This legislation will prohibit the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture from banning the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal lands and waters unless such regulation is consistent with state law and supported by science.
Prohibit the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture from banning the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal lands and waters unless the regulation is consistent with state law and supported by science.
Occurrences
Evidence
The Interior Secretary issued SO 3447, which says restrictions on lead ammunition or tackle may not be included in station-specific regulations except in rare circumstances supported by site-specific scientific evidence or where needed to align with State or Tribal law, and requires Director approval for any such restriction.
Congress.gov still lists H.R. 556 as introduced, with the latest action being placement on the Union Calendar on 2025-11-25. The bill summary states it would bar FWS, BLM, and the Forest Service from prohibiting or regulating lead ammunition or tackle on federal land or water, subject to narrow exceptions.
Assessments
The promised statutory prohibition was not fully delivered because H.R. 556 had not become law; it remained pending after being placed on the Union Calendar. However, Interior Secretary Order 3447 adopted a federal executive policy that closely mirrors the promised limits for Interior lands and waters by restricting lead-ammunition or tackle bans unless supported by site-specific science or aligned with state or Tribal law. That is meaningful same-term progress but falls short of the full promise because it is an internal executive order, does not bind Agriculture/Forest Service in the same statutory way, and can be changed by later executive action.