Bill stops a rule that made endangered species laws weaker.
H.R. 9901 — To provide that the final rule of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration titled "Rescinding the Definition of 'Harm' Under the Endangered Species Act" shall have no force or effect. · Filed by Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) · 11 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 23, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
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What it does
A federal rule made the definition of harm narrower. This bill stops that rule from working. It brings back the older, broader definition. Now more activities that hurt endangered species will be illegal again.
Who it affects
People who care about endangered species benefit. Companies that build, farm, or dig for resources may face stricter rules.
One thing to notice
The rule being stopped was very new. This bill reverses it quickly, showing Congress disagrees with the change.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
11 cosponsors: 11 Democrats.
- Jul 23, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 23, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- harm — Any action that injures or kills a protected animal or damages its home.
- definition — An official explanation of what a word or rule means.
- endangered species — Animals and plants at risk of dying out completely.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,262 characters) on Sep 25, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,975 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-25.
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