# 119-hr-9536: FEES Act of 2026

119-hr-9536, FEES Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Tiffany, Thomas P. [R-WI-7] (R-WI); status introduced (as of 2026-09-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9536
- As of: 2026-09-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9536
- Congress: 119
- Title: FEES Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Tiffany, Thomas P. [R-WI-7] (R-WI)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-04

## Summary

**Caps attorney fee awards and narrows who can recover them.** This bill would limit when and how parties get paid for attorneys' fees in federal adjudications and civil suits, bar fee payments tied to agency rules, and require a scientific review of effects on federally managed lands. - Individuals and claimants: Would require a direct and personal monetary interest, such as personal injury, private property damage, or unpaid agency disbursement, to qualify for fee recovery. - Attorneys and plaintiffs: Would cap fee awards at $200,000 per adversary adjudication or civil action and limit recoveries to 3 such actions per calendar year, with exceptions for successful class actions and cases involving the Social Security Administration or Department of Veterans Affairs. - Federal agencies and settlements: Would prohibit settlement agreements or consent decrees that authorize payment of attorneys' fees or litigation costs tied to an agency regulation or guidance document. - Public lands and rural stakeholders: Would create an independent five-member scientific panel, appointed by the Secretary within five years, to assess effects on forest and rangeland health, wildfire risk, biodiversity, watershed quality, and economic productivity. The panel must include hunters or anglers, a forest-products representative, a rural water utility representative, and a wildlife biologist.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Hageman, Harriet M. [R-WY-At Large] (R-WY), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fong, Vince [R-CA-20] (R-CA), 2026-09-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Tighter fee awards in agency cases: cost, high. If enacted, the bill would cap attorney fee and expense awards in agency adversary adjudications at $200,000 per adjudication. It would generally bar awards for more than three adversary adjudications in the same calendar year. Fee awards would be limited to parties with a direct, personal monetary…
- Tighter fee awards in civil cases: cost, high. If enacted, the bill would cap fee and expense awards in civil actions at $200,000 per case. It would generally limit a prevailing party to awards in no more than three civil cases in the same calendar year. Awards would only go to parties with a direct, personal monetary interest (for example, per…
- Ban on fee payments in agency settlements: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would bar settlement agreements or consent decrees that produce a federal regulation or a guidance document from including payment of attorneys' fees or litigation costs when a federal agency is a party. The bill defines guidance documents as agency statements that do not have…
- New scientific panel for federal lands: mixed, low. If enacted, the Interior Secretary would appoint a five-member independent scientific panel within five years to assess how this Act affects federally managed lands. The panel would study forest and rangeland health, wildfire and insect risk, biodiversity, watershed quality, and economic productivi…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act
- 119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- 119-hr-1383: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250
- 119-hr-703: Main Street Tax Certainty Act
- 119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9536 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9536)

## Related
- [119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-471)
- [119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-21)
- [119-hr-1383: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1383)
- [119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9250)
- [119-hr-703: Main Street Tax Certainty Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-703)
- [119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-425)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9536 (as of 2026-09-04).