Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, as a former chair and proud member of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, I have worked tirelessly to defend our public lands and wildlife for the benefit of all outdoor enthusiasts. I am here today on the floor to continue to fight for healthy wildlife populations and to protect public lands access for our Nation's hunters and fishers.

I have been warning my colleagues for years that this legislation, as written, will undermine science-based conservation of wildlife and will result in closures of areas to hunting and fishing.

The fact is that when land managers are allowed to follow the best available science, restrictions on lead ammunition and tackle can be used as a tool to expand access for hunters and fishers, not limit it. This is especially important in places like national wildlife refuges, where managers must ensure that hunting and fishing activities are compatible with the refuge's purposes, including safeguarding threatened and endangered species.

Even last fall, I saw new hunting and fishing opportunities combined with restrictions on lead. The Trump administration's 2025 hunt-fish rule combined these limited lead regulations for new hunting and fishing opportunities with its Lead-Free Hunting Voluntary Incentive Program.

For example, at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, they combined a new opportunity for lead-free bear hunting with a program that distributed all needed lead-free ammunition to hunters.

The bill as currently written undermines that effort by requiring costly and unworkable unit-specific analysis before any regulation on lead can be proposed. In many cases, this bureaucratic burden in H.R. 556 may cause entire units to be closed to hunting or fishing.

From an administrative perspective, it is less risky to remain in compliance with the ESA and the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act by closing units to hunting and fishing than to navigate the complex process required by this bill.

Meanwhile, wildlife populations are under increasing pressure from a range of stressors, including habitat loss, disease, and climate change. Lead contamination often contributes to population decline alongside these other factors, and waiting until lead becomes the primary cause of harm means we are acting too late.

That is why, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee.

If House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to the bill.

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, my amendment ensures that land managers can make science-based decisions to protect both wildlife and hunting opportunities so they don't face a choice between keeping lands open to hunting and fishing or protecting wildlife.

As someone who strongly supports our hunters and anglers, I want these activities to remain sustainable and accessible for future generations. Hunters and anglers are among conservation's greatest champions, and they deserve our support.

Grounding conservation and recreation in sound science supports both the natural resources we value and the outdoor traditions we cherish.

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit that will protect our Nation's rich wildlife heritage for future generations.

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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