Sponsors (4)
The bill boosts national subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasting capacity, public access, workforce development, and technology adoption—improving preparedness and scientific capability—while raising ongoing federal costs and risks from rapid reliance on emerging methods and potential shifting of resources away from local programs.
State and local planners, emergency managers, and communities (including rural areas) gain publicly accessible subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) forecasts through a NOAA internet clearinghouse, improving regional planning and hazard preparedness.
Scientists and operational modelers receive dedicated funding (~$28.5M per year for FY2026–FY2027) to enhance S2S forecasting capabilities, accelerating research and operational improvements.
NOAA-supported adoption of advanced technologies (AI/ML, unmanned systems, high-performance computing) for forecasting improves modeling accuracy and timeliness for users across sectors.
Communities and emergency response systems could face degraded reliability if rapid operationalization leads to dependence on AI/ML or other emerging modeling methods that are not fully validated.
Taxpayers may bear ongoing additional federal spending beyond FY2027 because some authorizations use open-ended funding language ('such sums as may be necessary').
Centralizing NOAA modeling and a national data clearinghouse could shift resources or attention away from local forecasting programs and partnerships, potentially weakening regionally tailored services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Expands NOAA's subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasting duties, authorizes FY2026–FY2027 funding, and creates a workforce program for modeling and data assimilation.
Official title: Improve weather research and forecasting by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Edward John Markey · Last progress April 10, 2025
Requires NOAA to expand subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) forecasting research, observations, modeling, data sharing, and operationalization and authorizes targeted funding for FY2026–FY2027. Creates a new NOAA workforce program to recruit, train, and hire experts in weather and Earth system modeling, data assimilation, and related technologies, and requires reporting to Congress.