[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8169 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8169

  To require the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit the use of lead 
 ammunition on all lands and waters under the jurisdiction and control 
             of the Forest Service, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2024

  Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania (for herself and Mr. Lieu) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and 
 in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit the use of lead 
 ammunition on all lands and waters under the jurisdiction and control 
             of the Forest Service, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lead Free Forests Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) There are no defined safe levels of lead intake in 
        humans, and the toxic effects of lead are numerous and largely 
        irreversible. Lead has been banned from gasoline, paints, and 
        various household items in most developed countries, while lead 
        ammunition is still widely used for hunting and shooting in the 
        United States.
            (2) Poisoning from spent lead ammunition puts the health of 
        raptors, scavengers, and other animals at risk. Lead 
        contamination of carcasses remains a particularly serious 
        threat to the health and sustainability of scavenging birds, 
        many of whom are killed each year after ingesting lead from 
        spent ammunition.
            (3) People who frequently consume hunted animals shot with 
        lead ammunition are at risk of high dietary lead exposure.
            (4) The adverse effects of lead on children's intellectual 
        capacity are well established, especially the decline in IQ and 
        loss of cognitive skills.
            (5) Used lead ammunition can take over 100 years to 
        disappear from the environment, allowing for large 
        concentrations of lead in areas where hunting is common.
            (6) Discarded lead shot pellets left to accumulate in the 
        environment will ultimately be deposited as particles in soil 
        and water, where uptake of this lead by plants and animals can 
        occur.
            (7) United States National Forests provide important 
        habitats to countless species. People from across the country 
        and the world come to National Forests to appreciate wildlife, 
        through hunting and watching wildlife.

SEC. 3. NONTOXIC AMMUNITION.

    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (c), and not 
later than 1 year after enactment, the Secretary, acting through the 
Chief, shall issue final regulations prohibiting the discharge of any 
firearm using ammunition other than nonlead ammunition certified under 
subsection (b) on all lands and waters under the jurisdiction and 
control of the Forest Service.
    (b) Certification.--
            (1) In general.--The Chief shall, for the purposes of 
        enforcing this section and in consultation with State and 
        Tribal governments, establish and annually update a list of 
        nonlead ammunition.
            (2) Publication.--The Chief shall make the list established 
        and updated under paragraph (1) publicly available on the 
        website of the Forest Service.
    (c) Exceptions.--The prohibition under subsection (a) shall not 
apply to--
            (1) a Government official or agent carrying out a statutory 
        duty unrelated to the management of wildlife;
            (2) a State, local, Tribal, or Federal law enforcement 
        officer or the agent of such officer when carrying out a 
        statutory duty unrelated to the management of wildlife; or
            (3) an active member of the United States military when 
        carrying out official duties.
    (d) Penalties.--A person that knowingly violates subsection (a)--
            (1) for the first violation, may be assessed a fine by the 
        Secretary of not more than $500; and
            (2) for a second or subsequent violation, shall be assessed 
        a fine by the Secretary of not less than $1,000 and not more 
        than $5,000.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Ammunition.--The term ``ammunition'' means any bullet, 
        ball, sabot, slug, buckshot, shot, pellet, or other projectile 
        that is expelled from a firearm through a barrel by force.
            (2) Chief.--The term ``Chief'' means the Chief of the 
        Forest Service.
            (3) Explosive.--The term ``explosive'' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 844 of title 18, United States Code.
            (4) Firearm.--The term ``firearm'' means any weapon which 
        expels ammunition by the action of an explosive or compressed 
        air.
            (5) Nonlead ammunition.--The term ``nonlead ammunition'' 
        means ammunition in which there is no lead content, excluding 
        the presence of trace amounts of lead.
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (7) Trace amounts.--The term ``trace amounts'' means one 
        percent or less by weight of the total weight of the 
        ammunition.
                                 <all>