# 119-hr-6422: American Water Stewardship Act

119-hr-6422, American Water Stewardship Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8] (R-MN); status passed_house (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6422
- 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-6422
- Congress: 119
- Title: American Water Stewardship Act
- Status: passed_house
- Introduced: 2025-12-04
- Sponsor: Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8] (R-MN)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Reauthorizes and tightens EPA geographic water programs through 2031.** The bill extends funding windows and adjusts rules across multiple regional restoration and coastal monitoring programs to broaden coverage, add accountability, and set clearer funding terms. - Coastal communities and beachgoers get broader monitoring and updated guidance. The bill expands the definition of coastal recreation waters to include river mouths and nearby shallow waters, directs EPA to reflect new testing technologies, and shifts BEACHES Act funding to 2026–2031. - Local partners and project sponsors face new funding rules and program changes. The San Francisco Bay program is rewritten to allow a wider range of recipients and caps Federal contributions at 75 percent while requiring non‑Federal partners to cover at least 25 percent. The National Estuary Program adds Mississippi Sound, Mississippi and extends authorities to 2031 but bars use of funds for FY2026 and limits FY2027 spending unless appropriations exceed FY2024 by $850,000. - Federal oversight and eligibility tighten. The bill bars Federal funds for projects tied to certain foreign "countries of concern" for FY2026–2031 and requires the Comptroller General to report within two years on program efficiency, outcomes, coordination, and ethics, with recommendations to improve accountability.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. McDonald Rivet, Kristen [D-MI-8] (D-MI), 2025-12-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. LaLota, Nick [R-NY-1] (R-NY), 2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3] (D-MI), 2025-12-18T00:00:00.000Z

## Votes

| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-24T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended | Passed | 378 | 32 |

## Provisions PRIA read

- Great Lakes and estuary programs extended: benefit, medium. Great Lakes Restoration would be authorized for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031. Long Island Sound and the Columbia River Basin would be authorized through 2031. This extends program authority only; it would not itself provide money.
- More help to monitor beach water: benefit, medium. States and local governments would be able to use BEACH Act grants to find specific contamination sources at beaches. They would be able to include related data in program reporting. EPA guidance would be updated to reflect faster, modern water testing. Covered waters would explicitly include estua…
- Water programs bar foreign-linked recipients: cost, medium. For FY2026–FY2031, certain EPA water programs would not fund non‑Federal entities tied to a foreign country of concern. They would also not fund projects conducted with those countries. Covered programs would include the Great Lakes, Long Island Sound, Columbia River Basin, and San Francisco Bay. T…
- Mississippi Sound added, with funding gate: mixed, low. Mississippi Sound would be added to the National Estuary Program. EPA would not use any FY2026 funds to implement this change. FY2027 funds would be used only if the FY2027 appropriation is at least $850,000 above FY2024. The program timeframe would be extended to 2031.
- New cost share rules for San Francisco Bay: mixed, low. For San Francisco Bay projects, the Federal share would be capped at 75% of total cost. Non‑Federal recipients would need at least a 25% non‑Federal match. EPA would be able to fund work through agreements, contracts, or other tools. Eligible recipients would include agencies, special districts, no…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-6422 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6422)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6766)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6422 (as of 2026-09-10).