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H.R. 7831

U.S. House•In Senate Committee

Summary

H.R. 7831, the License to Drill Act, was introduced in the House on Mar 5, 2026 by Rep. Mike Kennedy (R) with 3 co-sponsors. It last saw action on Jul 29, 2026: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Record

Text

H.R. 7831 has 3 co-sponsors.

hb7831/engrossed-in-house.txt
119 HR 7831 EH: License to Drill Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 IB
 119th CONGRESS  2d Session
 H. R. 7831
 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 AN ACT
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   License to Drill Act  .
2.
BLM oil and gas permit processing fee
Section 35(d) of the Mineral Leasing Act ( 30 U.S.C. 191(d) ) is amended—
(1)
in paragraph (1), by striking  2026  and inserting  2037 ;
(2)
in paragraph (3)—
(A)
by striking  Of the fees collected under this subsection for a fiscal year, the  and inserting  The ; and
(B)
by striking  transfer—  and all that follows through  the Fund  and inserting  transfer, for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2037, all of the fees collected under this subsection for each such fiscal year to the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund ; and
(3)
in paragraph (4), by striking  2026  and inserting  2037 .
     Passed the House of Representatives June 2, 2026.  Kevin F. McCumber,  Clerk.

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2026-03-05
  2. Passed House2026-06-02
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

CRS Summary

The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.

Reported to House May 20, 2026

hb7831/reported-to-house.md

Shown Here:
Reported to House (05/20/2026)

License to Drill Act

This bill extends through FY2037 the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) authority to collect oil and gas permit processing fees. For each new permit application, BLM collects a fee that is transferred to the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund. (Under current law, the fees are authorized through FY2026.)

Sponsors

Rep. Mike Kennedy (R) sponsors H.R. 7831, and 3 members have co-sponsored it.

Committees

H.R. 7831 went before 4 committees: Energy and Natural Resources, Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee, Natural Resources and Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee.

Energy and Natural Resources
Energy and Natural Resources
Markup By · Jul 29, 2026 · 314 Bills
Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee
Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee
Hearings By (subcommittee) · Jul 15, 2026
Natural Resources
Natural Resources
Reported By · May 20, 2026 · 395 Bills
Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee
Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee
Discharged from · May 14, 2026 · 15 Bills

Reports

1 committee report has been filed on H.R. 7831, the latest H. Rept. 119-665.

Actions

H.R. 7831 has taken 18 actions since Mar 5, 2026, the latest on Jul 29, 2026.

ChamberAction
Jul 29, 2026
Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Jul 15, 2026
Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee
Jun 3, 2026
Senate
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Jun 2, 202615:32
House
Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Jun 2, 202615:33
House
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H3757-3578)

Votes

H.R. 7831 has not gone to a roll call.

1 bill is related to H.R. 7831, as Identical bill.

Titles

H.R. 7831 goes by 7 titles, 4 of them short titles.

  • License to Drill Act — Display Title
  • License to Drill Act — Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
  • License to Drill Act — Short Title(s) as Passed House
  • To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill, and for other purposes. — Official Titles from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
  • License to Drill Act — Short Title(s) as Reported to House
  • License to Drill Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced

Lobbying

5 clients hired 5 firms and 25 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 7831 in 10 quarterly filings, 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Natural Resources, Trade (domestic/foreign), Energy/Nuclear, Environment/Superfund, Taxation/Internal Revenue Code, Budget/Appropriations, Marine/Maritime/Boating/Fisheries, Clean Air and Water (quality).

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
AMERICAN EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION COUNCIL—District of Columbia12—
AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE—District of Columbia12—
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.—California12—
CONOCOPHILLIPS—District of Columbia12—
INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA—District of Columbia12—

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

RegistrantClientsFilingsReported
AMERICAN EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION COUNCIL12—
AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE12—
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.12—
CONOCOPHILLIPS12—
INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA12—

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill. The 20 named most often, of 25.

LobbyistFirmsClientsFilings
AARON PADILLA112
CARRIE DOMNITCH112
DANIEL NAATZ112
DEBRA MARSHALL112
DOUGLAS NATION112
GEORGE KALANTZAKIS112
JASON LARRABEE112
JOHN CRAMTON112
JOHN SCHOENECKER112
KELLEY HUDAK112
KELLEY RAYMOND112
KEVIN AVERY112
KJERSTEN DRAGER112
KRISTIN WHITMAN112
LEM SMITH112
LESLEY SCHAAFF112
MALLORI MILLER112
MICHAEL LEAHY112
MICHAEL WATSON112
PARKER KASMER112

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTEAMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE2026 second_quarter$2.8M2nd Quarter - Report
CONOCOPHILLIPSCONOCOPHILLIPS2026 first_quarter$2M1st Quarter - Report
AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTEAMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE2026 first_quarter$1.9M1st Quarter - Report
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.2026 second_quarter$1.7M2nd Quarter - Report
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.2026 first_quarter$1.6M1st Quarter - Report
CONOCOPHILLIPSCONOCOPHILLIPS2026 second_quarter$750K2nd Quarter - Report
AMERICAN EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION COUNCILAMERICAN EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION COUNCIL2026 first_quarter$550K1st Quarter - Report
AMERICAN EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION COUNCILAMERICAN EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION COUNCIL2026 second_quarter$500K2nd Quarter - Report
INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAINDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA2026 second_quarter$250K2nd Quarter - Report
INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAINDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA2026 first_quarter$180K1st Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 7831 under Energy, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 3 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 7831’s is Energy.

hr7831/policy-areas.txt
EnergyAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 7831 carries 3 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Licensing and registrations to Oil and gas.

hr7831/subjects.txt
Licensing and registrationsMiningOil and gas

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 7831, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 42 (Thursday, March 5, 2026)][House][Pages H2472-H2473]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. KENNEDY of Utah:H.R. 7831.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article I, Section 8, Clause 18: [The Congress shall havePower . . . ] To make all[[Page H2473]]Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying intoExecution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vestedby this Constitution in the Government of the United States,or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com