PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] · D–OH
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Sep 29, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-15 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The bill would require faster review of requests by non-federal partners to design, build, or operate facilities testing useful applications for material removed by dredging from federally authorized Ohio harbors. Agreements could allow partners to recover money they contributed through later user fees. These provisions would apply to the specified Ohio harbor projects.
The Secretary shall expedite the review of a request of a non-Federal interest to enter into a partnership agreement under section 217(c) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (33 U.S.C. 2326a(c)) for the design, construction, or operation of a facility used to demonstrate potential beneficial uses of dredged material from a federally authorized harbor in the State of Ohio.
An agreement described in subsection (a) and entered into after an expedited review under subsection (a) may provide for the Secretary to reimburse the non-Federal interest for funds provided by such non-Federal interest for activities carried out pursuant to the agreement through the payment of subsequent user fees to the non-Federal interest
Section 1(a) would require the Secretary to speed up review of qualifying partnership requests under the cited water-resources law. It would require expedited review, not approval, and sets no numerical review deadline.
(a) In general The Secretary shall expedite the review of a request of a non-Federal interest to enter into a partnership agreement under section 217(c) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (33 U.S.C. 2326a(c)) for the design, construction, or operation of a facility used to demonstrate potential beneficial uses of dredged material from a federally authorized harbor in the State of Ohio.
Section 1(b) would permit, but not require, reimbursement through later user fees under an agreement entered into after expedited review. Reimbursement would cover the partner's contributions to activities under the agreement and follow the cited existing-law provision as though the partner were a private entity.
(b) User fees An agreement described in subsection (a) and entered into after an expedited review under subsection (a) may provide for the Secretary to reimburse the non-Federal interest for funds provided by such non-Federal interest for activities carried out pursuant to the agreement through the payment of subsequent user fees to the non-Federal interest in a manner consistent with section 217(d)(2) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (33 U.S.C. 2326a(d)(2)), as though the non-Federal interest is a private entity under such section.
Section 1(c) would allow the Secretary to enter an agreement before completing a plan for managing dredged material when two conditions apply: the Secretary determines that timely plan completion is infeasible because of complexity, controversy, or other compelling factors, and capacity is inadequate for the harbor's maintenance dredging needs. This permission would not require early agreement approval. The supplied text does not say whether or when the plan must later be completed.
(c) Dredged material management plan In reviewing a request pursuant to subsection (a), if the Secretary determines that timely completion of a dredged material management plan with respect to a federally authorized harbor described in subsection (a) is not feasible due to complexity, controversy, or other compelling factors, and in cases in which capacity is inadequate to accommodate the maintenance dredging needs of the harbor, the Secretary may enter into the agreement prior to completion of such a dredged material management plan.
Section 1(d) would allow the Secretary to apply the practices and procedures in part 337 of title 33 of the federal regulations to the proposed facility before entering an agreement reviewed through this process.
(d) Practices and procedures Prior to entering into an agreement reviewed pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary may apply the practices and procedures described in part 337 of title 33, Code of Federal Regulations, to the facility that is proposed to be subject to the requested agreement.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated September 29, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on September 15, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-29T19:48:32Z. 2026-09-15: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2026-09-15: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-15. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish the absence of riders in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No earmark was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; it does not resolve formal earmark status or establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The findings identify narrow procedural and reimbursement benefits directly related to the bill's main policy. Classification does not establish that these benefits are unjustified.
Non-federal partners proposing qualifying demonstration facilities using material from federally authorized Ohio harbors would receive mandatory expedited review. This is a geographically narrow procedural benefit.
The Secretary shall expedite the review of a request of a non-Federal interest to enter into a partnership agreement under section 217(c) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (33 U.S.C. 2326a(c)) for the design, construction, or operation of a facility used to demonstrate potential beneficial uses of dredged material from a federally authorized harbor in the State of Ohio.
Partners entering agreements after the specified expedited review could receive repayment of their contributions through later user fees under a rule treating them as private entities for the cited reimbursement provision. This special treatment is discretionary, and the underlying statutory requirements are not supplied.
An agreement described in subsection (a) and entered into after an expedited review under subsection (a) may provide for the Secretary to reimburse the non-Federal interest for funds provided by such non-Federal interest for activities carried out pursuant to the agreement through the payment of subsequent user fees to the non-Federal interest in a manner consistent with section 217(d)(2) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (33 U.S.C. 2326a(d)(2)), as though the non-Federal interest is a private entity under such section.
Non-federal partners pursuing qualifying Ohio harbor agreements could benefit from a narrow, discretionary timing exception allowing the Secretary to enter an agreement before completion of a dredged-material management plan. Both conditions must apply: the Secretary determines that timely plan completion is infeasible because of complexity, controversy, or other compelling factors, and capacity is inadequate for the harbor's maintenance dredging needs. This exception directly supports the bill's partnership policy. The supplied text does not say whether or when the plan must later be completed.
The Secretary shall expedite the review of a request of a non-Federal interest to enter into a partnership agreement under section 217(c) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (33 U.S.C. 2326a(c)) for the design, construction, or operation of a facility used to demonstrate potential beneficial uses of dredged material from a federally authorized harbor in the State of Ohio.
(c) Dredged material management plan In reviewing a request pursuant to subsection (a), if the Secretary determines that timely completion of a dredged material management plan with respect to a federally authorized harbor described in subsection (a) is not feasible due to complexity, controversy, or other compelling factors, and in cases in which capacity is inadequate to accommodate the maintenance dredging needs of the harbor, the Secretary may enter into the agreement prior to completion of such a dredged material management plan.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 29, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI