# 119-s-544: Mining Regulatory Clarity Act

119-s-544, Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-544
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-544
- Congress: 119
- Title: Mining Regulatory Clarity Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-02-12
- Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Allows miners to locate additional small mill sites on public land as part of an approved plan of operations.** It defines what counts as a mill site, limits each site to 5 acres, and ties use to an approved plan of operations. - Miners and operators can include as many mill sites as are "reasonably necessary" inside an approved plan. Each site is limited to 5 acres, conveys no mineral rights, and cannot be patented. - Current claimants keep their entry, use, and occupancy rights and some pre-withdrawal rights can be restored. The bill also harmonizes legal definitions and references across mining laws to reduce confusion about claims and fees. - Creates a separate Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund in the Treasury to hold mill-site fee deposits. The Interior Secretary may use that money without further appropriation to carry out mine cleanup activities under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV] (D-NV), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID] (R-ID), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] (R-AK), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More mill sites for mining claims: benefit, medium. If enacted, a mining claim owner would be able to include as many mill site claims as are reasonably necessary. Those mill sites would have to be part of a plan of operations approved by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture under existing rules. Each mill site would be li…
- New fund for abandoned mine cleanup: benefit, low. This bill would create an Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund in the Treasury. Money from the claim maintenance fee on mill sites located under the bill would go into the fund. The Secretary of the Interior would be able to spend the money without another appropriation. Funds could only be used to carry o…

## Related bills

- 119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act
- 119-s-237: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025
- 119-s-1175: Small County PILT Parity Act
- 119-s-1032: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-s-1547: America the Beautiful Act
- 119-s-356: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-544 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/544)

## Related
- [119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3940)
- [119-s-237: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-237)
- [119-s-1175: Small County PILT Parity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1175)
- [119-s-1032: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1032)
- [119-s-1547: America the Beautiful Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1547)
- [119-s-356: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-356)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-544 (as of 2026-09-10).