Regional Ocean Partnerships Reauthorization

Summary#

This bill, the Regional Ocean Partnerships Reauthorization Act of 2026, would change section 10202 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (16 U.S.C. 1468). It updates reporting language in subsection (g) to add a deadline "not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of the Regional Ocean Partnerships Reauthorization Act of 2026," and changes wording so that "Each report" is required. It also amends subsection (j) to remove some prior subparagraphs, redesignate others, and add specific funding amounts for fiscal years 2028 through 2031. The bill replaces the phrase "2023 through 2027" with "2026 through 2031" for the covered funding period. The bill was introduced in the Senate on February 5, 2026, by Senator Roger Wicker and has multiple cosponsors. It is currently with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and was ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.

What it means for you#

• If you are part of a regional ocean partnership or a member organization, the bill proposes continued, specified federal funding and updated reporting deadlines through fiscal year 2031.
• If you are not involved with a regional ocean partnership, No publicly available information on direct effects to you.

Expenses#

• The bill adds these authorized amounts for subsection (j) for each fiscal year:
  • FY2028: $11,572,444
  • FY2029: $11,688,168
  • FY2030: $11,805,050
  • FY2031: $11,923,101
• The sum of the added amounts for FY2028–FY2031 is $46,988,763.
• No publicly available information on other costs, prior-year amounts removed by the amendments, or total budgetary impact beyond the listed authorized amounts.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.