# 119-hr-6616: Clean Water Justice Act

119-hr-6616, Clean Water Justice Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA); status in_committee (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6616
- 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-6616
- Congress: 119
- Title: Clean Water Justice Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-12-11
- Sponsor: Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Raises criminal penalties for Clean Water Act violations and ties them to inflation.** This bill would increase maximum criminal fines under 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(2) from $5,000 to $25,000, from $50,000 to $250,000, and from $100,000 to $500,000. It would require the Administrator to adjust those maximums each year by the percentage change in the October Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers and to publish each adjustment in the Federal Register. Each adjustment would apply only to violations committed after that publication.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Higher criminal fines for water polluters: cost, medium. This bill would raise maximum criminal fines for certain water pollution convictions. Maximum fines would increase from $5,000 to $25,000, $50,000 to $250,000, and $100,000 to $500,000. The Administrator would adjust those limits each year by the October-to-October change in the CPI‑U and publish e…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-2945: Housing for All Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4714: End Polluter Welfare Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5658: Child Care for Every Community Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-6616 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6616)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-2945: Housing for All Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2945)
- [119-hr-4714: End Polluter Welfare Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4714)
- [119-hr-5658: Child Care for Every Community Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5658)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6616 (as of 2026-04-21).