Latest action: Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 427.
Bill is filed in its originating chamber and assigned a number.
Sponsor
Rick Larsen (D-WA)
Filed in the House.
Next: In Committee
Members of the committee(s) the bill was referred to
Reauthorizes the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative program to protect marine ecosystems in Washington state.
The problem
The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative, a program protecting marine habitats and wildlife in Washington's coastal waters, needs reauthorization to continue operations and funding.
The proposal
The bill extends authorization and funding for the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative, allowing it to continue managing marine protection efforts in the Puget Sound region.
The impact
Marine conservation organizations, fishing communities, environmental groups, and coastal residents in Washington state are affected by continued protection of local marine ecosystems.
The initiative helps preserve critical habitats for fish, marine mammals, and other wildlife in the Puget Sound and surrounding waters. This supports biodiversity and long-term ocean health.
Healthy marine ecosystems benefit commercial and recreational fishing by maintaining fish populations and water quality. This protects jobs and traditions in fishing communities.
Reauthorization allows the program to continue research, monitoring, and restoration projects that have already been established. This provides continuity for environmental management efforts.
The initiative brings together multiple agencies and organizations to coordinate conservation efforts. This improves efficiency and ensures consistent marine protection strategies.
Reauthorizing the program requires federal funding that adds to government expenses. Some argue these funds could be redirected to other priorities.
Marine conservation efforts may limit certain fishing practices, boating activities, or coastal development in protected areas. This could affect some local businesses or property owners.
The program focuses only on the Northwest Straits region, leaving other marine areas without similar protection levels. This creates uneven conservation across the state.
Generated by AI from the bill text. Not a prediction and not legal or policy advice. The percentage is the model's own rating of each item — self-reported, and not a measure of how accurate it is.
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Individual contributions, grouped by employer · FEC
Where their individual donors work · 2026 cycle
Money from people who work there, not from the company. Not tied to this bill.
Itemized individual contributions via FEC, grouped by the employer each contributor self-reported. Companies and unions cannot contribute to federal candidates from their treasuries, so these totals are money from people who work at an employer — never from the organization itself. They are campaign contributions covering a full election cycle and are not connected to this bill.
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