Bill makes water permits easier and longer to get.

What it does

The PERMIT Act changes how water rules work. It lets states run more permit programs without federal checks. It raises the size of wetlands that need review to 3 acres. It extends permits from 5 years to 10 years. It stops farm stormwater and pesticide runoff from needing permits.

Who it affects

Farmers, power companies, and pipeline operators get easier permits and longer approval times. Citizens and groups lose the right to challenge permits in court. States get more power to approve permits without federal checks.

One thing to notice

Once a state takes over permits, the nation cannot take that power back. Permits will not be checked again for 10 years, so new problems will not be caught.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

8 cosponsors: 8 Republicans.

• Jun 11, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 11, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure”
• Jun 25, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jun 25, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 34 - 30”
• Dec 11, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 221 - 205 (Roll no. 330)”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

87 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 133 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $112,311,850 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 14 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 99% of bills with any report.

Mike Collins, who sponsored the bill, received $623,500 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. — $54,660,000 in 3 reports
• National Association of Realtors — $14,580,000 in 1 report
• American Petroleum Institute — $4,700,000 in 2 reports
• National Multifamily Housing Council Inc — $3,890,000 in 2 reports
• Conocophillips — $2,630,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• permits — Official papers that let companies release water or dig in wetlands.
• wetlands — Swamps, marshes, and wet areas that filter water and help wildlife.
• federal — Run by the nation's main government, not by states.
• stormwater — Rain and runoff that flows across farms and roads into rivers.
• 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.