Congress blocks ban on lead bullets on public lands.

What it does

This bill stops two government departments from banning lead bullets and fishing weights on public lands. Hunters and anglers use these lands. The departments can only restrict lead on one site if they prove lead caused wildlife loss there. The state fish and wildlife department must agree. The bill blocks a rule the departments had been using to stop lead bullets.

Who it affects

Hunters and anglers can keep using cheaper lead bullets and weights on public lands. The public and wildlife face ongoing lead poison in soil, water, and food chains. States gain power to approve lead rules on public land.

One thing to notice

States must approve before the government can restrict lead on public land. The bill makes it very hard to prove lead harms wildlife, making the exception almost impossible to use.

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 $1,260,606 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 and managed by the government.
• lead bullets — Bullets made with lead metal, which is toxic to wildlife and people.
• fishing weights — Heavy metal pieces used in fishing to sink lines and hooks.
• 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.