[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3809 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3809
To waive certain legal requirements to permit the Director of the
National Weather Service to expeditiously hire for positions that are
critical for public safety, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 6, 2025
Mr. Flood (for himself, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Sorensen, and Mr.
Moskowitz) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To waive certain legal requirements to permit the Director of the
National Weather Service to expeditiously hire for positions that are
critical for public safety, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Weather Workforce Improvement Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) accurate and timely weather forecasting is of vital
importance;
(2) employees of the National Weather Service, particularly
employees responsible for the regular launching of weather
balloons, are critical for public safety; and
(3) staffing positions relating to the regular launching of
weather balloons should be prioritized and categorized as
critical for public safety.
SEC. 3. STAFFING FOR POSITIONS OF PUBLIC SAFETY AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.
(a) Direct Hire Authority.--The Director of the National Weather
Service may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I
of chapter 33 (other than sections 3303, 3307, and 3328 of such
chapter) of title 5, United States Code, qualified candidates to any of
the following positions to satisfy critical staffing needs and fill
vacancies at the Service:
(1) Employees performing public safety mission functions,
including the following:
(A) Meteorologists (classification series 1340).
(B) General physical scientists (classification
series 1301).
(C) Hydrologists (classification series 1315).
(D) Computer specialists (classification series
334).
(E) Electronic technicians (classification series
856).
(2) Other positions for which primary responsibilities
include equipment operations, maintenance, and analysis,
information technology, or engineering.
(b) Sunset.--The authority under subsection (a) shall expire on the
earlier of--
(1) the date that is 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act; or
(2) the date on which all positions to satisfy to critical
staffing needs and vacancies have been filled.
(c) National Weather Service Public Safety Designation.--The
Director of the Office of Personal Management shall designate the
positions specified in subsection (a) as pertaining to public safety.
(d) National Weather Service Public Safety Priority; Workforce
Assessment.--
(1) In general.--Title I of the Weather Research and
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8511 et seq.), is
amended--
(A) in section 101 (15 U.S.C. 8511), by adding at
the end the following new sentence: ``The Under
Secretary shall ensure the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration remains focused on providing
accurate and timely weather forecasts that protect
lives and property and enhance the national economy by
disseminating to the public and core partners through
nimble, flexible, and mobile methods critical weather
information and impact-based decision support
services.'';
(B) by redesignating section 110 (15 U.S.C. 8519),
as section 111; and
(C) by inserting after section 109, the following
new section:
``SEC. 110. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WORKFORCE ASSESSMENT.
``(a) Hiring Assessment.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the
Director of the National Weather Service shall submit to the
Under Secretary, the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an
assessment of the milestones, timelines, and service level
expectations required for the hiring and timely on-boarding of
employees of the National Weather Service.
``(2) Elements.--Each assessment under paragraph (1) may
include determinations of the number of employees of the
National Weather Service required at each forecasting office to
provide services to protect lives and property and enhance the
national economy in the geographic region of responsibility.
``(b) Health and Morale Assessment.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the
Director of the National Weather Service shall submit to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate an assessment of medical impacts,
including stress and long-term health impacts, on employees of
the National Weather Service, including such employees' morale,
related to required rotating shift work.
``(2) Coordination.--The Director of the National Weather
Service is authorized to enter into a contract with a private
sector entity to conduct the assessment required under
paragraph (1).
``(3) Elements.--Each assessment under paragraph (1) may
include the following:
``(A) Options for mitigating the impacts on
employees identified in each such assessment.
``(B) Recommendations for improving benefits
related to required rotating shift work.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents in section
1(b) of Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017
is amended by striking the item relating to section 110 and
inserting the following new items:
``Sec. 110. National Weather Service workforce assessment.
``Sec. 111. Authorization of appropriations.''.
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