United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

HR 9637 — Protecting Columbia River Salmon Act of 2026

Last action — Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced July 09, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

The bill aims to protect salmon populations in the Columbia River.

This bill focuses on measures to support and protect salmon species in the Columbia River. It seeks to ensure their survival and promote healthy ecosystems.

What this means for you
  • Environment: This means enhanced efforts to preserve salmon habitats and promote biodiversity in the Columbia River.

Bill Text

Sections of law this bill changes

1 section in 1 law

From the bill's own amending language, matched to the official United States Code (current through Public Law 119-124).

Marine mammal protection · 16 U.S.C. ch. 31 1 section
  • § 1389 Pacific Coast Task Force; Gulf of Maine Amends

    16 U.S.C. § 1389

    The law today

    (a) Pinniped removal authority Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, the Secretary may permit the intentional lethal taking of pinnipeds in accordance with this section. (b) Application (1) A State may apply to the Secretary to authorize the intentional lethal taking of individually identifiable pinnipeds which are having a significant negative impact on the decline or recovery of salmonid fishery stocks which— (A) have been listed as threatened species or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); (B) the Secretary finds are approaching threatened species or endangered species status (as those terms are defined in that Act); or (C) migrate through the Ballard Locks at Seattle, Washington. (2) Any such application shall include a means of identifying the individual pinniped or pinnipeds, and shall include a detailed description of the problem interaction and expected benefits of the taking. (c) Actions in response to application (1) Within 15 days of receiving an application, the Secretary shall determine whether the application has produced sufficient evidence to warrant establishing a Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force to address the situation described in the application. If the Secretary determines sufficient evidence has been provided, the Secretary shall establish a Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force and publish a notice in the Federal Register requesting public comment on the application. (2) A Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force established under paragraph (1) shall consist of designated employees of the Department of Commerce, scientists who are knowledgeable about the pinniped interaction that the application addresses, representatives of affected conservation and fishing community organizations, Indian Treaty tribes, the States, and such other organizations as the Secretary deems appropriate. (3) Within 60 days after establishment, and after reviewing public comments in response to the Federal Register notice under paragraph (1), the Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force shall— (A) recommend to the Secretary whether to approve or deny the proposed intentional lethal taking of the pinniped or pinnipeds, including along with the recommendation a description of the specific pinniped individual or individuals, the proposed location, time, and method of such taking, criteria for evaluating the success of the action, and the duration of the intentional lethal taking authority; and (B) suggest nonlethal alternatives, if available and practicable, including a recommended course of action. (4) Within 30 days after receipt of recommendations from the Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force, the Secretary shall either approve or deny the application. If such application is approved, the Secretary shall immediately take steps to implement the intentional lethal taking, which shall be performed by Federal or State agencies, or qualified individuals under contract to such agencies. (5) After implementation of an approved application, the Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force shall evaluate the effectiveness of the permitted intentional lethal taking or alternative actions implemented. If implementation was ineffective in eliminating the problem interaction, the Task Force shall recommend additional actions. If the implementation was effective, the Task Force shall so advise the Secretary, and the Secretary shall disband the Task Force. (d) Considerations In considering whether an application should be approved or denied, the Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force and the Secretary shall consider— (1) population trends, feeding habits, the location of the pinniped interaction, how and when the interaction occurs, and how many individual pinnipeds are involved; (2) past efforts to nonlethally deter such pinnipeds, and whether the applicant has demonstrated that no feasible and prudent alternatives exist and that the applicant has taken all reasonable...

    6 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗

Also cites: 25 U.S.C. § 5130

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds a new provision allowing certain Indian Tribes to intentionally lethally take specific pinnipeds in the Columbia River without limitations.

  • 16 U.S.C. 1389

    (k) Intentional Lethal Take by Certain Indian Tribes of Certain Pinnipeds in Columbia River.-- (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a covered Indian Tribe may intentionally lethally take covered pinnipeds on covered waters. (2) Requirements.--With respect to the intentional lethal take of covered pinnipeds on covered waters, a covered Indian Tribe-- (A) may carry out such take-- (i) without limitation on-- (I) the number of covered pinnipeds the covered Indian Tribe may take; or (II) when the covered Indian Tribe may take covered pinnipeds; and (ii) notwithstanding whether the covered pinnipeds are individually identifiable; and (B) shall carry out such take-- (i) in a manner the covered Indian Tribe determines to be humane; and (ii) using methods the covered Indian Tribe determines appropriate. (3) Designees.--A covered Indian Tribe may designate a person to intentionally lethally take covered pinnipeds on covered waters in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (2) on behalf of the covered Indian Tribe. (4) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection may be construed to limit existing Tribal rights or authorities under treaties, executive orders, or other provisions of law. (5) Definitions.--In this subsection: (A) Covered indian tribe.--The term `covered Indian Tribe' means an Indian Tribe (as such term is defined in section 102 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5130)) that has ancestral ties to any part of covered waters. (B) Covered pinniped.--The term `covered pinniped' means a-- (i) California sea lion (Zalphus californianus); and (ii) Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) that is part of the Eastern Distinct Population Segment of Steller sea lions. (C) Covered waters.--The term `covered waters' means the mainstem and tributaries of the Columbia River in the States of Washington and Oregon from River Mile 0 to the McNary Dam.

    This new provision allows certain Indian Tribes to take as many of the specified pinnipeds as they wish, at any time, and without needing to identify individuals.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 546 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment agriculture
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HR 9637?
HR 9637 is sponsored by Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 9637?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced July 09, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 9637?
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