Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8496

Marine Mammal Climate Change Protection Act of 2026

Marine Mammals: Climate Change Protection Plans

Apr 27·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on Natural Resources for review. It is actively moving forward as it awaits further study by committee members. There are no upcoming votes or hearings scheduled at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

This bill was introduced by a group of Democrats and faces a long process in committee. Without support from both parties, it is unlikely to move forward in the current political environment.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 1383 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 1383 (118th) →

Key Points

The bill requires the government to identify whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals that are likely to lose population because of climate change. For these animals, officials must create specific plans to help them survive as the ocean changes.
These plans would include ways to protect the animals' food sources and reduce harmful interactions with humans. This might mean new rules for fishing or shipping in areas where these animals live or move as the water warms.
All federal agencies would be required to make sure their projects do not interfere with these protection plans. If a project might hurt a protected species, the agency must work with experts to find a way to minimize the damage.
The bill sets aside 16 million dollars each year through 2031 to pay for monitoring and research. This money would help scientists track how animal populations are moving and how they help the environment by storing carbon.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 27, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Apr 27, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Marine Mammal Climate Change Protection Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 8496

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(6)

D: 6

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.