NOAA office gets more money and power to fix Chesapeake Bay.

What it does

The bill gives the Chesapeake Bay Office at NOAA more jobs. It must teach students about the bay. It must restore oyster and fish habitats and watch water quality. The bill sets up grants for schools and groups that teach about the bay. It requires experts to check that projects are good science before money is spent.

Who it affects

People who live near the Chesapeake Bay benefit from better water and more fish. Students across the country learn about the bay. Schools, universities, and groups that work on bay cleanup can get grants.

One thing to notice

The bill says experts must review projects before they get money. But it does not say who picks those experts.

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

Where it stands

7 cosponsors: 5 Democrats, 2 Republicans.

• Dec 18, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Dec 18, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
• Mar 26, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
• Jul 15, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jul 15, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent”
• Sep 14, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote”
• Sep 14, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

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 $22,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 2 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 0% of bills with any report.

Bobby Scott, who sponsored the bill, received $341,200 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation Inc — $22,000 in 1 report

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

Words to know

• Chesapeake Bay Office — A part of NOAA that works to protect and study the Chesapeake Bay.
• NOAA — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a U.S. government agency that studies oceans and weather.
• habitat — The place where a plant or animal lives and 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.