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Legislative Report
118th Congress 2023 - 2024
March 2025 by Anne Giesecke, Ph.D.
Dr. Anne Giesecke, an archaeologist, sport diver and ocean advocate, has worked with sport divers and the cultural resource community to monitor and to influence state and federal legislation that impacts ocean resources.
Those of you who have been reading these reports since 1988 will notice a change in emphasis. Reports up to now have listed House and Senate laws and bills for many pages. The scarcity of action by the US Congress has meant that more NOAA and United Nations actions have been noted. The report does not generally include Resolutions, Authorizations or Appropriations. This material is taken from the web site www.congress.gov.
Participation in the regulatory and legislative process is critical for the success of democracy. Look for opportunities to participate in government decision making. Talk to or write to your Representatives and Senators about bills and apply for NOAA Advisory Council positions.
During the 119th Congress which began January 3, 2025, 44 bills have been introduced that deal with water related subjects.
During the 118th Congress more than 732 bills were introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R.) and the Senate (S.), that dealt with ocean management. Four bills became law and are listed below. The implementation of these laws may be in question under the current administration.
The 732 bills addressed the following topics:
Acidification
Antidumping, plastic waste
Arctic drilling
Blue Energy
Bycatch
Chesapeake Bay
Climate impacts on regional coastal and ocean communities
Endangered species
Energy production and pipeline safety
Fisherman, fisheries, salmon, sharks, finfish, red snapper
Great Lakes mapping
Marine mammals
North Pacific Ocean protection
Renewable Fuel for Ocean-going vessels
Southern California Coast protection
Trawling
West Coast protection
For a full report click HERE.
Or check out our Conservation Corner for all conservation related articles HERE.