404, Mar. 12, 2019, 133 Stat. 747, provided that: “(a) Fees Authorized.—The Secretary [of the Interior] may establish and collect fees for medical services provided to persons in units of the National Park System or for medical services provided by National Park Service personnel outside units of the National Park System. “(b) National Park Medical Services Fund.—There is established in the Treasury a fund, to be known as the ‘National Park Medical Services Fund’ (referred to in this section as the ‘Fund’). The Fund shall consist of—“(1) donations to the Fund; and “(2) fees collected under subsection (a). “(c) Availability of Amounts.—All amounts deposited into the Fund shall be available to the Secretary, to the extent provided in advance by Acts of appropriation, for the following in units of the National Park System:“(1) Services listed in subsection (a). “(2) Preparing needs assessments or other programmatic analyses for medical facilities, equipment, vehicles, and other needs and costs of providing services listed in subsection (a). “(3) Developing management plans for medical facilities, equipment, vehicles, and other needs and costs of services listed in subsection (a). “(4) Training related to providing services listed in subsection (a). “(5) Obtaining or improving medical facilities, equipment, vehicles, and other needs and costs of providing services listed in subsection (a).”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

54 U.S.C. § 102712

Title 54National Park Service and Related Programs

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73