Congress extends stormwater research funding, adds Great Lakes focus
H.R. 10162 — STORMWATER Act · Filed by Timothy Kennedy (D-NY) · 5 cosponsors · Introduced Aug 27, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill extends and expands a federal program that funds centers of excellence researching stormwater control technologies. It increases the number of centers from a flexible 3–5 to a fixed 5, extends funding authorization from 2022–2026 to 2027–2031, and mandates that one center be located in and focused on the Great Lakes region.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a straightforward reauthorization and expansion of an existing federal research program. It increases funding authorization, fixes the number of centers, and adds a geographic mandate — all routine legislative amendments to a prior infrastructure law.
What the text implies
- Mandating one center in the Great Lakes region may concentrate research capacity geographically, potentially leaving other water-stressed regions (e.g., Southwest, Southeast) with fewer dedicated research resources.
- Fixed center count (5) removes flexibility to scale the program up or down based on funding availability or research priorities, potentially locking in resources even if priorities shift.
- The bill does not specify funding amounts — appropriations authority is extended but actual dollars depend on separate appropriations bills, so the program's real impact depends on Congress following through with funding.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill expands public investment in stormwater infrastructure research, which addresses flooding, water quality, and climate resilience — problems that affect ordinary citizens directly. The Great Lakes mandate ensures regional focus on a water system serving millions. No private carve-outs or liability shields are present.
Who stands to gain
- universities and research institutions hosting centers of excellence
- stormwater technology companies and contractors partnering with centers
Named in the bill
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Section 50217, Great Lakes region, centers of excellence for stormwater control infrastructure
Where it stands
5 cosponsors: 3 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
- Aug 27, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Aug 27, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,045 characters) on Aug 28, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 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.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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