[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2583 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2583
To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to
expand and modernize the weather radio system of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 31, 2025
Mr. Cruz (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Schatz, Mr.
Moran, and Mr. Peters) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to
expand and modernize the weather radio system of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, 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 ``NOAA Weather Radio Modernization
Act''.
SEC. 2. NOAA WEATHER RADIO.
(a) In General.--The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation
Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8501 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``TITLE VII--NOAA WEATHER RADIO
``SEC. 701. NOAA WEATHER RADIO.
``(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall establish or maintain
a nationwide weather radio network, to be known as `NOAA Weather
Radio', that--
``(1) broadcasts weather information, including emergency
weather watches, warnings, and other hazard information;
``(2) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; and
``(3) is resilient to emergency hazards, such as loss of
power and cellular service.
``(b) Coverage and Reliability.--The Under Secretary shall ensure
the reliability of NOAA Weather Radio by--
``(1) maintaining support for existing systems, especially
those serving areas not covered by or having poor quality
cellular service; and
``(2) ensuring consistent maintenance and operations
monitoring, with timely repairs to broadcast transmitter site
equipment and antennas.
``(c) Modernization Initiative.--
``(1) In general.--To the maximum extent practicable, the
Under Secretary shall expand the coverage of and modernize NOAA
Weather Radio to ensure it remains valuable to the public,
including by--
``(A) improving those methods of communicating the
risks posed by hazardous weather events to the public
that are most likely to result in informed
decisionmaking regarding the mitigation of such risks;
``(B) improving communication of hazardous weather
warnings and the urgency of such warnings to areas that
experience a high frequency of such warnings;
``(C) enhancing the ability to amplify non-weather
emergency messages through NOAA Weather Radio as
necessary;
``(D) acquiring additional transmitters as required
to expand coverage to--
``(i) areas at high risk for rapid onset
weather disasters that require short-fuse
warnings;
``(ii) communities without--
``(I) mobile broadband internet
access service (as defined in section
8.1(b) of title 47, Code of Federal
Regulations (or a successor
regulation)) and as depicted by a map
created under section 802(c)(1)(C) of
the Communications Act of 1934 (47
U.S.C. 642(c)(1)(C));
``(II) State or local emergency
warning systems; or
``(III) satellite coverage; and
``(iii) Federal lands, such as land in the
National Park System or the National Forest
System and National Recreation Areas;
``(E) adding the capability to disseminate NOAA
Weather Radio alerts by satellite or through the cloud;
and
``(F) modernizing the messaging system to enable
more geographically specific warnings.
``(2) Elements.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the Under
Secretary shall--
``(A) upgrade telecommunications infrastructure of
NOAA Weather Radio to accelerate the transition of
broadcasts to internet protocol-based communications
over non-copper media;
``(B) accelerate software upgrades to the Advanced
Weather Interactive Processing System, or any relevant
system successors, in order to implement partial county
notifications and alerts;
``(C) enhance accessibility and usability of data
and feeds of NOAA Weather Radio with feedback from
relevant stakeholders, including the private sector;
``(D) develop options, including satellite backup
capability and commercial provider partnerships, for
continuity of service of NOAA Weather Radio in the
event of an outage at a weather forecast office;
``(E) research and develop alternative options to
transmit NOAA Weather Radio signals to transmitters
that are remote or do not have internet protocol
capability;
``(F) transition critical applications to the
Integrated Dissemination Program, or any relevant
program successors; and
``(G) work with the General Services
Administration, and other relevant agencies, to develop
new, alternative, or updated expedited mechanisms to
secure priority space capacity, such as leased land and
tower space, for NOAA Weather Radio transmitters and
antennas that are best suited for the national security
and public safety missions of NOAA Weather Radio.
``(3) Priority.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the Under
Secretary shall prioritize practices, capabilities, and
technologies recommended in accordance with the assessment
under subsection (d) to maximize the accessibility of NOAA
Weather Radio, particularly in areas of the United States
described in paragraph (1)(D)(i).
``(d) Assessment for Management and Distribution.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this section, the Under Secretary shall
complete an assessment of access to NOAA Weather Radio.
``(2) Elements.--In conducting the assessment required
under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall take into
consideration and provide recommendations regarding the
following:
``(A) The need for continuous, adequate, and
operational real-time broadcasts of NOAA Weather Radio.
``(B) Input from relevant stakeholders that provide
access to NOAA Weather Radio, including third-party
platforms that provide online services, such as
websites and mobile device applications.
``(C) The manner by which existing or new
management systems may promote consistent, efficient,
and compatible access to NOAA Weather Radio.
``(D) The ability of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration to aggregate real-time
broadcast feeds at one or more central locations, as a
redundancy to the broadcast feed from the nearest
weather forecast office.
``(E) Effective coordination between agencies with
responsibilities relating to emergencies and natural
disasters.
``(F) The potential effects of an electromagnetic
pulse or geomagnetic disturbance on NOAA Weather Radio.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Under Secretary--
``(1) for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031,
$25,000,000 to operate NOAA Weather Radio under subsections (a)
and (b); and
``(2) for fiscal year 2026, $100,000,000, which shall
remain available until expended, to carry out subsections (c)
and (d).''.
(b) Weather Ready All Hazards Award Program.--Section 407 of the
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C.
8546) is--
(1) transferred to title VII of that Act, as added by
subsection (a);
(2) inserted after section 701 of that Act, as added by
subsection (a); and
(3) redesignated as section 702.
(c) Clerical Amendments.--The table of contents for the Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 is amended--
(1) by striking the item relating to section 407; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``TITLE VII--NOAA WEATHER RADIO
``Sec. 701. NOAA Weather Radio.
``Sec. 702. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather
Ready All Hazards Award Program.''.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR WEATHER WARNING SYSTEMS IN FLASH FLOOD
ZONES.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and
Technology, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere, shall develop standards for flash flood
emergency alert systems within the 100-year floodplain (as defined in
section 100202(a) of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of
2012 (42 U.S.C. 4004(a))).
(b) Requirements.--The Director shall ensure that standards
developed under subsection (a)--
(1) meet the needs of communities without--
(A) mobile broadband internet access service (as
defined in section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code of Federal
Regulations (or a successor regulation)) and as
depicted by a map created under section 802(c)(1)(C) of
the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.
642(c)(1)(C));
(B) State or local emergency warning systems; or
(C) satellite coverage; and
(2) will result in reliable systems, especially during
hazardous events.
(c) Report Required.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards
and Technology shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology of the House of Representatives a report that includes a
summary of the standards developed under subsection (a).
SEC. 4. CLASSIFICATION OF AND STAFFING PLAN FOR EMPLOYEES AND
PROTECTION FROM HIRING FREEZES.
(a) In General.--Title IV of the Weather Research and Forecasting
Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8541 et seq.) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``SEC. 415. CLASSIFICATION OF AND STAFFING PLAN FOR EMPLOYEES AND
PROTECTION FROM HIRING FREEZES.
``(a) Classification of Certain Employees.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this section, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall categorize each position in the
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration specified
in paragraph (2) as a protective service occupation under the
Standard Occupational Classification System.
``(2) Positions specified.--The positions specified in this
paragraph are the following positions in the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, as defined by the Director of
the Office of Personnel Management:
``(A) Meteorology Series (1340).
``(B) Hydrology Series (1315).
``(C) General Physical Science Series (1301).
``(D) Oceanographer Series (1360).
``(E) Electronics Technical Series (0856).
``(F) Information Technology Management Series (GS-
2210).
``(G) Professional Mariners (as defined in section
269B of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002
(33 U.S.C. 3079b)) who are involved in the collection
of data to support forecasts and warnings to protect
human life and property (including Series 0865, 9901,
9916, 9920, 9923-24, 9927-28, 9931-34, 9944, 9954,
9960, 9965, 9968, 9971, 9973, and 9984).
``(b) 10-Year Staffing Plan for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this section, the Under Secretary shall submit to
Congress a 10-year staffing plan for--
``(1) the National Weather Service; and
``(2) any positions within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration that support forecasts and warnings
to protect human life and property, including positions that
involve--
``(A) collection of data for incorporation into
watches and warnings;
``(B) operation and maintenance of equipment for
collection of data described in subparagraph (A);
``(C) maintenance of information technology
systems;
``(D) modeling for forecasts and warnings; and
``(E) research to improve forecasts, warnings, and
communication of those warnings to better protect human
life and property.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 is amended by inserting
after the item relating to section 414 the following:
``Sec. 415. Classification of and staffing plan for employees and
protection from hiring freezes.''.
<all>