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H.R. 556 (119th)Bill Overview
Full Analysis

Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act

Public Lands and Natural Resources|Hazardous wastes and toxic substancesHunting and fishing
Sponsor
Robert J. WittmanR
Cosponsors
Support
Republican
Introduced
Jan 16, 2025
Discussions
2
Bill Text
View ↗
Committee
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Current stageCommittee

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

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief

<p><strong>Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill bars the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the&nbsp;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&nbsp;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.</p>

Passage65/100

This bill has already passed one chamber, which is a stronger signal than introduction alone but still leaves another major hurdle ahead.

CredibilityPartial

How solid the drafting looks.

Contention62/100

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

02 · What it does
Full Analysis

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Who this appears to help vs burden0% / 100%
Likely helpedLikely burdened
Likely helped
  • No clear beneficiaries surfaced yet.
Likely burdened
  • No clear downsides surfaced yet.
Congressional Budget Office

CBO cost estimate

The clearest budget scorecard attached to this bill: what it changes for direct spending, revenue, and the deficit.

As reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on November 25,2025

Read the full CBO document ↗
03 · Why people split
Full Analysis

Why the argument around this bill splits.

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Progressive—

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

Unclear
Centrist—

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

Unclear
Conservative—

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

Unclear
04 · Can it pass?
Full Analysis

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood65/100

This bill has already passed one chamber, which is a stronger signal than introduction alone but still leaves another major hurdle ahead.

Why this could stall
  • The next hurdle is reproducing that support in the other chamber.
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

This bill has already passed one chamber, which is a stronger signal than introduction alone but still leaves another major hurdle ahead.

Unlocked analysis

Pro readers get the full perspective split, passage barriers, legislative design review, stakeholder impact map, and lens-based policy tradeoff analysis for Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act.

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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