The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program Enhancements Act of 2026 modifies how the federal government manages the Lake Champlain restoration program by allowing the program's Steering Committee and the EPA Administrator to jointly select any qualified organization as a fiscal agent, rather than automatically designating the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. The bill requires the agencies to assess the fiscal agent's effectiveness at least every five years and permits switching to a new fiscal agent through a competitive process if needed, with preference given to organizations headquartered in the Lake Champlain drainage basin or the states of New York or Vermont. The legislation also expands the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's authority to conduct fisheries research, invasive species management, and restoration work in the Lake Champlain region and extends the program's authorization through 2032. No new funding amounts are specified in the bill; rather, it restructures how existing federal funds for the program are administered and managed.
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