Senator Markey Passes Bipartisan Legislation to Fund Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Assistance Through U.S. Senate

Washington (March 23, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today celebrated the Senate passage of his bipartisan and bicameral Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act, legislation to establish funding at the Department of Commerce for the rescue, recovery and research of sea turtles in Massachusetts and across the United States. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) co-leads the legislation.

"Right now, every known species of sea turtles found in U.S. waters is either threatened or endangered, but our current rescue efforts are largely volunteer and underfunded, forcing stranding networks from Cape Cod to the Gulf to shell out to keep our shelled friends safe," said Senator Markey. "Turtles require rescue, but without this bill, their rescuers don't have the resources required to save them. This bill addresses a gap in our nation's marine stranding system and solves it. I'm proud to have brought it one step closer to being passed into law."

The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tom Tillis (R-N.C.), Dave McCormick (R-Penn.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). Representative Bill Keating (MA-09) leads companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

In 2000, fewer than 50 sea turtles were found stranded on the beaches of Cape Cod; in 2025, the New England Aquarium alone treated more than 450 live sea turtles after strandings. During the 2021 cold snap in Texas, more than 12,100 turtles were cold-stunned, and rescue organizations were able to save and return only 4,000 of the stranded turtles to the wild. Rescue efforts are predominantly volunteer led and underfunded despite sea turtles facing increasing environmental and human-caused threats that make strandings more likely, including rapid temperature changes, red tide events, and entanglement in marine debris. This bill would provide stability and support to efforts that rehabilitate and aid in the recovery of sea turtles along the coastal U.S. Specifically, the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act would create a new grant program to fund rescue, recovery, and research of sea turtles in the U.S., and authorize $5 million annually for awarding of grants to further that purpose from 2025 through 2030.

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