H.R. 10639House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Regional Great Lakes Partnership Act of 2026

To designate the Great Lakes Commission as a Regional Great Lakes Partnership, and for other purposes.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated October 2, 2026 at 5:23 AM UTC

The Regional Great Lakes Partnership Act of 2026 designates the existing Great Lakes Commission as an official Regional Great Lakes Partnership. By amending the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act, the bill formally adds the Commission—representing Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—to the list of entities recognized for partnership purposes. This change updates federal language to reflect the Commission’s role and clarifies references to the Great Lakes.

Key Provisions

Amends the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to insert a new entry (E) that identifies the Great Lakes Commission as a Regional Great Lakes Partnership and lists its member states.
Updates the language in the same law by replacing generic references to "a partnership" and "a Great Lake" with specific references to the partnership designated in the new entry and to "the Great Lakes".

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

September 28, 2026

View full timeline

HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

September 28, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

September 28, 2026

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.R. 10639 on the floor

1 Democrat

Rep. Marcy KapturD-OH-9 · Oct 1, 2026

Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleague, Representative Tim Walberg, and fellow co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, in introducing H.R. 10639, the Regional…

Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleague, Representative Tim Walberg, and fellow co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, in introducing H.R. 10639, the Regional Great Lakes Partnership Act. This bill designates the Great Lakes Commission as the ``Regional Great Lakes Partnership'' for purposes of participation in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Regional Ocean Partnerships Program.

The Regional Ocean Partnerships Program, authorized by Division J, the Oceans and Atmosphere Division, of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 117-263), provides support to regional organizations voluntarily convened by Governors to coordinate interstate water and coastal management, data sharing, and environmental planning. In the three years since its creation, the Program has successfully supported four regional groups spanning the East, West, and Gulf coasts of the United States mainland.

However, the Great Lakes Region has not yet been included in the Program due to the absence of a designated regional organization to receive the Federal funds and facilitate interstate coordination. By formally adding the Great Lakes Commission through this legislation, Congress can increase Federal support for research and conservation work vital to the eight-State Great Lakes Region and the world's third- largest economy. Importantly, this bill leverages an existing, well- established working body rather than creating a new entity, thereby prioritizing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and continued investment in healthy watersheds, resilient coastlines and working waterfronts, and economic vitality across the Great Lakes Region.

This bill, H.R. 10639, is a companion to S. 4573, which was introduced earlier this year by the senior Senators from Michigan and Ohio, Senator Gary Peters and Senator Bernie Moreno, and which the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, ordered to be favorably reported to the full Senate on September 16, 2026.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this bill into law and urge the leadership of the Committee on Natural Resources to move it forward in the legislative process.

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Introduced in HouseIssued September 28, 2026

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 10639

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 28, 2026

Mr. Walberg (for himself, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Huizenga, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Barrett, and Ms. Scholten) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To designate the Great Lakes Commission as a Regional Great Lakes Partnership, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Regional Great Lakes Partnership Act of 2026.

Designating the Great Lakes Commission as a Regional Great Lakes Partnership

Section 10202(b) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (16 U.S.C. 1468(b)) is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the following:

(E)

The Great Lakes Commission (established pursuant to the Great Lakes Basin Compact to which Congress granted consent in the Act of July 24, 1968 (Public Law 90–419; 82 Stat. 414)), comprised of the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

; and

(2)

in paragraph (4)—

(A)

by striking A partnership established under this section and inserting The partnership designated under paragraph (3)(E); and

(B)

by striking a Great Lake and inserting the Great Lakes.