# 119-hr-3902: Restoring Federalism in Clean Water Permitting Act

119-hr-3902, Restoring Federalism in Clean Water Permitting Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Patronis, Jimmy [R-FL-1] (R-FL); status in_committee (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3902
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3902
- Congress: 119
- Title: Restoring Federalism in Clean Water Permitting Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-06-11
- Sponsor: Rep. Patronis, Jimmy [R-FL-1] (R-FL)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Promotes State control over Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting.** This bill would direct EPA to review and streamline the regulations for approving State Section 404 permit programs and to implement any appropriate revisions to encourage broader State participation. - States: Encourages more States to administer Section 404 permit programs by cutting administrative burdens and clarifying approval rules. - EPA: Requires EPA to finish a comprehensive review within 180 days after enactment and to implement streamlining changes as appropriate. - Legal challengers and courts: Limits challenges by requiring lawsuits be filed within 60 days and by parties who submitted sufficiently detailed comments. Courts generally cannot vacate a State's permit authority unless they find imminent and substantial danger and may set a schedule, up to 180 days, for EPA to act on remand. *The bill contains no new funding authorizations, appropriations, or tax changes.*

## Provisions PRIA read

- EPA would speed state water permits: benefit, medium. If enacted, EPA would review its rules for approving State section 404 permit programs. The review would finish within 180 days. The goal is to speed approvals, cut paperwork, and encourage more States to run these programs. EPA would then change rules, as appropriate, to carry out the findings. Th…
- Tighter court rules for state permit programs: mixed, medium. If enacted, lawsuits over EPA approvals of State section 404 permit programs would face stricter limits. Any lawsuit would need to be filed within 60 days of the approval. Only people who made a detailed public comment on that issue could sue. Courts would usually send cases back to EPA instead of…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3132: CHOICE for Veterans Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9229: Seaport Security Act of 2026
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act
- 119-hr-2395: SHORT Act
- 119-hr-3228: Constitutional Hearing Protection Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-3902 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3902)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3132: CHOICE for Veterans Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3132)
- [119-hr-9229: Seaport Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9229)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [119-hr-2395: SHORT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2395)
- [119-hr-3228: Constitutional Hearing Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3228)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3902 (as of 2026-04-21).