Sponsors (10)
Official title: To amend the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to provide for the prevention, management, control, and eradication of aquatic nuisance species, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 19, 2026 by Tim Walberg · Last progress May 19, 2026
The bill channels new federal funding, coordination, and technical support to prevent and respond to aquatic invasive species—improving detection, control, and international alignment—while imposing new costs and compliance burdens on small operators, increasing federal spending, risking funding trade-offs, and reducing some public oversight.
State and local governments (and the ecosystems and communities they serve) will get dedicated grants plus coordinated monitoring and reporting, enabling faster detection and response to aquatic invasive species.
Ports, shipping operators, and coastal communities will face fewer invasive-species introductions because grant funding supports installation and maintenance of ballast water management systems that meet international standards.
Managers, nonprofits, and state programs will gain federal R&D support to expand availability of environmentally sound control technologies and techniques.
Small water-recreation operators, recreational boaters, and some ports could face new costs and time burdens from inspection/decontamination station requirements and encouraged ballast system upgrades, especially if grants or matching funds are insufficient.
The bill increases annual federal appropriations for invasive-species programs, which could raise budgetary pressure and crowd out other federal priorities (ultimately affecting taxpayers and other programs).
Prioritizing funding for ballast water systems risks diverting limited grant dollars away from monitoring, rapid response, or other invasive-species strategies that some states and localities rely on.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Expands AIS prevention and control law with new grant programs, planning/monitoring requirements, Task Force coordination, and funding; allows grants to support ballast water management systems meeting international standards.
Establishes new grants, planning, monitoring, and coordination to prevent, detect, and respond to nonnative aquatic invasive species. It amends the 1990 aquatic nuisance law to add definitions, require updated national and regional management plans, create two competitive grant programs (rapid response grants and a technology demonstration/verification grant), expand Task Force membership/authority, require watercraft inspection/decontamination planning and interbasin monitoring, and authorize dedicated funding annually for FY2026–2031. Also expands an existing coastal mitigation grant program to explicitly allow use of funds to encourage installation and maintenance of ballast water management systems that meet or exceed applicable international maritime standards. The bill focuses on prevention, early detection, rapid response, interstate coordination, and funding for state, regional, and technology activities to reduce aquatic invasions and ecosystem harm.