119:hr:4294 — MAWS Act of 2026

Sponsor

Introduced by

Sarah Elfreth

D Democrat · House · MD-03 D+12

Latest action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Action timeline

Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.

Mar 18, 2026

introduced Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Mar 17, 2026

floor Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H2545)

Mar 17, 2026

passed Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 320 - 66 (Roll no. 88).

Mar 17, 2026

passed On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 320 - 66 (Roll no. 88).

Mar 17, 2026

passed Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

Roll-call votes

Floor votes recorded on this bill.

Roll call #88 — On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended

March 17, 2026 · Passed

320

Yea

66

Nay

45

Missed

D 192–1 (21 missed) R 128–65 (24 missed)

view official roll-call →

Text versions

Each stage of the bill — official text published by GPO. Click any format to read on congress.gov / govinfo.

Mar 18, 2026 Referred in Senate

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Mar 17, 2026 Engrossed in House

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Feb 23, 2026 Reported in House

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Jul 07, 2025 Introduced in House

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CRS summaries

Plain-English summaries written by the Congressional Research Service — neutral, nonpartisan staff who summarize bills as they advance through stages. The authoritative description of what each version of the bill does.

07 Reported to House Feb 23, 2026

Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act of 2026 or the MAWS Act of 2026 This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a pilot program to facilitate the purchase of blue catfish caught within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. (Blue catfish are considered an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay.) Under the program, NOAA must enter into cooperative agreements with manufacturers or processors of pet food, animal feed, or aquaculture feed for the purchase of blue catfish from watermen and seafood processors. NOAA must determine the minimum price per pound after considering market factors; feedback from watermen, seafood processors, and participants in the program; and differentiation of price points for fillet and byproduct. The bill also requires NOAA to enter into a memorandum of understanding with nonfederal partners to develop abundance estimates of blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. NOAA must make the first abundance estimate publicly available before beginning the pilot program.

via Congressional Research Service · published through congress.gov

Changelog

ⓘ

How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.

`ih` / `is` — Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.

`rfh` / `rfs` — Referred to a committee for review.

`rh` / `rs` — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).

`pcs` / `pch` — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.

`eh` / `es` — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.

`rdh` / `rds` — Received by the other chamber.

`eah` / `eas` — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.

`ath` / `ats` — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.

`enr` — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.

`pl` — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.

`pp` — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.

Most bills die before `eh`/`es`. Going from `pcs` → `enr` is the full path through both chambers.

Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.

+15 −12 13 unchanged

--- Referred (Senate)

+++ Engrossed (House)

@@ -1,19 +1,11 @@

[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

-[H.R. 4294 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

+[H.R. 4294 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>

+

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 4294

-

-_______________________________________________________________________

-

-IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

-

-March 18, 2026

-

-Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,

-Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

@@ -298,6 +290,17 @@

Attest:

-KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

-

Clerk.

+119th CONGRESS

+

+2d Session

+

+H. R. 4294

+

+_______________________________________________________________________

+

+AN ACT

+

+To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a pilot program with

+respect to the sale of blue catfish caught within the Chesapeake Bay

+Watershed.

Lobbying activity

Organizations whose LDA filings reference this bill, ranked by filing count. Position not disclosed — LDA does not require lobbyists to report support / oppose / monitor. Bill-number references can be stale (lobbyists sometimes copy text year-over-year), so verify against the filing description.

AMERICAN ZOO AND AQUARIUM ASSOCIATION

NAT

3

filings · 2026 Q3

AMERICAN SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION

NAT

1

filings · 2026 Q1

via Senate LDA · self-reported quarterly. Filing count = filings mentioning this bill (no position required), not money spent on it. Click a client to see all bills they've filed on.

Cosponsors (10)

Members who signed on to support this bill.