We are excited to share that on June 3, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the House version of the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2860) with strong bipartisan support: 374 yeas and 49 nays.
“This is a big moment and an encouraging step forward,” said Lucas Hart, director of the Northwest Straits Commission. “The Commission’s original authorization ended 22 years ago, and since then an external review recognized the strength of the Commission and the Marine Resources Committees and recommended federal reauthorization. This is the first time since then that a reauthorization bill has passed the House, and we are grateful to see this progress.”
We are thankful for the leadership of Representative Larsen and the support of co-sponsors Representative DelBene, Jayapal, Randall, Schrier, Smith and Strickland.
The Senate companion bill, S. 1433, has also made progress. It has passed out of committee and is now awaiting further action. Senator Murray and co-sponsor Senator Cantwell continue to work toward its passage.
We also want to recognize the Marine Resources Committees and their counties, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, the Puget Sound Partnership, the Department of Ecology and the many partners who have supported this work for so many years.
As the bill continues through the legislative process, we will keep you updated through the end of the current congressional session on Jan. 3, 2027. Additional resources are linked below if you would like to learn more.
There is still more to do, but this is an encouraging step forward. Thank you to everyone who helped us reach this milestone. We hope there is more good news ahead.
Additional resources
- Larsen’s Bill to Reauthorize Northwest Straits Commission Passes House | U.S. Representative Rick Larsen | June 4, 2026
- S.1433 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
- Actions - H.R.2860 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
- Looking ahead