Congress blocks protection for a Bay-Delta fish
H.J.Res. 78 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Distinct Population Segment of the Longfin Smelt". · Filed by Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) · 8 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 21, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This resolution stops a Fish and Wildlife Service rule. The rule had listed the San Francisco Bay-Delta longfin smelt as at risk. Water projects and building in that region would face fewer rules about water use. These rules had protected the fish and where it lives.
Who it affects
People who fish or drink clean water lose a protection. Agricultural water users and builders in California's Central Valley face fewer rules. They can now change where fish live more easily.
One thing to notice
Blocking the rule stops it entirely. The agency cannot make a similar rule later without Congress saying yes. The longfin smelt population in the Bay-Delta has dropped sharply. Losing this protection removes a legal tool to help the fish.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
8 cosponsors: 7 Republicans, 1 Independents.
- Mar 21, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Mar 21, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
- May 1, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 216 - 195 (Roll no. 113). (text: CR H1781)”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 1 reports from Dec 2025 to Dec 2025.
Those reports show $100,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 59 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.
More groups named this bill than 0% of bills with any report.
Doug LaMalfa, who sponsored the bill, received $279,010 from PACs for the 2026 election.
- Defenders of Wildlife — $100,000 in 1 report
Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.
Words to know
- at risk — In danger of dying out completely.
- Fish and Wildlife Service — The government agency that protects wild animals and plants.
- where it lives — The place where an animal finds food and shelter.
- lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
- PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
- sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,362 characters) on Jul 10, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,358 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Dec 2025. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jan 14, 2026 · page rendered 2026-09-19.
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