Range Access Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Forestry.
Range Access Act
This bill provides for the creation of new target shooting ranges on public land.
Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to publish a list that identifies whether each National Forest and each Bureau of Land Management district has a target shooting range that meets specified requirements. The departments must identify at least one suitable location for a range in each forest or district where (1) there is not currently a range that meets requirements, and (2) establishing a range is not prevented by law or a land use plan.
In at least one suitable location in each forest or district with a suitable location, the departments shall
subject to the availability of appropriations, construct a range or modify an existing range; or
enter into an agreement with an entity to establish or maintain a range.
A range established under this bill may not require a user to pay a fee to use the range.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 17, 2023. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on April 19, 2023: Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Blake Moore (R-UT) introduced it on March 17, 2023, and 10 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 4 Democrats, 6 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 17, 2023, 1273 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1240 days ago, on April 19, 2023.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 118th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2025 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers