A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the National Estuary Program, and for other purposes.
Public Law 114-162 · S. 1523 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on May 20, 2016 · Environmental Protection
Sponsor: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. David Vitter, Sen. Sherrod Brown
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
(Sec. 1) This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise the National Estuary Program by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to make competitive awards to address urgent and challenging issues that threaten the economic and ecological well-being of coastal areas, including:
• extensive seagrass habitat losses,
• recurring harmful algae blooms,
• unusual marine mammal mortalities,
• invasive exotic species,
• jellyfish proliferation limiting community access to water during peak tourism seasons,
• flooding that may be related to sea level rise or wetland degradation or loss, and
• low dissolved oxygen conditions in estuarine waters and related nutrient management.
(Sec. 2) The bill authorizes appropriations for FY2017-FY2021 for: (1) EPA administrative expenses relating to a grant or award, and (2) making grants and awards. The bill allocates funding for conservation and management plans for estuaries and for competitive awards.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 573Related bill
Estuary Urgent Needs Priority Program Act
H.R. 944Related bill
To reauthorize the National Estuary Program, and for other purposes.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.
- May 20, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-162.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 18, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- May 13, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- May 12, 2016Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment to the Senate bill by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendment to the Senate bill by Unanimous Consent.
- Apr 27, 2016FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- Apr 26, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1523.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Gibbs moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Oct 29, 2015FloorFloor · By Senator Inhofe from Committee on Environment and Public Works filed written report. Report No. 114-161.
- Sep 8, 2015FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- Aug 6, 2015FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Aug 5, 2015FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Jun 8, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 2639SenateSen. Sheldon WhitehouseD-RI· offered Aug 5, 2015Agreed to
To modify the authorization of appropriations.
Aug 5, 2015: Amendment SA 2639 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.