What This Bill Does
This bill prevents two federal agencies from banning lead ammunition or fishing tackle on federal hunting and fishing lands. The agencies cannot create rules about how much lead can be in ammunition or tackle used on these lands. There is one exception if a specific area shows wildlife decline directly caused by lead use.
Who It Affects
The U.S. Department of the Interior (through the Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (through the Forest Service) are directly affected. Hunters and anglers using federal lands and waters are affected. State fish and wildlife departments may be involved in approving exceptions.
Key Provisions
• The Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture cannot prohibit lead ammunition or tackle on federal lands or waters open to hunting or fishing (Sec. 2(a)(1))
• These agencies cannot issue regulations about lead levels in ammunition or tackle used on federal hunting and fishing lands (Sec. 2(a)(2))
• The agencies may restrict lead ammunition or tackle in a specific area if they prove wildlife decline is primarily caused by lead use based on field data from that location AND get approval from the state's fish and wildlife department or follow state law (Sec. 2(b))
• When agencies create any allowed restrictions, they must publish an explanation in the Federal Register explaining how the restrictions meet the legal requirements (Sec. 2(c))
What Changes
Federal agencies lose the authority to ban or regulate lead ammunition and tackle on their lands and waters, except in specific cases where they can prove lead is harming wildlife in that exact location and the state approves.
Important Definitions
Tackle means fishing equipment. Federal Register is the official government publication where federal agencies announce rules and decisions.
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
IIB
118TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 615
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MAY 1, 2024
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and
Public Works
AN ACT
To prohibit the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary
of Agriculture from prohibiting the use of lead ammuni-
tion or tackle on certain Federal land or water under
the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior and the
Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
VerDate Sep 11 2014
01:23 May 02, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H615.RFS
H615
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
2
HR 615 RFS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
1
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Access for
2
Hunters and Anglers Act of 2023’’.
3
SEC. 2. PROTECTING ACCESS FOR HUNTERS AND ANGLERS
4
ON FEDERAL LAND AND WATER.
5
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in section
6
20.21 or 20.108 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations
7
(as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act), and
8
subsection (b), the Secretary of the Interior, acting
9
through the Director of the United States Fish and Wild-
10
life Service or the Director of the Bureau of Land Man-
11
agement, and the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through
12
the Chief of the Forest Service (referred to in this section
13
as the ‘‘applicable Secretary’’), may not—
14
(1) prohibit the use of lead ammunition or tack-
15
le on Federal land or water that is—
16
(A) under the jurisdiction of the applicable
17
Secretary; and
18
(B) made available for hunting or fishing
19
activities; or
20
(2) issue regulations relating to the level of lead
21
in ammunition or tackle to be used on Federal land
22
or water described in paragraph (1).
23
(b) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (a) shall not apply to
24
a prohibition or regulations described in that subsection
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
01:23 May 02, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H615.RFS
H615
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
3
HR 615 RFS
that are limited to a specific unit of Federal land or water,
1
if the applicable Secretary determines that—
2
(1) a decline in wildlife population at the spe-
3
cific unit of Federal land or water is primarily
4
caused by the use of lead in ammunition or tackle,
5
based on the field data from the specific unit of Fed-
6
eral land or water; and
7
(2) the prohibition or regulations, as applicable,
8
are—
9
(A) consistent with the law of the State in
10
which the specific Federal land or water is lo-
11
cated;
12
(B) consistent with an applicable policy of
13
the fish and wildlife department of the State in
14
which the specific Federal land or water is lo-
15
cated; or
16
(C) approved by the applicable fish and
17
wildlife department of the State in which the
18
specific Federal land or water is located.
19
(c) FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE.—The applicable
20
Secretary shall include in a Federal Register notice with
21
respect to any prohibition or regulations that meet the re-
22
quirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b)
23
VerDate Sep 11 2014
01:23 May 02, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H615.RFS
H615
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
4
HR 615 RFS
an explanation of how the prohibition or regulations, as
1
applicable, meet those requirements.
2
Passed the House of Representatives April 30, 2024.
Attest:
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,
Clerk.
VerDate Sep 11 2014
01:23 May 02, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H615.RFS
H615
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS