Sponsors (3)
The bill strengthens tsunami detection, data availability, preparedness guidance, and Tribal inclusion — funded by a multi-year federal authorization — but increases federal and local implementation costs and may impose unfunded requirements and administrative burdens that could fall unevenly on smaller communities and private operators.
Coastal communities, Tribal and Native Hawaiian governments, and emergency managers will get stronger tsunami detection and forecasting through incorporation of GNSS, tidal/water-level gauges, buoys, and other data sources, improving early warning and response.
All Americans — especially coastal populations, researchers, and planners — will benefit from NOAA-managed, archived, and publicly available tsunami data and metadata, supporting operations, research, education, and local planning.
Tribal governments, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations are explicitly included as recipients and partners, improving culturally appropriate warnings, outreach, and participation in planning and preparedness.
Taxpayers and ratepayers will face increased costs because the Act authorizes recurring federal spending ($35M/year) and anticipates additional mitigation or infrastructure investments, which could require higher appropriations or trade-offs with other programs.
State, local, Tribal governments, rural communities, and private infrastructure operators may bear unfunded or partially funded responsibilities to upgrade plans and harden critical infrastructure, imposing economic burdens and potential inequities for smaller jurisdictions.
NOAA and federal staff will face increased administrative, IT, and staffing burdens to implement new data-sharing, archiving, outreach, and coordination requirements, potentially slowing other NOAA programs and requiring reorganization or new hires.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Expands NOAA tsunami program definitions, data‑sharing, and outreach to include Tribal and Native Hawaiian entities; requires GAO assessment of major subduction‑zone tsunami preparedness and a NOAA implementation strategy.
Introduced February 12, 2026 by Maria E. Cantwell · Last progress February 12, 2026
Updates and expands federal tsunami warning, data, outreach, and planning responsibilities. It broadens definitions to explicitly include Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian entities, requires improved data management and sharing for operations and research, adds detection and real‑time data access requirements for monitoring networks, and expands NOAA outreach to work with tribal and rural communities and promote preparedness programs. Requires the Government Accountability Office to assess preparedness for three major subduction‑zone tsunami scenarios and produce a public report and recommendations within set timeframes, and directs NOAA to brief Congress and provide an implementation strategy developed with key federal partners after the GAO report.