H.R. 3962 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Dec 15, 2025. Received Dec 16, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExtends funding for protecting America's estuaries
Estuaries are places where rivers meet the ocean, creating unique habitats where fresh and salt water mix. This bill keeps funding flowing through 2031 for the National Estuary Program, which gives grants to protect and restore these important coastal areas. The money helps states and other organizations create plans to keep estuaries healthy and address threats to their ecosystems and economies.
How it affects you
If you live near or depend on coastal estuaries—for fishing, recreation, or the wildlife around them—this bill supports the efforts to maintain these areas. Grants go to states, nonprofits, and other groups working on estuary protection, so the specific changes depend on which estuary programs your area participates in.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Jun 12, 2025)
Enhancing Science, Treatment, and Upkeep of America’s Resilient and Important Estuarine Systems Act or the ESTUARIES Act
This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 grants provided under the National Estuary Program to protect and restore estuaries of national significance. Estuaries are coastal waterbodies where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with the ocean’s saltwater. Under the existing program, the Environmental Protection Agency provides grants for (1) developing and implementing comprehensive conservation and management plans for estuaries of national significance, and (2) addressing issues that threaten the ecological and economic well-being of such estuaries. The existing program provides grants to states, regional water pollution control agencies and entities, state coastal zone management agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 3962
AN ACT
ESTUARIES Act
Sponsor: Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL-2) · Introduced Jun 12, 2025 · Environmental Protection · 4 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Dec 16, 2025: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.”