Sponsors
The bill secures modest, predictable federal funding to sustain volcano monitoring and improve public safety, at the cost of a small recurring taxpayer expense and reduced funding/organizational flexibility that could hinder responsiveness if needs grow.
Residents in volcano-prone rural and urban communities receive sustained volcano monitoring and improved early warnings, reducing eruption-related risks and improving public safety.
State and local governments and communities benefit from continued volcano monitoring funding for FY2026–2029, strengthening regional situational awareness and emergency preparedness.
Provides predictable, earmarked support ($470,000/year for FY2026–2029) to the Secretary of Commerce, enabling planning and budgeting for specific NOAA-related monitoring activities.
Fixing annual funding at $470,000 may limit flexibility and risk underfunding actual monitoring needs if costs rise, potentially degrading monitoring capability over time.
Replacing agency-specific references with a generic 'Secretary' could reduce clarity about which office performs operational tasks, complicating coordination between federal and local agencies.
Creates a recurring taxpayer cost of $470,000 per year for FY2026–2029 that could marginally crowd out other budget priorities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Extends authorization of the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System to FY2026–2029, updates agency references, and sets a $470,000 annual appropriation for the Commerce role for those years.
Reauthorizes and updates the law that governs the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System for fiscal years 2026–2029, changing a few agency references and specifying a small annual appropriation for one agency. It replaces explicit references to the United States Geological Survey with the generic term “Secretary,” renames the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the “Secretary of Commerce” in the statute, and sets a $470,000 appropriation each year for FY2026–2029 for the Commerce role.
Introduced May 5, 2025 by Nicholas J. Begich · Last progress December 16, 2025