Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Mar 19, 2026

The Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025 prohibits the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Forest Service from banning or regulating lead ammunition or tackle on federal lands and waters. The bill creates two exceptions: (1) existing regulations that were already in place, and (2) new regulations that the agencies may implement if they determine that a wildlife population decline at a specific federal unit is primarily caused by lead ammunition or tackle use, based on field data from that unit, and the state approves such regulations.

AI summaries currently cover bills with verified final-passage votes.

Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025 This bill bars the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Forest Service from prohibiting or regulating the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal land or water. The bill makes exceptions for specified existing regulations and where the FWS, the BLM, or the Forest Service determines that a decline in wildlife population at the specific unit of federal land or water is primarily caused by the use of lead in ammunition or tackle, based on the field data from such unit, and the state approves the regulations.