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H.R. 5694119th CongressPlaced on the calendarLatest action Jun 2, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
The ARTIST Act would bar states from banning sales of authentic Alaska Native marine mammal handicrafts.
40-second read · 4 questions answered below
The ARTIST Act updates the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to more clearly define "authentic Alaska Native article" as items made by traditional hand methods, not machines or mass production. It bars states from banning sale, trade, or possession of marine mammal ivory, bone, or baleen used in such handicrafts, and sets stricter evidence, hearing, and justification requirements before federal officials can restrict subsistence hunting.
Alaska Native artisans, hunters, and coastal communities who rely on marine mammal materials for traditional crafts and subsistence. State governments with existing ivory sale restrictions and federal wildlife regulators overseeing marine mammal protections are also affected.
The changes would limit states' ability to restrict ivory sales and make it harder for federal regulators to impose new hunting restrictions without stronger evidence and public process.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: it was placed on the House floor calendar, and the official record shows no floor action on it since. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 588.