H.R. 6893: Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act
Sponsor
Robert Scott
Democrat · VA-3
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Mar 26, 2026
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Oysters and blue crabs get written into NOAA's mission
Why it matters
For decades, NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office has run restoration and science across the watershed without a single species named in its founding law. H.R. 6893 changes that, writing oysters, blue crabs, striped bass, menhaden, and sea grass directly into the office's mission and expanding its job to cover climate change, K-12 education, and a real-time data buoy network. A bipartisan bloc of Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. lawmakers is behind it.
H.R. 6893 reauthorizes the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the part of NOAA that runs science, restoration, and education work across the Bay watershed. The office has existed since 1992, and this bill updates the law that created it.
It starts by naming the office NOAA's primary representative in the Chesapeake watershed, then sets requirements for who leads it. The director has to have real research or resource-management experience in the Bay, and NOAA's administrator has to hand that director the authority and staff to do the job.
The bill widens what the office is responsible for. Its mission would now explicitly include coastal hazards and climate change, education, and integrated ecosystem assessments, areas the original 1992 law didn't spell out.
A new living-resources program names the species the office should prioritize: oysters, blue crabs, submerged aquatic vegetation, striped bass, and menhaden. The office could fund native oyster restoration, set up sea-grass restoration programs, map critical habitat, and support shellfish aquaculture done under a valid permit.
There's also an education side. The office could run a watershed education and training program for K-12 students and teachers, award grants for classroom and field programs, and offer career-pathway internships. And it could support the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System, which feeds real-time data to forecasters, educators, and visitors along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
To keep the work accountable, every funded project has to clear a peer-review process for scientific merit, and the office has to report to Congress every two years with an action plan for the next two.
H.R. 6893 Bill Summary
What H.R. 6893 actually does.
Five Bay species get named as priorities
A new coastal and living-resources program would prioritize oysters, blue crabs, submerged aquatic vegetation, striped bass, and menhaden. Under it, the office could fund native oyster restoration, sea-grass restoration programs, habitat mapping, and permitted shellfish aquaculture.
Climate change and coastal hazards join the mission
The office's responsibilities would expand to explicitly include coastal hazards and climate change, education, and integrated ecosystem assessments. These were not named in the 1992 law that originally set up the office.
A dedicated program for K-12 students and teachers
The office could run a Chesapeake Bay watershed education and training program and award grants for classroom lessons, distance learning, field experiences, and teacher professional development. The program could also offer career-pathway internships into Bay science and restoration work.
Real-time buoy data for forecasts and trail users
The office could support the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System and a broader integrated observation network, feeding real-time water and weather data to resource managers, educators, and visitors along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
Every funded project has to pass peer review
The director would have to set up a transparent mechanism to make sure projects funded under the office have undergone appropriate peer review and have acceptable scientific and technical merit.
The office reports to Congress every two years
The office must submit a report to Congress and the Secretary of Commerce every two years on its restoration and habitat work, including an action plan with recommended research and ways to better integrate NOAA's work with Chesapeake Bay Program partners.
Who benefits from H.R. 6893?
Watermen and Bay fishing communities
Communities that depend on oysters, blue crabs, striped bass, and menhaden could benefit if the office expands restoration and management for those specifically named species and the sea-grass habitat that supports them.
K-12 students and teachers across the watershed
The Chesapeake watershed spans six states and the District of Columbia. Students and teachers in it could gain expanded education programs, classroom and field grants, and teacher training focused on the Bay ecosystem.
Young people eyeing environmental careers
The education and training program could fund career-pathway internships, creating clearer entry points into Bay science, restoration, and resource-management work for students moving up from school programs.
Researchers and academic institutions
Universities and research groups could collaborate with NOAA on the integrated observation system and other Bay science. The required peer-review process also means funded work would be judged on scientific merit.
Who is affected by H.R. 6893?
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office staff and leadership
The office would get a clearer mission as NOAA's primary representative in the watershed, along with new operating requirements like peer review for every funded project and a report to Congress every two years.
The NOAA Administrator
The administrator would be required to delegate authority and appropriate staff to the director, putting NOAA headquarters on the hook for giving the office what it needs to carry out the law.
State, local, Tribal, and federal partner agencies
The director could use partner agencies' land, services, equipment, personnel, and facilities with their consent, with or without reimbursement, and the biennial action plans must include ways to better coordinate with Chesapeake Bay Program partners.
The Chesapeake Executive Council
The director would have to consult the council when running the office's programs, to keep the office's work in line with the priorities of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement.
HR6893 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Mar 26, 2026
Subcommittee Hearings Held
House: Committee Action
Mar 19, 2026
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.
House: Committee Action
Dec 18, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
About the Sponsor
Robert Scott
Democrat, Virginia's 3rd congressional district · 33 years in Congress
Committees: Education and Workforce, the Budget
View full profile →
Cosponsors (6)
This bill has 6 cosponsors: 4 Democrats, 2 Republicans, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 3 states: District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia.
Committee Sponsors
Natural Resources Committee
3 of 45 committee members cosponsored
19 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 6893 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Natural Resources
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Environmental Protection
- Introduced
- Dec 18, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Mar 26, 2026
Official Sources
Official bill page with text, actions, sponsors, and status for the Chesapeake Bay WATERS Act.
The NOAA office this bill reauthorizes, covering its fisheries science, habitat, climate, and education work across the Bay watershed.
The existing law (Section 307 of the 1992 NOAA Authorization Act) that H.R. 6893 amends to update the office's mission and programs.
NOAA's native oyster restoration program in the Bay, the kind of living-resources work the bill names as a priority.
The real-time data buoy network the bill authorizes the office to support and tie into the integrated observing system.
NOAA's existing K-12 watershed education grant program, which the bill would continue and expand.
Official NOAA IOOS site relevant because the bill ties Chesapeake Bay observations to the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act and regional observing networks.
Official National Park Service page relevant because the bill links buoy-system support to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
H.R. 6893 Common Questions
Which Chesapeake Bay species would NOAA prioritize under H.R. 6893?
The bill names five: oysters, blue crabs, submerged aquatic vegetation (sea grass), striped bass, and menhaden. A new living-resources program would fund restoration, habitat mapping, and research focused on those species.
Does H.R. 6893 come with funding for the Chesapeake Bay Office?
No specific dollar amount. The bill authorizes the office's programs and lets it award grants and sign cooperative agreements, but actual money would still have to come through the regular appropriations process.
What does it mean to reauthorize the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office?
The office has run Bay science and restoration since 1992. H.R. 6893 updates the law that created it, sharpening its mission, setting leadership requirements, and adding new programs for climate, education, and living resources.
Can schools and teachers get Chesapeake Bay education grants?
Yes. The office could run a watershed education program for K-12 students and teachers and award grants for classroom lessons, field experiences, distance learning, and teacher training across the Bay watershed.
Are there Chesapeake Bay internships for students in the bill?
Yes. The education and training program could offer career-pathway internships, aimed at building a pipeline into Bay science, restoration, and resource-management careers.
What is the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System?
A network of data buoys the office could support. It feeds real-time water and weather data to forecasters and resource managers, and marks waypoints along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail for educators and visitors.
Would the Chesapeake Bay Office's work cover climate change?
Yes. H.R. 6893 expands the office's mission to expressly include coastal hazards and climate change, alongside education and integrated ecosystem assessments, areas the original 1992 law didn't name.
How would Congress keep the Chesapeake Bay Office accountable?
Two ways. Every funded project has to pass a peer review for scientific merit, and the office must report to Congress every two years with an action plan for the next two-year period.
Based on H.R. 6893 bill text
H.R. 6893 Bill Text
“To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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