Endangered Species Act: Protecting Wildlife Habitat
The House Committee on Natural Resources received this bill on July 23, 2026. It has not moved since that date and remains under committee review. Most bills do not receive a committee vote, so it is unclear if this proposal will advance further.
While the bill has support from both parties, most bills introduced in Congress never make it to a final vote. Overturning a specific agency rule usually faces significant pushback.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
By blocking the rollback of the broader 'harm' definition, this bill keeps in place existing federal restrictions on habitat modification and degradation on private land, including ranches and farms that overlap with critical habitat for listed species. Landowners who were hoping the July 2026 rule would ease these restrictions would instead remain under the older, stricter enforcement standard.
“shall have no force or effect.”
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick and Mike Quigley introduced the Safeguarding Endangered Species Act to block a Trump administration rule that eliminates habitat destruction from the definition of 'harm,' a move critics say could devastate vulnerable species.
A legal analysis of the July 14 final rule which rescinds the 1981 definition of 'harm.' The Services will now rely on the statutory text, excluding habitat modification that does not directly and intentionally kill or injure a particular animal.
H.R. 9901, the Safeguarding Endangered Species Act, was introduced by Reps. Fitzpatrick and Quigley to nullify the recent FWS rule. The bill seeks to restore 50 years of regulatory precedent regarding habitat protection.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
To provide that the final rule of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration titled "Rescinding the Definition of 'Harm' Under the Endangered Species Act" shall have no force or effect.
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.