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H.R. 6893 119th Congress House

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act

Official title: To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.

Introduced: December 18, 2025 Introduced by: Robert C. "Bobby" Scott Democratic · Virginia See on congress.gov
Environmental Protection Advisory bodiesAir qualityAquacultureAquatic ecology
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Atmospheric science and weatherChesapeake BayClimate change and greenhouse gasesCongressional oversightDelawareDepartment of CommerceEducation programs fundingEducational technology and distance educationElementary and secondary educationEnvironmental assessment, monitoring, researchEnvironmental educationExecutive agency funding and structureFishesGeography and mappingHistoric sites and heritage areasMarine and coastal resources, fisheriesMarylandNew York StateParks, recreation areas, trailsPennsylvaniaResearch administration and fundingTeaching, teachers, curriculaVirginiaWater qualityWater resources fundingWatershedsWildlife conservation and habitat protection
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 Everywhere this bill has been 16 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 15, 2026
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Sep 14, 2026 · 5:55 PM EDT
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Sep 14, 2026 · 5:55 PM EDT
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5584-5585)
Sep 14, 2026 · 5:55 PM EDT
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
Sep 14, 2026 · 5:45 PM EDT
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6893.
Sep 14, 2026 · 5:45 PM EDT
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5584-5586)
Sep 14, 2026 · 5:45 PM EDT
Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Aug 20, 2026
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 664.
Aug 20, 2026
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-763.
Jul 15, 2026
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
Jul 15, 2026
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Jul 15, 2026
Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Discharged
Mar 26, 2026
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Mar 19, 2026
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.
Dec 18, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Dec 18, 2025
Introduced in House
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What's happening now September 15, 2026

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act

This bill reauthorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Chesapeake Bay Office and modifies requirements concerning the office and its activities, such as new consultation requirements. (The office partners with the Chesapeake Bay Program to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay.)

The bill also provides statutory authority for the office's Chesapeake Bay watershed education and training program for elementary and secondary schools.

Further, the bill authorizes the office to establish a program to support coordinated management, protection, characterization, and restoration of priority Chesapeake Bay habitats and living resources.

 Hearings & markups 1
 Related & companion bills 3
  • HR 3540 Cross-Congress related bill Chesapeake Bay Science, Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement Act of 2021
  • HR 4770 Cross-Congress related bill Chesapeake Bay Science, Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement Act of 2023
  • S 3939 Chesapeake WATERS Act
 Bill text 4 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
 Lobbying activity 3

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.

 Cosponsors 7
All 7 Democratic 5 Republican 2
D
McClain Delaney, April
Maryland · Apr 29, 2026
 D
Ivey, Glenn
Maryland · Feb 24, 2026
 D
McClellan, Jennifer L.
Virginia · Feb 24, 2026
 D
Norton, Eleanor Holmes
District of Columbia · Feb 24, 2026
 D
Elfreth, Sarah
Maryland · Dec 18, 2025
 R
Kiggans, Jennifer A.
Virginia · Dec 18, 2025
 R
Wittman, Robert J.
Virginia · Dec 18, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 6893: Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-6893/
MLA
"H.R. 6893: Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-6893/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 6893, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-6893/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 6893: Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-6893/)
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