CLAIM Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Rep. Stansbury, Melanie Ann [D-NM-1]
Introduced
Summary
This bill shifts hardrock mining maintenance from labor-based assessment work to a location-based, tiered fee system and directs revenue toward conservation and restoration. It also defines who counts as a small miner, lets the Secretary collect user fees, and requires regular inflation adjustments.
Show full summary
- Miners: Maintenance fees act in place of the old assessment-work requirement. Fees range from $300 to $1,100 depending on how close a claim is to a protected "covered area", and qualifying small miners are exempt.
- Communities and conservation: Excess fee revenue is first used to run the program and then split among priorities. The largest single share, 40%, goes to programs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with remaining funds for Tribal Historic Preservation, States, and national conservation and park restoration funds.
- Administration and rules: The Secretary centralizes authority, may charge user fees to cover administrative costs, and must adjust fees for inflation at least every 5 years with notice by July 1.
*Revenues are redirected to mining administration and a set of conservation and restoration programs through a new allocation formula.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Small miner fee exemption rules
This bill would create a "small miner" classification and exempt qualifying small miners from the yearly claim maintenance fees and from doing assessment work. To qualify you would need no more than 10 claims or sites, no more than 200 acres of Federal land, and prior-year aggregate gross income from mineral production for you and all related parties under $50,000. You would also need to certify in writing that each claim will be used only for casual use. "Related parties" would include your spouse or qualifying child, partners, persons who control or are controlled by you, and anyone with at least 10% voting shares; control rules are defined by ownership, authority, officer/director/partner roles, or contract.
Tiered yearly fees by location
If you hold a mining claim on Federal land, this bill would make you pay a yearly fee for each claim based on where most of the claim lies. Fees would be $1,100 if most of the claim is inside a covered area; $1,000 if 0–10 miles from the boundary; $700 if 10–20 miles; $500 if 20–30 miles; and $300 if more than 30 miles. Paying the fee as specified would count instead of doing the assessment work normally required under the Mining Law. The Secretary would adjust fees for inflation at least every 5 years, must notify claimants by July 1 of the adjustment year, and changes would apply the following calendar year. Any fiscal-year excess beyond administration needs would be split 40%/20%/20%/10%/10% among listed federal, tribal, and State programs.
Definitions that limit mining activity
This bill would add definitions used across the mining rules. "Casual use" would mean low-impact activities like hand tool specimen collection, hand panning, or nonmotorized sluicing and would exclude mechanized earth-moving, suction dredging, explosives, motor vehicle use in closed areas, road or drill-pad construction, and toxic materials. "Covered area" would mean National Park System units and Antiquities Act monuments. The bill would also define "hardrock mineral," "mineral activities," "Secretary," "Indian," and "Indian Tribe" for how the subtitle applies.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Stansbury, Melanie Ann [D-NM-1]
NM • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/11/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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