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HR 7491118th CongressFailed / ExpiredHouse

WATERWAYS Act

Policy Area: Transportation and Public Works
View on Congress.gov
Origin Chamber
House
Last Updated
Dec 5, 2025
Latest Action Date
Mar 1, 2024

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Official Summary

Official summary has not been imported yet.

GovScope Watchdog™

AI Government Intelligence™
Executive Summary

The WATERWAYS Act (H.R. 7491) is a bill introduced in the 118th Congress focused on transportation and public works, specifically related to waterways. The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management on March 1, 2024. However, the bill ultimately failed or expired without further legislative action. No official summary or full text of the bill is available, limiting detailed analysis of its provisions or objectives.

Bottom Line

H.R. 7491, the WATERWAYS Act, aimed to address issues within transportation and public works concerning waterways but did not advance beyond subcommittee referral and expired without enactment.

Policy Risk Level
🟡 Medium
Neutral Risk Assessment
Key Points
  • The bill was introduced in the House during the 118th Congress and referred to a relevant subcommittee.
  • It falls under the policy area of Transportation and Public Works, indicating a focus on infrastructure related to waterways.
  • No official summary or full text is available, and the bill status is recorded as failed or expired.
Who Benefits?

['Potential beneficiaries could include agencies involved in waterway management and transportation infrastructure, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the Department of Transportation.', 'Industries reliant on waterways for commerce and transportation may also have been affected.', 'Communities and regions dependent on waterways for economic activity might have seen impacts.']

Potential Concerns

['Lack of available bill text and summary limits understanding of implementation requirements and cost implications.', 'Without detailed provisions, it is unclear what authority or oversight mechanisms the bill proposed.', 'The failure or expiration of the bill suggests potential challenges in legislative support or policy alignment.']

Political Context

The bill was introduced and referred to a subcommittee but did not progress further, indicating limited legislative momentum. Its placement within the Transportation and Public Works policy area aligns it with infrastructure and economic development priorities, but no further legislative actions or debates are recorded.

Hidden Impact Review

Hidden impact flags detected: 2

GovScope reviewed 2 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.

2 Detected
Detected Flags
Indirect Effects

['If enacted, the bill could have influenced funding allocations or regulatory frameworks for waterway transportation infrastructure.', 'Potential economic impacts on industries dependent on waterways might have occurred through changes in infrastructure policy.', 'Failure to pass may maintain the status quo in waterway management and related transportation policies.']

GovScope Watchdog Notes

The absence of an official summary and full bill text presents a significant transparency gap, hindering public and expert analysis. The bill's failure to advance beyond subcommittee referral suggests limited legislative engagement, which may reflect on the prioritization of waterway-related transportation issues during the 118th Congress.

Passage Likelihood: LowConfidence: 60%Model: gpt-4.1-mini

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