Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act of 2025

This bill aims to keep coastal “working waterfronts”—places that support fishing, boating, aquaculture, boatbuilding, and other water‑dependent jobs—open and strong. It creates a federal task force to study needs, plan fixes, and coordinate agencies on threats like rising seas and storms. The task force must report within 18 months, and agencies are expected to start carrying out its options within 30 months, as funding allows.

It sets up two kinds of help. A competitive grant program funds plans and projects to buy or improve key sites (like repairing wharfs and boat ramps), support climate adaptation, and, when safe, expand or preserve public access to the water. Most grants require a 25% local match, but the match can be waived for disadvantaged or small, low‑income communities; the agency must decide on applications within 60 days and can provide technical help, with $50 million authorized each year from 2025–2029 . It also creates state‑run revolving loan funds with a 20% state match to offer low‑cost financing and other aid, including added help for disadvantaged communities; states must reserve a small share for Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations, prepare annual use plans, and pay local prevailing wages on construction, with another $50 million per year authorized for 2025–2029 . When grant funds buy a property, the owner must agree to keep it working; if that promise is broken, the site can revert to the public entity.

• Who is affected: coastal states; Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations; local governments; nonprofits; fishing cooperatives; and waterfront workers and businesses that rely on docks, ramps, and shore access .
• What changes: a national task force; competitive grants for planning, buying, and improving waterfronts and adapting to climate change; projects should add or preserve reasonable public access; most grants need a 25% match (with waivers for disadvantaged or small, low‑income communities); technical assistance is available; state revolving loan funds require a 20% state match and can offer extra help to disadvantaged communities; property bought with grants must stay in working use; construction funded must pay prevailing wages .
• When: Task force report in 18 months; agencies begin actions within 30 months; grant applications decided within 60 days; approved plans last 5 years; funding runs 2025–2029 .