HR 6422 — Congress 119
American Water Stewardship Act
Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6422
Congress.gov subjects: Environmental assessment, monitoring, research; Geography and mapping; Lakes and rivers; Marine pollution; Water quality; Wetlands; Environmental Protection
Issues impacted: Taxes & Government Spending (ai, high), Regulation & Agency Oversight (ai, high), Energy & Climate (congress_subject, high)
Official bill text (stored)
Plain-text extraction from Congress.gov text formats. Canonical source remains the official URL above. Full text is prioritized for bills with roll-call votes.
106 HR 6422 IH: American Water Stewardship Act U.S. House of Representatives 2025-12-04 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. I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6422 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 4, 2025 Mr. Stauber (for himself and Ms. McDonald Rivet ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize certain EPA geographic programs, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the American Water Stewardship Act . 2. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Section 118(c)(7)(J)(i)(VI) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1268(c)(7)(J)(i)(VI) ) is amended by striking fiscal year 2026 and inserting each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031 . 3. Long Island Sound Section 119(h) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1269(h) ) is amended by striking 2023 and inserting 2031 . 4. Columbia River Basin restoration Section 123(d)(6) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1275(d)(6) ) is amended by striking and 2021 and inserting through 2031 . 5. San Francisco Bay restoration program Section 125 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1276a ) is amended— (1) in the section heading, by striking grant ; and (2) in subsection (e)— (A) in the subsection heading, by striking Grant program and inserting Program implementation ; (B) in paragraph (1), by striking or other means to State and local agencies, special districts, and public or nonprofit agencies and inserting interagency agreements, contracts, or other funding mechanisms to Federal, State, and local agencies, special districts, public or nonprofit agencies, and other public or private entities ; and (C) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following: (2) Maximum amount Amounts provided for a project, activity, or study under this section shall not exceed an amount that is equal to 75 percent of the total cost of such project, activity, or study. (3) Assistance to non-Federal entities Not less than 25 percent of the cost of any project, activity, or study carried out using amounts provided to a non-Federal entity under this section shall be provided from non-Federal sources. . 6. National estuary program (a) In general Section 320 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1330 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by striking and Pensacola and Perdido Bays, Florida and inserting Pensacola and Perdido Bays, Florida; and Mississippi Sound, Mississippi ; and (2) in subsection (i)(1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 2026 and inserting 2031 . (b) Ineligibility with respect to fiscal years 2026 and 2027 With respect to the amendment made by subsection (a)(1), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency may not use for the implementation of that amendment, including, with respect to Mississippi Sound, Mississippi, convening a management conference, developing or carrying out a comprehensive conservation and management plan, or providing grants under section 320 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1330 )— (1) any amounts appropriated to carry out the national estuary program under that section for fiscal year 2026; or (2) unless the total amount appropriated to carry out that program for fiscal year 2027 is at least $850,000 more than the total amount appropriated to carry out that program for fiscal year 2024, any amounts appropriated to carry out that program for fiscal year 2027. 7. Coastal Recreation Water Quality Monitoring And Notification (a) In general (1) Program development and implementation grants Section 406 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1346 ) is amended— (A) in subsection (b)— (i) in paragraph (3)(A)— (I) in clause (i), by striking and at the end; (II) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); and (III) by inserting after clause (i) the following: (ii) in the case of a State that uses such grant to identify specific sources of contamination pursuant to paragraph (5), any data relating to such identified sources of contamination; and ; and (ii) by adding at the end the following: (5) Identification of specific sources of contamination A State or local government receiving a grant under this subsection may use such grant to identify specific sources of contamination for coastal recreation waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public. ; and (B) in subsection (i), by striking 2001 through 2005 and inserting 2026 through 2031 . (2) Authorization of appropriations Section 8 of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000 ( Public Law 106–284 ; 114 Stat. 877) is amended by striking 2001 through 2005 and inserting 2026 through 2031 . (b) Definition of coastal recreation waters Section 502(21)(A)(ii) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1362(21)(A)(ii) ) is amended by striking (including coastal estuaries) and inserting (including coastal estuaries, the mouths of rivers and streams, nearby shallow waters, and waters present on beaches) . (c) Guidance In providing guidance to States and local governments receiving grants under section 406 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1346 ), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall ensure that such guidance reflects innovations in testing technologies for water contamination. 8. Limitation on use of funds No Federal funds made available for any of fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to carry out section 118, 119, 123, 125, 320, or 406 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act may be provided to any non-Federal entity— (1) that is domiciled in, headquartered in, or organized under the laws of, or the principal place of business of which is located in, a foreign country of concern (as defined in section 10638 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 19237 )); or (2) that has in place any agreement or partnership with a foreign country of concern. 9. Geographic program report (a) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report on EPA geographic programs. (b) Required evaluation In preparing the report required under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall include an evaluation, with respect to each EPA geographic program, of— (1) the management of funds, including the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations and the use of Federal funds; (2) the progress towards achieving program purposes, goals, and objectives, including the status of program goals and objectives and the extent to which the program has demonstrated measurable outcomes; (3) obstacles to program success or progress; (4) the efficacy of coordination with other Federal, State, Tribal, and local programs and actions, including whether there is any duplication of efforts among such programs and actions; and (5) the ethics policies and practices of the office of the Environmental Protection Agency responsible for implementing the program. (c) Recommendations The Comptroller General shall include in the report required under subsection (a) recommendations, as appropriate, to improve EPA geographic program efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness in achieving program purposes, goals, and objectives. (d) EPA geographic program defined In this section, the term EPA geographic program means— (1) the Chesapeake Bay Program under section 117 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1267 ); (2) the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative under section 118 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1268 ); (3) the Long Island Sound program under section 119 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1269 ); (4) the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program under section 120 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1270 ); (5) the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program under section 121 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1273 ); (6) the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program under section 123 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1275 ); (7) the San Francisco Bay Restoration Program under section 125 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1276a ); (8) the Puget Sound program under section 126 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1276b ); (9) the Gulf of America Program carried out by the Administrator; (10) the South Florida Program carried out by the Administrator; or (11) the Southeast New England Program carried out by the Administrator.
Plain-English summary
Confidence: high · Complexity: moderate · Model: grok-4.5
This bill keeps several big EPA water cleanup programs running longer. It updates the Clean Water Act so key efforts for lakes, bays, rivers, and beaches stay authorized through 2031.
It extends the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Long Island Sound work, Columbia River Basin restoration, the National Estuary Program, and beach water-quality monitoring. For San Francisco Bay, it widens how money can go out—not just grants, but also contracts and other deals—and caps the federal share at 75% of a project’s cost, with non-federal partners covering at least 25%.
It adds Mississippi Sound to the National Estuary Program list, but blocks using 2026 program money for that step and only lets 2027 money be used if total funding jumps by at least $850,000 over the 2024 level. On the beach side, states and towns can use grants to pin down exact pollution sources. The bill also broadens what counts as coastal recreation water (river mouths, shallow nearby waters, water right on the beach) and tells EPA to update its guidance for newer testing tools.
From 2026 through 2031, none of this money can go to non-federal groups based in, or partnered with, a “foreign country of concern.” Within two years, the Government Accountability Office (Congress’s watchdog) must study how these regional EPA water programs manage funds, hit their goals, avoid wasteful overlap, and handle ethics—and suggest fixes if needed.
Related issues
How a vote maps to positions
Impartial mapping: which issue position a Yea vs Nay advances. When a bill has multiple floor votes, each roll can have its own mapping. Bill-level entries (no roll listed) apply as a default when a roll has no specific map. Used for legislator alignment.
All rolls (bill default)
| Issue | Yea advances | Nay advances | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy & Climate | Accelerate clean-energy transition | Status quo / reject this change | A yea vote continues multi-year federal support for EPA geographic water-quality and ecosystem restoration programs under the Clean Water Act, which is the closest catalog fit to environmental stewardship spending in this taxonomy. No catalog position cleanly captures opposition to water-program reauthorization without implying a different energy production or grid agenda. |
| Taxes & Government Spending | Revenue for public programs | Lower taxes and constrain spending growth | The bill’s core effect is multi-year reauthorization of federal geographic and beach-monitoring program authorities through 2031, plus cost-share and eligibility rules that structure how those funds are used. Support aligns with sustaining federal program funding; opposition aligns with constraining continued multi-year spending authorizations. |
| Regulation & Agency Oversight | Process, transparency, and reporting | Limit new reporting and disclosure mandates | The bill mandates a GAO evaluation of EPA geographic programs’ fund management, outcomes, coordination/duplication, and ethics practices, with recommendations on efficiency and accountability, and adds recipient eligibility limits tied to foreign countries of concern. That is primarily process, transparency, and oversight rather than CRA-style rule nullification; no catalog position cleanly maps a pure nay on this package. |