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H.R. 3872 119th Congress House

MERICA Act of 2025

Official title: To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.

Introduced: June 10, 2025 Introduced by: Pat Fallon Republican · Texas See on congress.gov
Energy AlaskaLand transfersLicensing and registrationsMetals
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MiningOil and gas
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 Everywhere this bill has been 20 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 17, 2026
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 669.
Sep 17, 2026
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Lee without amendment. Without written report.
Jun 10, 2026
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Feb 12, 2026
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
Dec 16, 2025
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Dec 15, 2025
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5884)
Dec 15, 2025
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Dec 15, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5884)
Dec 15, 2025
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3872.
Dec 15, 2025
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5884-5885)
Dec 15, 2025
Mr. Stauber moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Oct 31, 2025
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 309.
Oct 31, 2025
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-357.
Sep 17, 2025
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
Sep 17, 2025
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Sep 17, 2025
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Discharged
Sep 3, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Jul 2, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Jun 10, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Jun 10, 2025
Introduced in House
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What's happening now September 17, 2026

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 669.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

This bill specifies that all federally acquired lands are eligible to be considered for hardrock mineral leasing under the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (MLAAL). The bill defines the term hardrock mineral to (1) include deposits of minerals found in sedimentary or other rocks, base metals, precious metals, industrial minerals, and precious and semi-precious gemstones; and (2) exclude deposits of coal, oil, oil shale, gas, sodium, potassium, sulfur, or mineral materials subject to disposition under the Materials Act of 1947.

By way of background, hardrock minerals are not currently listed under the MLAAL as deposits subject to a lease, while mineral resources such as coal, phosphate, oil, gas, gilsonite, and sulfur are listed. As a result, federal lands may be leased for mining hardrock minerals only if the federal lands were acquired under a statute, such as the Weeks Act, that specifically authorizes the land to be used for hardrock mineral leasing.

 Hearings & markups 5
 Bill text 5 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
 Lobbying activity 10

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

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 Cosponsors 2
All 2 Republican 2
R
Harrigan, Pat
North Carolina · Jun 24, 2025
 R
Moran, Nathaniel
Texas · Jun 10, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3872: To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-3872/
MLA
"H.R. 3872: To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-3872/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3872, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-3872/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3872: To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-3872/)
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