# 119-hr-8542: Offshore Parity Act of 2026

119-hr-8542, Offshore Parity Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8542
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8542
- Congress: 119
- Title: Offshore Parity Act of 2026
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-04-28
- Sponsor: Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Expands Gulf state control offshore** by letting Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama manage submerged lands and fisheries out to 3 marine leagues if they meet specified conditions within five years. It would transfer leasing and fisheries authority to those states while keeping key federal protections in place. - Gulf states: If they meet six statutory conditions within five years, the three states would gain authority over submerged lands and leasing from 3 geographical miles to 3 marine leagues seaward. This creates a new delegation under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for those waters. - Leaseholders and operators: Existing federal leases remain under current law, but delegated states would grant new leases, receive rentals and royalties, and must indemnify the United States for liabilities; the Secretary must transfer surety bonds to the state within 90 days of delegation. - Fisheries and federal safeguards: States would oversee fisheries out to 3 marine leagues, but federal authority stays for highly migratory species, international obligations, national security, and other federal matters.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3] (R-LA), 2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL), 2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- State liability, bonds, and decommissioning duties: cost, medium. If enacted, a State that receives delegated leasing authority would get any surety bonds for pre-enactment leases within 90 days after delegation. The State would have to ensure decommissioning of those facilities is carried out under applicable federal law. The State would have to indemnify the Un…
- Expanded state fisheries control for Gulf States: mixed, medium. If enacted, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi would manage fisheries out to 3 marine leagues from each State's coast line as that coast line exists the day before enactment. The bill would add definitions and treat those waters as extended State waters. Federal authority would remain for highly m…
- State control of offshore leases and revenue: mixed, medium. If enacted, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi would be able to ask the Interior Secretary to delegate offshore leasing authority for waters between 3 geographical miles and 3 marine leagues from their coast line. A State would have to send a written request within five years and the Secretary wou…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA 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

## Sources
- [119-hr-8542 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8542)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4275)
- [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-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)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8542 (as of 2026-09-21).