Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act
Key claim: The Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act bars the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Forest Service from prohibiting or regulating lead ammunition or tackle on federal land or water, except for specified existing rules or when unit-level field data show lead-caused wildlife declines and the state approves.
Abstract
(HR556 · 119th Congress) 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. Latest action (2026-03-19): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Why this matters
Lead ammunition and tackle rules are a recurring flashpoint between wildlife-health concerns (lead exposure in raptors, waterfowl, and scavengers) and hunter/angler access and equipment costs on federal lands and waters. By requiring unit-level field evidence of lead-caused wildlife declines plus state concurrence before FWS, BLM, or the Forest Service can impose new restrictions, the bill would substantially raise the procedural bar for future limits while leaving existing rules (such as the federal nontoxic-shot requirement for waterfowl) in place.