{"format":1,"id":"119-hr-261","congress":119,"number":"H.R. 261","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit requiring an authorization for the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary if such activities have previously been authorized by a Federal or State agency.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit requiring an authorization for the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary if such activities have previously been authorized by a Federal or State agency."},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025"},{"type":"Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text","title":"To amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit the Secretary of Commerce from prohibiting, or requiring any permit or other authorization for, the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary if such activities have been authorized by a Federal or State agency."},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025"},{"type":"Official Titles as Amended by House","title":"To amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit the Secretary of Commerce from prohibiting, or requiring any permit or other authorization for, the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary if such activities have been authorized by a Federal or State agency"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2025-01-09","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2026-02-11","vote":{"id":"119-2026-h67","question":"On Passage","title":"Undersea Cable Protection Act","result":"Passed","yea":218,"nay":212,"present":0,"not_voting":2,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2026/roll067.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"pending","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"not_yet","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.","date":"2026-02-12"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[{"chamber":"house","date":"2026-02-11","question":"On Motion to Recommit","title":"Undersea Cable Protection Act","result":"Failed","yea":214,"nay":216,"present":0,"not_voting":2,"kind":"procedural","source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2026/roll066.xml"}],"crs_summary":{"date":"2025-01-09","stage":"Introduced in House","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill prohibits the Department of Commerce from enforcing certain permit requirements for activities related to undersea fiber optic cables in national marine sanctuaries."},{"k":"p","t":"Specifically, Commerce may not prohibit or require an authorization for any covered activities related to undersea fiber optic cables if a license, lease, or permit has been issued by a state or federal agency to authorize the covered activity. Covered activities are the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary."},{"k":"p","t":"The bill also authorizes Commerce to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to engage in interagency cooperation regarding federal agency actions that are likely to destroy, cause the loss of, or injure a resource in a national marine sanctuary and involve covered activities."}],"words":135},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends the National Marine Sanctuaries Act so the Secretary may not prohibit, or require a permit or other authorization for, undersea fiber optic cable activities in a national marine sanctuary when a Federal or State agency has issued an effective license, lease, or permit for them.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/261/text/eh#H8BEA30EA18AF4AE991D284DADBF25F53"}]},"core_areas":["Undersea fiber optic cables in national marine sanctuaries","Permits and authorizations under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act","Interagency cooperation requirements for Federal agency actions in sanctuaries"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Bars the Secretary from prohibiting the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary when a Federal or State license, lease, or permit authorizing it has been issued and is in effect.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/261/text/eh#H8BEA30EA18AF4AE991D284DADBF25F53"}},{"text":"Bars the Secretary from requiring any permit, including a special use permit, or other authorization for those cable activities when a Federal or State agency's license, lease, or permit for them is in effect.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/261/text/eh#H8BEA30EA18AF4AE991D284DADBF25F53"}},{"text":"States that the new section does not alter existing interagency cooperation requirements under section 304(d) for Federal agency actions involving undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/261/text/eh#H8BEA30EA18AF4AE991D284DADBF25F53"}},{"text":"Amends section 310(c) of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (2).","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/261/text/eh#H53411A71D8234347BBFF60EABBB5AEC7"}}],"unexpected":[],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2026-02-11","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/261/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-03","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/261","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/261/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/119-hr-261.png","v":"35ddad0c2597","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 261, 119th Congress: Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025. House: 218 Yea, 212 Nay. Senate: not yet considered. Outcome: Passed House, 11 Feb 2026."}}