# 119-hr-5966: Ohio River Restoration Program Act

119-hr-5966, Ohio River Restoration Program Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McGarvey, Morgan [D-KY-3] (D-KY); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-05-23).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5966
- As of: 2026-05-23
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5966
- Congress: 119
- Title: Ohio River Restoration Program Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-11-07
- Sponsor: Rep. McGarvey, Morgan [D-KY-3] (D-KY)
- Cosponsors: 15
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-23

## Summary

This bill would create the **Ohio River Basin Restoration Program** inside the Environmental Protection Agency to coordinate large-scale restoration across the Ohio River Basin and set clear goals, public reporting, and grant funding. It also requires a national program office, a Program Director, and an advisory council to guide a multi-year action plan. - Families and local communities would benefit from projects that target cleaner drinking water, more flood and storm resilience through natural-system restoration, and expanded public access and recreation. - Tribal governments and Tribal organizations would get formal consultation and representation on the advisory council, with engagement coordinated with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to ensure Tribal needs influence planning and projects. - States, local governments, Tribes, nonprofits, and universities could receive grants or interagency transfers to plan, design, and implement projects. The Program Director must use criteria that promote geographic equity, measurable environmental outcomes, economic benefits, and reduced duplication while coordinating with other federal projects. *Authorizes $350.0 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for the program, increasing federal outlays over that period.*

## Cosponsors (15)

- Rep. Messmer, Mark B. [R-IN-8] (R-IN), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17] (D-PA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Shreve, Jefferson [R-IN-6] (R-IN), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mrvan, Frank J. [D-IN-1] (D-IN), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2025-12-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9] (R-IN), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rulli, Michael A. [R-OH-6] (R-OH), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13] (D-OH), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Miller, Carol D. [R-WV-1] (R-WV), 2026-01-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-01-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1] (D-OH), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Latta, Robert E. [R-OH-5] (R-OH), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Miller, Max L. [R-OH-7] (R-OH), 2026-03-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Turner, Michael R. [R-OH-10] (R-OH), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (D-NY), 2026-03-25T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants for Ohio River Projects: benefit, high. If enacted, the program would make grants and interagency transfers to carry out water, habitat, and resilience projects across the Ohio River Basin. Money could pay for planning, design, implementation, and construction for drinking water, water quality, floodplain restoration, habitat, invasive s…
- New EPA Ohio River Office: benefit, high. If enacted, this bill would create an Ohio River Basin Restoration Program office at the EPA led by a Program Director. The director would need to set measurable goals within 1 year and an action plan within 2 years, and update them at least every 5 years. EPA would be required to post the plan and…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5966 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5966)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-979)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5966 (as of 2026-05-23).