Sponsors (2)
The bill provides stable funding and modern measurement and modeling tools to improve snowpack monitoring and multi‑basin water planning, but it increases federal spending, reduces a layer of congressional reporting oversight, may shift resources away from small local projects, and grants broad discretion over allowable technologies.
State and local water managers gain improved snowpack measurement and integrated modeling that better supports multi‑basin and interstate water decisions.
The program receives stable, dedicated funding ($6.5M per year, FY2027–2031) to expand measurement, modeling, and deployment of advanced technologies.
Program partners get capacity‑building support to adopt new measurement and forecasting capabilities, improving their ability to use advanced tools.
The new annual funding increases long‑term federal expenditures, raising costs for taxpayers without specified offsets or savings.
Removing the statutory requirement for a congressional report reduces direct congressional oversight and public transparency about program technology assessments and outcomes.
A stronger emphasis on multi‑basin and interstate priorities could divert program resources away from smaller local or sub‑basin projects, disadvantaging rural and local communities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Modernizes the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program, adds new technologies and partners, shifts priorities to multibasin decision support, and authorizes $6.5M/year for FY2027–2031.
Revises and reauthorizes the federal Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program to emphasize integrated snowpack measurement and modeling, add modern technologies (imaging spectroscopy, machine learning, integrated snowpack-hydrologic modeling), broaden coordination with USDA and NOAA, and shift program priorities toward multibasin/multi-State decision support and partner capacity building. It removes a prior congressionally required report trigger, updates required reporting content, renames the Act, and increases authorized funding to $6.5 million per year for FY2027–2031.
Official title: Amend the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Authorization Act to reauthorize the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 24, 2025 by John Wright Hickenlooper · Last progress October 5, 2026