Government agencies cannot ban lead bullets on public hunting lands.

What it does

The bill stops the government from banning lead bullets and fishing tackle on public lands. People hunt and fish on these lands. The Interior and Agriculture leaders can only restrict lead use on one specific site. They must prove wildlife decline there is caused mainly by lead. The state must also agree. The bill keeps lead bullets and tackle legal on most public lands.

Who it affects

Hunters and anglers keep access to cheaper lead bullets and fishing tackle. Government wildlife agencies lose the power to ban lead use on most public lands. Birds and animals that eat dead game may be harmed.

One thing to notice

States get veto power over wildlife rules on public land. Lead builds up in the food chain when hunters eat game killed with lead shot. Birds and meat-eating animals also eat dead animals with lead in them.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

83 cosponsors: 83 Republicans.

• Jan 16, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 16, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period…”
• Jul 15, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jul 15, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 17”
• Mar 18, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On passage Passed by recorded vote: 215 - 202 (Roll no. 93). (text of amendment in the nature of a…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

6 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 12 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $9,837,848 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 58 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 82% of bills with any report.

Robert Wittman, who sponsored the bill, received $1,328,106 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• National Shooting Sports Foundation — $7,820,000 in 4 reports
• National Rifle Association of America — $990,000 in 2 reports
• National Association for Gun Rights — $429,548 in 2 reports
• Defenders of Wildlife — $370,000 in 2 reports
• Earthjustice Action — $188,300 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• public lands — Land owned by the U.S. government, not by states or private owners.
• lead bullets — Bullets and shot made from lead metal, used in guns for hunting.
• food chain — The path of poison that moves from one animal to another through eating.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.