# 119-s-3939: Chesapeake WATERS Act

119-s-3939, Chesapeake WATERS Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] (D-VA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3939
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3939
- Congress: 119
- Title: Chesapeake WATERS Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-26
- Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] (D-VA)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Reauthorizes and restructures NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office** to create a Director-led office with broader science, monitoring, education, and habitat-restoration roles. A Director with Chesapeake Bay research or resource management experience would lead the Office and be delegated authority to enter contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements to coordinate with federal, state, local, and tribal partners. - Resource managers and coastal communities would get a Coastal Living Resources Management and Habitat Program supporting oyster restoration, permitted aquaculture, submerged aquatic vegetation restoration, habitat mapping, and the transfer of research into management actions. - Scientists, managers, and the public would see stronger monitoring and data through a required Integrated Coastal Observations system for the Bay, expanded Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System support for real-time weather and ecological forecasts, and integration into the national observing network. - Students, teachers, and the education sector would gain a Chesapeake Bay watershed education and training program with grants, internships, teacher professional development, classroom materials, and outreach to improve understanding of living resources.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2026-02-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-02-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-02-26T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Chesapeake Bay Coastal Resources Grants: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a Coastal Living Resources Program at NOAA to support habitat and living-resource work in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. NOAA could award grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and technical help for oyster restoration, aquaculture (only if done under a valid Fe…
- Chesapeake Bay Observing System Support: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would direct NOAA to support a regional coastal observing system for the Chesapeake Bay. NOAA would coordinate monitoring, identify new data needs, and convert Bay data into usable products for managers, scientists, teachers, and the public. The bill would also support the Ches…
- New NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a Chesapeake Bay Office inside NOAA led by a Director. The Director would run the office and the NOAA Administrator would give the Director staff and authority to do the work. The office would carry out programs to support the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Chesape…
- Chesapeake Bay Education and Internships: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a Chesapeake Bay watershed education and training program at NOAA. The Director could fund classroom lessons, distance learning, field experiences, teacher professional development, and internships that build career paths related to Bay living resources. Grants cou…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-2982: Federal Employees Civil Relief Act
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3939 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3939)

## Related
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-2982: Federal Employees Civil Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2982)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3939 (as of 2026-09-10).