# 119-hr-3962: ESTUARIES Act

119-hr-3962, ESTUARIES Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL); status passed_house (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3962
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3962
- Congress: 119
- Title: ESTUARIES Act
- Status: passed_house
- Introduced: 2025-06-12
- Sponsor: Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL)
- Cosponsors: 26
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Adds Mississippi Sound, Mississippi to the National Estuary Program.** It also updates a program timing reference from 2026 to 2031 and imposes temporary funding limits that block implementation in FY2025 and condition FY2026 actions on a funding increase. - Coastal communities and local conservation groups in Mississippi Sound become eligible for a management conference, a comprehensive conservation and management plan, and grants under the National Estuary Program, but those benefits cannot be acted on in FY2025 and depend on the FY2026 funding test. - Existing estuary programs see the statute's referenced deadline pushed from 2026 to 2031, creating more time for any activities tied to that date. - The Environmental Protection Agency Administrator cannot use program funds to implement the new Mississippi Sound provisions in FY2025, and may only proceed in FY2026 if Congress increases funding for the program by at least $850,000 above FY2024 levels.

## Cosponsors (26)

- Rep. Mast, Brian J. [R-FL-21] (R-FL), 2025-06-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Larsen, Rick [D-WA-2] (D-WA), 2025-06-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Haridopolos, Mike [R-FL-8] (R-FL), 2025-06-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2025-06-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. LaLota, Nick [R-NY-1] (R-NY), 2025-06-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ), 2025-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14] (D-FL), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1] (D-NJ), 2025-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2025-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6] (D-LA), 2025-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (D-CA), 2025-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (D-NY), 2025-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large] (D-DE), 2025-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2025-07-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2] (D-NH), 2025-07-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (D-NH), 2025-08-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2025-09-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8] (D-CA), 2025-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2025-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] (D-WA), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (D-NY), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pallone, Frank [D-NJ-6] (D-NJ), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ-8] (D-NJ), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Estuary program deadline moved to 2031: benefit, low. This bill would move a program date from 2026 to 2031. It would give the National Estuary Program more time to meet requirements. It would not change taxes, benefits, or who qualifies.
- Mississippi Sound added, funding limits 2025-2026: mixed, low. This bill would add Mississippi Sound, Mississippi, to the National Estuary Program. EPA could not use FY2025 program funds to start work on that addition. For FY2026, EPA could spend only if the program budget is at least $850,000 above FY2024. Limits would cover meetings, planning, and grants for…

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## Sources
- [119-hr-3962 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3962)

## Related
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4382)
- [119-hres-70: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hres-70)
- [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3962 (as of 2026-09-10).