Sponsors (27)
Introduced September 2, 2025 by Frank D. Lucas · Last progress September 2, 2025
The bill makes substantial, targeted investments and policy changes to improve forecasts, warnings, and environmental monitoring—delivering public-safety, research, and economic benefits—while increasing federal spending and creating risks from commercial dependencies, data/privacy concerns, and implementation burdens for government and local partners.
All Americans, especially people in hazard-prone and urban/rural communities, will receive more accurate and timely weather forecasts and warnings (including tornado, hurricane, radar-based, aviation, and mesoscale forecasts), improving public safety and reducing loss of life and property.
Taxpayers and the weather enterprise will benefit from sustained, designated investments in computing, AI, R&D, testbeds, and operational programs that accelerate higher-resolution models, modern forecasting tools, and operational improvements through 2030.
Residents, tribes, and local governments near lakes, rivers, and reservoirs will get improved harmful-algal-bloom (HAB) forecasting, monitoring, and response funding, enabling earlier advisories and reduced exposures.
Taxpayers will shoulder substantial recurring federal spending (hundreds of millions annually through 2030, including a $100M/year commercial data program and other appropriations).
NOAA, state and local governments, and the public could become dependent on commercial data providers, risking vendor lock‑in, higher long‑term costs, and redistribution/licensing limits that constrain access for smaller weather enterprises.
Residents, federal and state agencies, and partners face increased privacy, data security, and redistribution risks from broader use of third‑party commercial data, cloud-hosted communications, and expanded social/behavioral data collection unless protections are strong.
Based on analysis of 16 sections of legislative text.
Expands and funds federal weather, radar, HAB, and S2S forecasting programs, creates a NOAA Commercial Data Program, and strengthens interagency coordination and public risk communication.
Creates and strengthens federal weather, ocean, and water programs by expanding NOAA’s operational and research responsibilities, setting up a NOAA Commercial Data Program to buy and integrate private weather and environmental data, funding radar research and mitigation testing, and requiring improved risk communications for watches and warnings. It also assigns new freshwater harmful algal bloom (HAB) and hypoxia duties to EPA, builds a national HAB observing network, and directs NOAA to deliver more tailored subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasts and services for agriculture and water managers. Requires new interagency coordination structures and reporting, sets program timelines (including 180-day and multi-year milestones), authorizes multi-year funding for research priorities, and mandates partnerships with state, tribal, local, academic, and private-sector participants to expand observing systems, forecasting, and data sharing.