U.S. Congress legislation · 119th Congress
HB9802: MARA Act of 2026
Status: In committee, July 21, 2026
To require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish an assessment program for commercial-scale offshore aquaculture through demonstration projects, to support aquaculture development, and for other purposes.
What the bill says
To require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish an assessment program for commercial-scale offshore aquaculture through demonstration projects, to support aquaculture development, and for other purposes.
From the introduced text, July 21, 2026:
A BILL To require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish an assessment program for commercial-scale offshore aquaculture through demonstration projects, to support aquaculture development, and for other purposes. SECTION 1. Short title; table of contents (a) Short title This Act may be cited as the Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act of 2026 or the MARA Act of 2026 . (b) Table of contents The table of contents for this Act is as table of contents. Sec. 2. Purposes. Sec. 3. Definitions. Title I--Office of Aquaculture Sec. 101. Office of Aquaculture. Title II--Commercial-scale demonstration projects Sec. 201. Assessment program for offshore aquaculture. Sec. 202. Permits for demonstration projects for offshore aquaculture facilities. Sec. 203. Coordination of permit reviews for demonstration projects. Sec. 204. Reporting by assessment program participants. Sec. 205. Rule of construction; savings provisions. Title III--Support for industry Sec. 301. General support for industry. Title IV--Studies and reports Sec. 401. Study on offshore aquaculture by Ocean Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sec. 402. Report on offshore aquaculture by Government Accountability Office. SECTION 2. Purposes The purposes of this Act are-- (1) to authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish and study commercial-scale demonstration projects to answer scientific questions needed to safely and sustainably regulate offshore aquaculture …
Sponsors
- Mike Ezell (R, HD-004) · primary sponsor
- Jimmy Panetta (D)
- Derek Schmidt (R, HD-002)
- Ed Case (D, HD-001)
- Jill Tokuda (D, HD-002)
- Chellie Pingree (D, HD-001)
- Randy Weber (R, HD-014)
- Kat Cammack (R, HD-FL-3)
Latest actions
- : Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- : Introduced in House
Subjects: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Common questions
- What is HB9802?
- HB9802 is a bill in Congress (119th Congress): MARA Act of 2026.
- What does HB9802 do?
- In its own words: To require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish an assessment program for commercial-scale offshore aquaculture through demonstration projects, to support aquaculture development, and for other purposes.
- What is the status of HB9802?
- In committee as of July 21, 2026. Latest action: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. (July 21, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB9802?
- Mike Ezell (R, HD-004), with 7 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HB9802?
- On the Congress website: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9802
Source: official Congress record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.