# H.R. 6422 (119th): American Water Stewardship Act

American Water Stewardship Act This bill reauthorizes several water quality protection and restoration programs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and makes related requirements. Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through FY2031 the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Long Island Sound Partnership program, the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program, the National Estuary Program, and the BEACH Act program. The bill also modifies some of those programs. For example, the bill modifies the National Estuary Program, including by establishing the Mississippi Sound as an estuary of national significance that may receive support under the program. It also modifies the BEACH Act program, including by allowing states or local governments to use grants provided under the program to identify specific sources of contamination for coastal recreation waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public. Additionally, the bill modifies the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, including by making federal agencies eligible for grants provided under the program. The bill also prohibits funding made available for FY2026-FY2031 to carry out specified Clean Water Act programs from being provided to nonfederal entities that are domiciled in, located in, organized under, have a principal place of business in, or have agreements with foreign countries of concern. Finally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to evaluate and report on specified geographic programs of the EPA.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: environmental_policy. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: foreign_policy. Category: war_peace. Lane tag: prudential.
Lane: stewardship. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: water_quality. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 97: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill pursues ordinary, legitimate environmental stewardship goods (water quality, coastal recreation safety, estuary restoration) and includes a restriction on funding flowing to entities tied to foreign countries of concern. These are prudential governance choices rather than direct advancement or restraint of a named moral evil, so the measure is best classed as mixed rather than good or evil.
Theological note: Relevant to stewardship of creation and the care of water as a common good (Genesis 2:15), and to the duty of civil authorities to act with honest and equitable stewardship of public resources. The measure's main question is prudential: how far federal funds and authorizations should extend, and whether restrictions on foreign-linked recipients serve equity and national interest. It raises no direct moral evil on its face.

## Recorded votes

Roll 97: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended. Yea 378 · Nay 32 · Other 21.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-6422-119/