A U.S. lawmaker from Florida has introduced a new bill after a Central Florida woman was killed in an alligator attack earlier this year.

In a release last month, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Florida) revealed the new legislation, dubbed the “Gathering Alligator Treatment, Oversight, and Response Act of 2026″ — or the “GATOR Act” for short.

Per the release, this bill requires a federal study into how a decades-old federal species listing affects the ability of state wildlife agencies to remove nuisance alligators from private waterways.

WOMAN KILLED BY ALLIGATOR

Back in June, 31-year-old Brittany Clark was swimming along the Econlockhatchee River with friends when she was bitten by an alligator, resulting in serious injuries, according to the FWC.

Her friends helped her to the shore and called 911 so that Clark could be taken to the hospital. However, she ultimately died from her injuries.

Meanwhile, investigators later revealed that Clark’s DNA had been matched to a 13-foot-long alligator found at the location of the incident.

[RELATED: Woman’s DNA matched to massive alligator after deadly attack at Seminole state park]

WHAT THE GATOR ACT DOES

In the aftermath of Clark’s death, Rep. Steube introduced the GATOR Act to the House for consideration.

“The bill follows the death of a 31-year-old Oviedo woman, who was killed by a 13-foot alligator near her home,” the release reads.

According to the release, the American alligator isn’t listed as endangered or threatened — but it does carry a status of “threatened due to similarity of appearance” thanks to its resemblance to the American crocodile.

[RELATED: Alligator fight erupts on Florida woman’s porch]

While this status is supposed to prevent traffickers from passing off protected crocodile hides as alligator hides, the GATOR Act aims to look at whether this listing may have unintentionally slowed the removal of nuisance alligators from places where they could pose a risk to people and pets.

As such, the legislation directs the Comptroller General and other federal officials to determine the effect of this listing on the following:

• State management programs for the American alligator, common caiman, and brown caiman
• Whether the listing has contributed to more than a full recovery of the American alligator population
• Whether the listing has contributed to the common or brown caiman becoming an invasive species in Florida
• Whether the listing has made it more difficult to remove nuisance alligators or invasive caimans from waterways in or around residential and commercial areas

That said, the proposal doesn’t actually change how states currently manage their alligator populations.

The GATOR Act was first introduced on Aug. 17 and is still waiting for consideration by the House Committee on Natural Resources.