H.R. 4294

MAWS Act of 2026

Sponsor: Sarah Elfreth

10 cosponsors
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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

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. 

Text of the bill

Expand all
Sec. 1. Short title Changed · Feb 23

Where this section came from

  1. Jul 7, 2025 · Introduced in House Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources, Jul 7, 2025
  2. Feb 23, 2026 · Reported in House Marked up by House Committee on Natural Resources, Jan 22 Reported by House Committee on Natural Resources, Feb 23 Committee members' individual votes aren't in our records.
What changed in the text

This Act may be cited as the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act of 2025 2026 or the MAWS Act of 2025 2026 .

What is a markup?

A markup is a committee meeting where members go through a bill and vote on changes before sending it to the full chamber.

This Act may be cited as the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act of 2026 or the MAWS Act of 2026.