H.R. 7560

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7560 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7560

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide for the 
selection of a fiscal agent for the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin 
Program, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 12, 2026

Ms. Stefanik (for herself and Ms. Balint) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide for the 
selection of a fiscal agent for the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin 
Program, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin 
Program Enhancements Act of 2026'' or the ``LCBP Enhancements Act of 
2026''.

SEC. 2. PATRICK LEAHY LAKE CHAMPLAIN BASIN PROGRAM.

Section 120 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
1270) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``New England 
Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission'' and 
inserting ``fiscal agent''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Fiscal agent.--
``(A) In general.--The Steering Committee and the 
Administrator shall jointly select a qualified entity 
to serve as the fiscal agent for the Patrick Leahy Lake 
Champlain Basin Program.
``(B) Assessment.--
``(i) In general.--Beginning as soon as 
practicable after the date of enactment of the 
LCBP Enhancements Act of 2026, and as necessary 
but not less frequently than once every 5 years 
thereafter, the Steering Committee and the 
Administrator shall jointly assess the 
effectiveness of the fiscal agent and, if 
appropriate, select a new qualified entity to 
serve as the fiscal agent through a competitive 
process.
``(ii) Stakeholder engagement.--In carrying 
out the assessments required under clause (i), 
the Steering Committee and the Administrator 
shall consult with, and incorporate feedback 
from, impacted stakeholders.
``(iii) No competitive process after 
selection.--On selection of a fiscal agent, the 
Administrator shall award funding to the fiscal 
agent without competition until such time as a 
new fiscal agent is selected.
``(iv) New fiscal agent selection.--If the 
Steering Committee and the Administrator 
jointly select a new fiscal agent pursuant to 
clause (i)--
``(I) the Administrator may de-
obligate unobligated or unexpended 
funds from prior awards under clause 
(iii) and re-obligate those funds to 
the new fiscal agent;
``(II) the Steering Committee and 
the Administrator shall, to the maximum 
extent practicable, ensure the 
continuity of the staff, programming, 
funding awards, and other activities 
and administrative functions of the 
Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin 
Program, as determined necessary by the 
Steering Committee and the 
Administrator; and
``(III) the Steering Committee and 
the Administrator shall, to the maximum 
extent practicable, ensure that the new 
fiscal agent--
``(aa) is headquartered in 
the Lake Champlain drainage 
basin;
``(bb) only if a suitable 
entity described in item (aa) 
is not identified, is 
headquartered in the State of 
New York or Vermont; or
``(cc) only if a suitable 
entity described in item (bb) 
is not identified, maintains a 
significant staffing presence, 
including staff that would have 
decisionmaking authority with 
respect to the Patrick Leahy 
Lake Champlain Basin Program, 
within the Lake Champlain 
drainage basin.
``(v) Report to congress.--Not later than 
90 days after the date on which an assessment 
under clause (i) is completed, the 
Administrator shall submit to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works of the Senate and 
the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
a report that describes the findings of that 
assessment, including a description of the 
reasons for maintaining the current fiscal 
agent or selecting a new fiscal agent.
``(C) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of 
the fiscal agent may include, as jointly determined 
appropriate by the Steering Committee and the 
Administrator, executing payroll, paying bills and 
fulfilling other obligations, developing and executing 
funding agreements, and acting as a fiduciary for the 
Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program.'';
(2) by redesignating subsections (g) through (i) as 
subsections (h) through (j), respectively;
(3) by inserting after subsection (f) the following:
``(g) Great Lakes Fishery Commission.--
``(1) In general.--The United States Section of the Great 
Lakes Fishery Commission may undertake, fund, and support work 
on Lake Champlain, in the Lake Champlain drainage basin, and in 
other areas within the Saint Lawrence River basin in Vermont 
and New York, including through--
``(A) fisheries and aquatic ecosystem research, 
monitoring, restoration, and management;
``(B) sea lamprey control;
``(C) aquatic invasive species prevention and 
mitigation;
``(D) public engagement and education; and
``(E) other work to implement the Plan.
``(2) Authorization.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
United States Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission may 
work with the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program, 
Federal and State agencies, institutions of higher education, 
nonprofit organizations, units of local government, and 
Canadian federal and Quebec provincial authorities.'';
(4) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) 
as paragraphs (3), (2), and (4), respectively, and 
moving the paragraphs so as to appear in numerical 
order;
(B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so 
redesignated) the following:
``(1) Fiscal agent.--The term `fiscal agent' means an 
organization, including a nonprofit organization, interstate 
commission, or other entity jointly determined appropriate by 
the Administrator and the Steering Committee, that provides 
fiscal and administrative management support for the Patrick 
Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program under the direction of the 
Steering Committee and the Administrator.''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Steering committee.--The term `Steering Committee' 
means the Steering Committee established by the Lake Champlain 
Management Conference on October 9, 1996, to implement the Lake 
Champlain Management Plan and maintained under the most recent 
Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Cooperation on the 
Management of Lake Champlain entered into between the State of 
New York, the State of Vermont, and, if the Province of Quebec 
elects to participate, the Province of Quebec.''; and
(5) in subsection (j) (as so redesignated), by striking 
``2027'' and inserting ``2032''.
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