US Congress · H.R. 4294 · Passed the House

MAWS Act of 2026

Introduced

Moved

Reached a final decision

Introduced 2025-07-07

Derived from the official record below.

Officially: “MAWS Act of 2026” Read the full text

Public Lands and Natural Resources

What it does

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 pou

Summary by the Congressional Research Service, from the official record. Plain-language AI rewrite coming. Not legal advice.

Where it is

Introduced · 2025-07-07

In the House.

Committee hearing · 2025-07-22

Passed the House · 2026-03-17

Senate floor vote · next · the next step

Official documents

Full bill textread it on this site, version rfs (Referred in Senate), as published by GovInfo

official

The on-site text is shown verbatim from the GovInfo publication, captured 2026-07-23. The same version at GovInfo.

The numbers

29%

of bills that passed one chamber became law in the 118th Congress, 2023 to 2024 (n=939)

sponsors, out of 218 needed to pass

Who is lobbying on this

AMERICAN ZOO AND AQUARIUM ASSOCIATIONvia AMERICAN ZOO AND AQUARIUM ASSOCIATION

4 filings

PET FOOD INSTITUTEvia PET FOOD INSTITUTE

4 filings

AMERICAN SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATIONvia AMERICAN SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION

2 filings

From 10 filings in federal lobbying disclosures (LDA), via lda.gov, naming this bill (2025 to 2026). Filings are self-reported by lobbying firms and show who is paid to influence this bill. They do not say which side, or whether it worked.

Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record. Last action: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (2026-03-18).