Congress funds invasive species control—and watercraft inspections.
H.R. 8876 — Aquatic Invasive Species Control and Prevention Act of 2026 · Filed by Tim Walberg (R-MI) · 9 cosponsors · Introduced May 19, 2026 · Hearing held
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What it does
This bill amends the 1990 Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act to strengthen federal coordination and funding for controlling invasive aquatic species. It establishes new grant programs for research and rapid-response eradication efforts, requires development of watercraft inspection and decontamination plans, creates a monitoring program for interbasin species transfer, and authorizes $49.5 million in federal spending over six years (2026–2031) across multiple agencies and regional panels.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is establishing federal grant programs and coordination infrastructure to fund research, rapid-response eradication, and monitoring of aquatic invasive species. This is straightforward environmental management legislation aligned with its stated title and purpose.
What the text implies
- Watercraft inspection and decontamination stations may impose compliance costs on recreational boaters and manufacturers, though the bill frames this as voluntary incentivization rather than mandate.
- The study on Federal laws and regulations (Section 1202(c)) may recommend new categorical exclusions or regulatory waivers to expedite rapid-response activities, potentially reducing environmental review requirements in future invasive-species emergencies.
- Regional panels gain formal representation on the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, shifting governance toward multi-stakeholder coordination; implementation depends on agency capacity and appropriations.
- Ballast water management system standards (Section 3) align with international maritime agreements but may impose compliance costs on shipping operators, though framed as encouragement rather than mandate.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill funds public-health and ecosystem-protection measures that benefit ordinary citizens by preventing economic damage from invasive species (which harm fisheries, recreation, and water infrastructure) and protecting native ecosystems. The grant programs and inspection infrastructure are designed to serve state, tribal, and local governments and nonprofits, with no private carve-outs or liability shields detected.
Who stands to gain
- State and local environmental agencies
- Tribal governments
- Universities and research institutions
- Nongovernmental environmental organizations
- Watercraft and equipment manufacturers (incentivized to develop invasive-species-resistant designs)
Named in the bill
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, Great Lakes Regional Panel, Western Regional Panel, Gulf and South Atlantic Regional Panel, Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Regional Panel, Mississippi River Basin Regional Panel, Mid-Atlantic Regional Panel, National Invasive Species Council, U.S. Department of Interior (Director), U.S. Coast Guard, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Champlain Canal — and 1 more
Where it stands
9 cosponsors: 5 Democrats, 4 Republicans.
- May 19, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- May 19, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Natural…”
- Jul 21, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $20,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 2 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Tim Walberg, the sponsor, reported $825,948 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Yamaha Motor Corporation USA Marine Group — $20,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (17,070 characters) on Aug 20, 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.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. 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 Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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