(Washington, DC) – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6093, The Weather Act Reauthorization. Introduced by House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and cosponsored by 29 Republican and Democratic members, the bill ensures that the U.S. weather enterprise is at the forefront of accurate and reliable weather forecasting, modeling, and prediction.
H.R. 6093 was crafted with significant input from stakeholders nationwide and has over 60 letters of support. The Reauthorization includes provisions from 20 different standalone bills and touches on the interests of 63 bipartisan members who cosponsored those bills.
“I cannot stress enough how crucial it is to invest in our country's weather system. The tornadoes that occurred over the weekend serve as a reminder of the need for early and accurate forecasting of severe weather. And it’s not only in emergencies but also in our daily routines, from deciding what to wear in the morning to efficiently planning when to plant crops,” Chairman Lucas said. “H.R. 6093 builds upon the successes of the Weather Act of 2017 while continuing to advance new research and development programs. The bill will increase NOAA’s access to critical commercial forecasting data and strengthen emergency preparedness to ensure communities across the country have timely and useful information to prepare for high-impact weather events. I want to thank Ranking Member Lofgren, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and our valuable stakeholders for supporting this critical piece of legislation. I am proud to lead another comprehensive weather bill that will undoubtedly impact every American.”
Highlights of the Weather Act Reauthorization include:
- Improves severe weather forecasting by modernizing the critical research programs authorized by the 2017 Weather Act, including tornado warning capabilities and hurricane forecasting capacity.
- Supports cutting-edge forecasting by establishing new research and development programs related to the next generation of radar, atmospheric rivers, coastal flooding & storm surges, aviation weather, and more.
- Increases NOAA’s access to critical forecasting data by expanding its authority to contract with the private sector to acquire commercial weather data and codifying the Commercial Data Program to lead this work.
- Strengthens emergency preparedness by improving the communication of weather and water events to the public from critical warnings to emergency information.
- Provides farmers and ranchers better tools and services for agriculture and water management, including improvements to subseasonal to seasonal research and forecasting.
Read the Executive Summary, Section by Section, and Fact Sheet.