# 119-hr-9802: MARA Act of 2026

119-hr-9802, MARA Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9802
- As of: 2026-09-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9802
- Congress: 119
- Title: MARA Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-21
- Sponsor: Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-17

## Summary

**Create a federal program to responsibly develop offshore aquaculture**. This bill would set up a NOAA Office of Aquaculture, a commercial-scale demonstration permit system, an assessment program, and industry support to expand domestic seafood while protecting marine life. - Households and consumers: The bill would increase U.S.-grown seafood supply and aims to help shrink the U.S. seafood trade deficit by encouraging domestic production. - Workers and coastal communities: It would fund workforce development, marketing grants, technical assistance, and regional expert networks for producers and working waterfronts. Demonstration permits run for 10 years and may be renewed for an additional 10 years. - Environment, Tribal nations, and fishery stakeholders: Permits must favor native or historically naturalized species and comply with the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and NEPA. The bill requires monitoring, annual reporting, escape and disaster plans, data protections, and a National Academies study within 5 years to guide environmental standards and best practices.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2] (R-KS), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] (D-HI), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX), 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cammack, Kat [R-FL-3] (R-FL), 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Marketing grants for cultured seafood: benefit, low. If enacted, the Administrator would use existing grant programs to support marketing and outreach for cultured seafood in the U.S. and abroad. The program would work with private aquaculture groups and existing extension networks. The bill does not itself appropriate new funds, so the level of gran…
- Federal aquaculture assessment program: benefit, low. If enacted, NOAA Fisheries would set up an offshore aquaculture assessment program within 180 days. The program would study designs, monitoring, risks, benefits, and costs using demonstration project data. NOAA would seek an Ocean Studies Board study and must publish public reports, and the Comptro…
- NOAA Office of Aquaculture created: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create an Office of Aquaculture at NOAA Fisheries headquarters to run the assessment and permit work. The Office would add regional aquaculture coordinators in each regional fisheries office and keep a public database of research and best practices while protecting person…
- New offshore aquaculture permits: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Administrator would be able to issue 10-year commercial demonstration permits for offshore aquaculture after the assessment program starts. Applications would get a 90-day completeness check, a 60-day public comment period, and a 90-day decision window after comments. Federal agenci…

## 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-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-5746: MARA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-9802 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9802)

## 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-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-5746: MARA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5746)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9802 (as of 2026-09-17).