Star-Spangled Summit Act of 2026

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4684) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to issue a special use permit with respect to the maintaining of a flagpole bearing the flag of the United States at Kyhv Peak Lookout Point, Utah, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4684, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 4684, the Star-Spangled Summit Act of 2026, introduced by Representative Kennedy from Utah.

This bill provides a simple, commonsense, and long-overdue fix that restores a longstanding patriotic tradition in Utah for generations to come.

For more than two decades, a Scoutmaster named Robert Collins and his local Boy Scout troop hiked to the summit of Kyhv Peak Lookout Point to raise the American flag above the city of Provo, Utah.

What began as a simple, patriotic gesture grew into a cherished community event. The annual raising of the American flag on this mountaintop has become not only a symbol of local pride for the Provo area but also a meaningful rite of passage for many young people in the community.

Unfortunately, that tradition came to an abrupt end in 2022 when the U.S. Forest Service ordered the flag's prompt removal due to the absence of a special use permit for the flagpole. Overnight, a patriotic tradition that had brought a community together for 20 years was snuffed out by bureaucratic process.

Since then, efforts to restore the tradition through administrative channels have moved slowly and without resolution.

H.R. 4684 provides a straightforward solution. The bill directs the Forest Service to issue a 10-year special use permit for the seasonal placement of the American flag at Kyhv Peak and establishes a clear framework to allow the tradition to continue in perpetuity. Importantly, the legislation also waives all fees associated with the permit because you shouldn't have to pay to be patriotic.

As our Nation celebrates 250 years of American independence, Congress should be encouraging patriotism and uplifting local traditions that bring communities together. This thoughtful legislation ensures that the Federal Government will no longer stand in the way of volunteers seeking to honor the American flag and show their love of country.

I thank Representative Kennedy for his leadership on this effort and for his diligent work on the Committee on Natural Resources on behalf of his constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4684, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Kennedy), the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I once again thank Representative Kennedy for his leadership on the Star-Spangled Summit Act of 2026. This bill restores a meaningful community tradition, cuts through unnecessary red tape, and ensures that the American flag can continue flying over Provo in a way that respects both patriotism and responsible stewardship of our public lands.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4684, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Westerman for the opportunity to speak on this bill, and I also thank Ranking Member Huffman and my colleague Congresswoman Elfreth for their willingness to hear this bill on the House floor today.

Mr. Speaker, it should not take an act of Congress to fly an American flag on a mountain, but here we are, as we often are, in Congress.

In 2000, a constituent of mine, Scoutmaster Robert Collins, led a Scout troop on a hike to Kyhv Peak above Utah Valley in Provo to raise the American flag at its summit. What began as a patriotic gesture by the Scouts evolved into an annual tradition.

Each year, for over two decades, Robert Collins, joined by relatives, friends, and community members, hiked to the summit to continue the tradition.

The flag standing at the peak became a symbol of local pride and a recognizable landmark in my district.

However, in 2022, the U.S. Forest Service restricted the display. An act of patriotism, one that asked nothing of the Federal Government and cost the taxpayer nothing, was shut down by Washington bureaucracy.

For years, my community waited for answers, but the Forest Service was never able to remediate the situation.

That is why I introduced the Star-Spangled Summit Act. This bill directs the Forest Service to issue the permit. In short, it is simple. It does one thing well: lets Mr. Collins carry our flag up that mountain again.

Mr. Speaker, in the grand scheme of issues this body confronts, this may seem like a small fix, but I believe this bill represents a larger challenge. This story reflects the challenge familiar to Utah and to communities across the West.

In Utah, two-thirds of our land is managed from Washington, and too often, the decisions made about that land are disconnected from the people who actually live there. Local traditions get tangled in Federal processes. Common sense gives way to bureaucracy. Good people doing good things are left waiting for years.

Utahns know our lands, and we know our communities. It is my belief that Utahns should not be buried under layers of bureaucracy when making decisions about the place that they call home.

For 250 years, Americans have raised our flag. We have raised it at Yorktown and at Gettysburg. We have raised it at Iwo Jima and on the surface of the Moon. Yes, we even raised it over the mountain peaks of Provo.

We raise the flag because it stands for something larger than any one of us: the idea that a free people can govern themselves.

As we mark 250 years of American self-governance, we owe our communities a government that works with them. The Star-Spangled Summit Act restores a measure of balance that returns a small piece of decisionmaking to the community it belongs to, and it ensures the American flag can continue to wave.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4684, the Star-Spangled Summit Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 4684 would authorize the Forest Service to issue a permit authorizing the maintenance of a flagpole at Kyhv Peak Lookout Point in Utah.

This peak is located near Provo, Utah, in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. It is a popular hiking destination that is used to feature the prominent flagpole displaying the American flag, which was first installed in 2000 by a Boy Scout troop.

However, U.S. Forest Service regulations prohibit the construction, placing, or maintaining of any structure on National Forest System land. The initial placement of this flagpole did not receive a permit, and consequently, the agency ordered the removal of the flagpole.

These agency policies are vital for the proper stewardship of our resources, and the support for this bill should in no way be seen as an attempt to undermine or weaken that very crucial standard.

We must continue to promote the simple but important principle of ``leave no trace'' to continue to minimize the impact of our visits on the plants, animals, and ecosystems we all hold dear.

To be clear, the agency should be able to resolve this situation on their own. The Forest Service has testified before the Committee on Natural Resources that they are working to issue the necessary permit without congressional action. However, this patriotic display, especially in our 250th year, as the chair said, is important to the local community and visitors alike.

I support the moving of this legislation today to resolve this issue promptly and return the flag to Kyhv Peak.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.