Congress·In Committee·H.R. 6788

Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act

Montana Public Lands: Changing Protection Status for Specific Areas

Dec 17, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committeeNo action in 7 months

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on Natural Resources for review. It is considered active, but there are no upcoming votes or hearings scheduled at this time. There is no companion bill listed for this legislation.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While the bill is based on agency recommendations, public land changes often face strong opposition from environmental groups and struggle to pass without broad bipartisan support.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from S. 2216 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
S. 2216 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill removes strict wilderness study area protections from three specific locations in Montana. These areas include Middle Fork Judith, Hoodoo Mountain, and Wales Creek, totaling about 104,000 acres of public land.
Government agencies like the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have already studied these lands. They determined years ago that these specific spots do not need the highest level of wilderness protection.
By changing the status, land managers can start new projects that were previously restricted. This includes clearing brush to prevent wildfires, improving trails for better public access, and working on wildlife habitat.
The land will remain owned by the public. Instead of being managed under strict wilderness rules, it will follow standard local forest and resource plans that allow for more multiple-use activities like hunting and fishing.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Dec 17, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Dec 17, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act

Bill NumberHR 6788

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.