House bill · H.R. 9647 (119th Congress)
To prohibit the National Science Foundation from obligating or expending Federal funds to descope or decommission the Ocean Observatories Initiative…
U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsor: Suzanne Bonamici (U.S. Representative, OR-1, Democratic)
Official titleShow
To prohibit the National Science Foundation from obligating or expending Federal funds to descope or decommission the Ocean Observatories Initiative instruments, and for other purposes.
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From Congress.gov and official rosters. This record was last updated Jul 30, 2026. About our data
Summary
This bill prohibits the National Science Foundation (NSF) from using federal funds to decommission or descope Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) instruments until a thorough review of OOI is completed. OOI measures and observes ocean conditions using a series of in-water instruments that gather physical, chemical, geological, and biological data. On May 21, 2026, NSF announced that it would remove all in-water infrastructure from four of the five active OOI arrays. However, on June 18, 2026, NSF announced that it would not proceed with this decommissioning and would instead continue OOI operations and solicit input from stakeholders on the future of NSF's ocean observation efforts. NSF also indicated that it would redeploy one array that was removed from the water. Under the bill, NSF must conduct a thorough review of OOI with engagement from the scientific and coastal communities before decommissioning or descoping specified OOI instruments. This includes OOI instruments anchored off of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and North Carolina, as well as instruments anchored in the Irminger Sea. NSF is required to maintain full and consistent OOI operations, including monitoring in states where instruments have already been decommissioned, until the review is complete.
Summary from the Congressional Research Service. How we handle summaries
Where it stands
Assigned to a committee for review.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Up for a vote
- Passed one chamber
- Passed
- Enacted
Committee
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology · U.S. House of Representatives
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Cosponsors
11
Showing the 10 who are on Agora, A to Z. Congress.gov listed 11 as of Jul 30, 2026.
See all cosponsors on Congress.gov (opens in a new tab)- Democratic9
- Republican1
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Related bills
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Full history
- Jul 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
U.S. House of Representatives
- Jul 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in U.S. House
U.S. House
- Jul 13, 2026
Referred to committee
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
U.S. House of Representatives
Read the record
- Read on Congress.gov (opens in a new tab) The official record on Congress.gov.