# 119-s-537: Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025

119-s-537, Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT); status introduced (as of 2026-09-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-537
- As of: 2026-09-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-537
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-12
- Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT)
- Cosponsors: 36
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-25

## Summary

**Protect the use of lead ammunition and tackle on federal lands and waters.** This bill would bar the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service from banning or regulating lead ammunition or lead fishing tackle on federal land or water open for hunting or fishing, while allowing narrow, unit-specific restrictions only when local field data link lead to wildlife declines and the State approves or is consistent with State policy. - Hunters and anglers: Keeps the ability to use lead ammo and lead tackle on most federal lands and waters that are open for hunting or fishing. - Federal land managers: Limits agency authority to impose broad lead restrictions and allows unit‑specific rules only if tied to field data showing local wildlife declines. - State fish and wildlife departments: Gains a formal role in approving or providing consistency for any unit‑level prohibitions or regulations. - Wildlife and conservation interests: Restricts when lead can be regulated by requiring unit‑specific evidence that lead is the primary cause of a population decline.

## Cosponsors (36)

- Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS] (R-KS), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID] (R-ID), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] (R-WY), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL] (R-AL), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR] (R-AR), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] (R-NE), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (R-SD), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL] (R-AL), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND] (R-ND), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Justice, James C. [R-WV] (R-WV), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hagerty, Bill [R-TN] (R-TN), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND] (R-ND), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS] (R-MS), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] (R-SD), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV] (R-WV), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN] (R-IN), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX), 2025-04-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC] (R-SC), 2025-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT] (R-UT), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Graham, Darline [R-SC] (R-SC), 2026-07-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN] (R-IN), 2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Keep lead ammo and tackle access: benefit, low. If enacted, this bill would bar the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from banning lead ammunition or lead fishing tackle on federal lands and waters open for hunting or fishing. It would also bar those agencies from issuing rules that set allowable lead levels in such ammu…
- Allow site bans only with local data: mixed, low. If enacted, this bill would allow a ban or rule on lead ammo or tackle at a specific federal site only when local field data show wildlife declines are primarily caused by lead. The agency must also show the rule matches state law or the state's fish and wildlife policy, or the state must approve i…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025
- 119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- 119-s-65: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act

## Sources
- [119-s-537 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/537)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2296)
- [119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-186)
- [119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-6)
- [119-s-65: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-65)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-537 (as of 2026-09-25).