Summary: The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation strongly supports the introduction of H.R. 9295, the Stop Serial Litigation Act of 2026, which aims to prevent anti-hunting extremist groups from exploiting federal law to fund their legal agendas with taxpayer money.

The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation applauds the introduction of H.R. 9295, the Stop Serial Litigation Act of 2026, by Congressman Mike Rulli (R-OH).

How Extremist Groups Exploit the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA)

For decades, anti-hunting extremist groups have abused the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), a well-meaning law that allows attorneys’ fees to be recovered upon successfully suing the United States government. These groups—that SAF constantly fights in court—openly admit that suing the government and recovering attorneys’ fees allows them to “survive and thrive.” They often recover fees through a “sue and settle” tactic, where they sue a government agency, which capitulates to the group through a closed-door court settlement, with an agreement to pay fees and adopt the group’s agenda.

The Non-Profit Wealth Exemption in Federal Law

These organizations have been particularly successful at recovering fees under EAJA. EAJA imposes wealth requirements on who can recover attorneys’ fees. Individuals worth more than $2 million and organizations worth more than $7 million are ineligible to recover fees under the statute. But EAJA exempts 501(c)3 nonprofits from this limit.

Capping Fee Awards to Protect Taxpayer Dollars

“We’ve seen nonprofit entities with assets north of $50 million, being represented by nonprofit law firms with assets north of $200 million, recovering substantial amounts of attorney’s fees from the federal government,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel for Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “This bill limits fee awards to $300,000 a year. Now they will have to find other ways to ‘survive and thrive’ that don’t involve taxpayer dollars.”

Issues like these are at the heart of the Sportsmen’s Alliance mission and we will continue to monitor this important issue. Don’t stand on the sidelines—join us as a member or a donor of the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund in protecting tomorrow’s hunting, fishing, and trapping heritage today.

The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing, and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler, and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square, and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to the Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online,Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.