Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission Act creates a new federal fishery coordination body inside the Department of the Interior. Eligible participants include state agencies, Tribal entities, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and other basin partners. The Commission must organize around six Mississippi River sub-basins, develop management plans, issue nonbinding recommendations, administer grants, and report annually. The bill authorizes substantial federal support: $1 million for initial setup in fiscal year 2026, $30 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2029, $50 million per year for fiscal years 2030 through 2032, and $500,000 per year through 2032 for Interior housing and administration.
Who Benefits and How
Mississippi River Basin state fishery agencies benefit from a permanent forum and grant channel for managing cross-border fishery problems. Tribal fishery managers benefit because the Commission structure gives Tribal governments a role in basin planning and restoration work. Recreational fishers benefit if coordinated habitat, invasive-species, and stock-management work improves fishery health. Commercial fishing businesses benefit from basin-wide planning that can stabilize harvest conditions and resource data.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of the Interior must house the Commission, support administration, and manage appropriated funds. Commission staff must develop management plans, run meetings, administer grants, and prepare annual reports. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of the authorized setup, grant, and administrative appropriations. Participating agencies must coordinate recommendations even though the Commission's authority is nonbinding.
Key Provisions
- Establishes a Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission in the Department of the Interior.
- Creates basin and sub-basin planning duties for fishery management and restoration.
- Authorizes grants and nonbinding recommendations for eligible basin partners.
- Appropriates setup, program, and Interior administrative funding through fiscal year 2032.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes a Department of the Interior Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission, assigns basin-wide fishery planning duties, authorizes grants, and appropriates escalating federal support through fiscal year 2032.
Key Policy Areas
Natural Resources, Fisheries, Federal Grants
Primary Purpose
Establishes a Department of the Interior Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission, assigns basin-wide fishery planning duties, authorizes grants, and appropriates escalating federal support through fiscal year 2032.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- State fishery agencies
- Tribal fishery managers
- Recreational fishers
- Commercial fishing businesses
Identified Costs
- Department of the Interior
- Commission staff
- Federal taxpayers
- Participating agencies
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeSubcommittee Hearings Held
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.
Mr. Ezell (for himself and Mr. Carter of Louisiana) introduced …
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Department of the Interior, Tribal fishery managers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology