Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 3816)
Changes from December 27, 2024 to August 8, 2025
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Updated December 27, 2024
Weather Research and Forecasting InnovationWeather Act Reauthorization Act of 20232025 (H.R. 6093)
3816)
Hazardous weather and climate events kill hundreds of people and cause billions of dollars of property damage in the United States each year. As of November 1,In 2024, for instance, the United States experienced 2427 weather and climate disasters with billion-dollar or greater costs and an estimated total cost of $61.6 billion for the year. Such costs result from a combinationeach exceeding a billion dollars of total costs (known as billion-dollar disasters) and summing to an estimated cumulative cost of $182.7 billion for the year. These disaster costs result from the intersection of weather and climate-related hazards; the presence of populations, crops, and infrastructure; and their vulnerability and resilience to hazards.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the primary civilian agency with responsibility for weather forecasting. The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R. 6093) in the 118th Congress aimed to improve NOAA’2025 (Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025; H.R. 3816) in the 119th Congress aims to improve NOAA's weather research, support improvements in weather forecasting and prediction, and expand commercial opportunities for the provision of weather data. This product describes H.R. 60933816 and selected related considerations for Congress. (For more about NOAA, see CRS Report R47636, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Overview and Issues for Congress.)
Congress has long shown interest in improving NOAA On June 6, 2025, some Members in the House introduced H.R. 3816, which would amend the Weather Act and would authorize or direct NOAA to take on new responsibilities. Some provisions would codify current NOAA activities; others would authorize NOAA to conduct new activities. ’'s forecasts of weather and climate events. In 2017, Congress passed the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act (Weather Act; P.L. 115-25). The Weather Act included five titles addressing (1) the transition of NOAA research and development (R&D) to operations, (2) improvements to sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasts, (3) the future of weather satellites and the agency’'s use of commercial data, (4) coordination and communication of weather data and observations, and (5) tsunami program activities. (For more information about the Weather Act, see CRS Report R44838, The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017: Congressional Direction to NOAA in P.L. 115-25, and CRS Report R44834, The U.S. Tsunami Program Reauthorization in P.L. 115-25: Section-by- Section Comparison to P.L. 109-479, Title VIII.) Congress has amended the Weather Act several times, including via P.L. 115-423, , P.L. 116-259, P.L. 117-229, and P.L. 117-316. Congress also has directed NOAA to advance weather forecasting via annual and supplemental appropriations (e.g., explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 118-42).
Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
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H.R. 6093: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2023 H.R. 6093 would have built upon the Weather Act. Introduced on October 26, 2023, the bill was amended by voice vote and unanimously ordered to be reported, as amended, out of the House Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology on November 8, 2023. It passed in the House on April 29, 2024 (with a vote of 394 to 19). On December 18, 2024, Members in the Senate introduced a bill focused on NOAA weather research, forecasting, prediction, and data (S. 5601), the text of which was not available for review as of the publication of this product.
The five titles of H.R. 6093 would have amended the Weather Act and authorized or directed NOAA to take on new responsibilities. Some provisions would have codified current NOAA activities; others would have directed NOAA in new ways. Some of the provisions in H.R. 6093 were similar or identical to legislation introduced individually in the 118th Congress. Summaries of each title are below.
Title I: Reauthorization of the Weather Act would have amended provisions in the Weather Act related to authorization of appropriations, tornado and hurricane forecasting, observing and satellite planning and testing, computing resources, weather modeling, the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services, and required reports, among other provisions. It also would have amended the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2017 (part of the Weather Act); the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-11); the National Landslide Preparedness Act (P.L. 116-323); and the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-383).
Title II: Enhancing Federal Weather Forecasting and Innovation would task Enhancing Federal Weather Forecasting and Innovation would have tasked NOAA with new responsibilities and authorities regarding weather radars; atmospheric river, coastal flooding, and storm surge, and coastal marine fog forecast improvements; aviation-related observations and forecasting; the transition of research to demonstration and operations; the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (to process, display, and communicate data); reanalysis and reforecasting; and the National Weather Service’'s (NWS’s) workforce.
Title III: Commercial Weather and Environmental Observations would amend Commercial Weather and Environmental Observations would have amended the Weather Act to codify NOAA’'s Commercial Data Program and Commercial Data Pilot Program and mademake changes to its activities. (For more about the program and proposed changes, see CRS In Focus IF12671, NOAA’'s Commercial Data Program: Background and Considerations for Congress.)
Title IV: Communicating WeatherWeather to the Public would have amendedPublic would amend the Weather Act regarding hazardous weather or water events (e.g., severe storms, flash floods)
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R. 6093)
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risk communication, hazard communication research, and public engagement. It also would have directeddirect NOAA to improve NWS communication services;, continue to perform post-storm surveys and assessments;, and collect social, behavioral, and economiccertain types of data on public response to hazardous weather or water communications and events. The title also would have taskedtask the Government Accountability Office (GAO) with examining NWS’'s public notification system.
Title V: Improving Weather Information for Agriculture and Water Management would amend Improving Weather Information for Agriculture and Water Management would have amended several laws including the Food Security Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-198) to add forecasting pilot projects for water management and agriculture; the National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-430) to adjust the system’'s functions, partnerships, and modeling activities; and the Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-271) to make changes to the National Water Center; and the Weather Act to establish a precipitation forecast improvement program. The title would have codifiedcodify both the National Mesonet Program (a central repository for nonfederal weather data) and the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network initiative. It would have also requiredalso would require a report regarding existing federal authorities and policies related to transferring NOAA weather satellites to another federal agency.
Considerations for Congress Congress, when considering introducing a similar bill in the future, could consider various issues, including the inclusion of other weather-related bills, NOAA’s progress in implementing the existing Weather Act authorities and requirements, and recommendations from experts and stakeholders on weather forecasting topics.
Other weather-related bills in the 118th Congress proposed activities not included in H.R. 6093. In the House, Members introduced bills related to heat preparedness (H.R. 4953), wildfire forecasting (H.R. 550), rural weather (H.R. 4654), and fire weather forecasting (H.R. 4866), for example. In the Senate, some bills concentrated on heat preparedness (S. 2645), automated land and weather observing systems and the cooperative observer program (S. 1939), advanced weather model computing (S. 3642), and artificial intelligence (S. 3888). The 118th Congress also included direction to NOAA regarding weather forecasting in the explanatory statement accompanying FY2024 annual appropriations. For example, Congress directed NOAA to use funding to improve fire weather modeling, prediction, and detection and to evaluate commercial capabilities of hyperspectral microwave sounder data. Congress could consider incorporating directives from these bills and explanatory statements in future bills.
In the Weather Act, Congress directed NOAA to release periodic reports, plans, or resources on certain topics. For example, Section 105 of the Weather Act (15 U.S.C.
§8515) requires NOAA to annually issue an R&D and research-to-operations plan to restore and maintain U.S. leadership in weather prediction and forecasting. (H.R. 6093 would have amended the schedule to every two years.) CRS identified some of these deliverables among NOAA’s publicly available resources. The agency was unable to provide CRS the remaining original or updated reports, plans, or resources (although NOAA may have shared them with congressional offices directly). Lack of access to NOAA reports and plans may limit the ability of Congress and other stakeholders to monitor NOAA’s weather forecasting research and operations and determine whether additional direction or authority may be needed. H.R. 6093 would have required reports, briefings, plans, and other resources under 20 of its provisions. Congress could consider engaging in oversight on the agency’s reporting or further specifying reporting requirements, among other actions.
Since enactment of the Weather Act in 2017, several expert and stakeholder groups have issued reports with recommendations related to weather forecasting at NOAA and other federal agencies. These groups include NOAA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB, 2021 report on priorities for weather research), its Environmental Information Services Working Group (EISWG, 2022 report on sub-seasonal to seasonal [S2S] forecasting), the American Meteorological Society (2022 report on adjustments to the Weather Act and other policies from the private sector perspective), and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (2023 report on extreme weather risk in a changing climate). Other groups have focused their analysis on activities that could impact weather forecasting, including the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018 report on earth observations from space), GAO (2023 report on artificial intelligence in natural hazard modeling), and NOAA’s SAB (2024 report on public-private partnerships). Some of these studies were requested by Congress.
The EISWG has also been tracking NOAA’s implementation the SAB 2021 and EISWG recommendations through annual reports to Congress. In 2023, EISWG found that the SAB 2021 recommendations have been “frequently referenced by NOAA, the external community, and Congress.” For example, NOAA’s Weather Program Office Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2022- 2026 addressed 25 of 33 recommendations. In 2024, EIWSG noted issues with progress on topics such as S2S forecasting and the hurricane forecast improvement program. It is unclear if and how NOAA has been implementing recommendations from other groups and reports and whether the provisions in H.R. 6093 would have addressed any outstanding recommendations.
Eva Lipiec, Specialist in Natural Resource Policy
IF12698
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R. 6093)
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF12698 · VERSION 4 · UPDATED
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This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
Title VI: Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Control would reauthorize and amend the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-383) to improve monitoring, forecasting, prevention, and mitigation of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia by NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Title VII: Preventing Health Emergencies and Temperature-Related Illness and Deaths would task NOAA with new responsibilities related to extreme heat preparedness, including establishing an interagency committee within NOAA to coordinate a government-wide approach to reducing health risks and impacts of heat and improving the delivery of heat-related data, information, forecasts, warnings, predictions, and projections.
Title VII: National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization would amend and reauthorize programs established under the National Landslide Preparedness Act (P.L. 116-323). Among other things, H.R. 3816 would require the U.S. Geological Survey, in consultation with NOAA, to assess the impact of atmospheric rivers and extreme precipitation events on landslide risk as part of the National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program.
Title IX: Other Authorities would task NOAA with new responsibilities, including the establishment of meteorological observation stations in the Arctic; reporting unfunded priorities; and miscellaneous authorities, such as technical assistance to U.S. states and certain countries in the Pacific region; international collaboration; app- and web-based tools to access NOAA data, services, and products; and congressional briefings.
Considerations for Congress
In its deliberations on H.R. 3816, Congress could consider a variety of topics, including other weather-related legislative proposals in the 119th Congress not included in H.R. 3816 and potential impacts of NOAA's staffing cuts and reorganization proposal on the agency's ability to fulfill its mission. For example, some Members introduced bills related to rural weather (H.R. 4239); advanced weather model computing (H.R. 4141); wildfire, fire weather, and/or smoke forecasting (e.g., H.R. 4075, S. 306); and the establishment of National Disaster Safety Board (e.g., H.R. 6450, S. 3338). Congress also could consider incorporating directives from previous annual appropriation bills and explanatory statements. For example, in the explanatory statement accompanying FY2024 annual appropriations, Congress directed NOAA to use funding to improve fire weather modeling, prediction, and detection and to evaluate commercial capabilities of hyperspectral microwave sounder data. NWS reportedly has lost more than 550 staff since the start of the second Trump Administration. On June 2, 2025, a NOAA representative emailed "congressional colleagues" about the agency's "plans to mitigate [NWS] staffing vacancy operational impacts," which would include advertising for 126 permanent positions under an exception to the NOAA-wide hiring freeze. In early August 2025, NWS reportedly received permission to hire 450 meteorologists, hydrologist, and radar technicians. As of August 8, 2025, nine positions have been posted on USAjobs.gov. Both House and Senate (S.Rept. 119-44) reports accompanying FY2026 annual appropriations bills expressed concerns about staffing vacancies at NWS Weather Forecast Offices. S.Rept. 119-44 further identified that "insufficient staffing levels risk compromising public safety and the NWS's mission to protect lives and property." Both the House and Senate reports would direct NOAA to provide a report detailing the agency's plan to address these staffing concerns. In response to NWS staffing cuts, some Members in the 119th Congress also have introduced bills that would grant NWS temporary direct hiring authority (H.R. 3809) or would exempt critical NWS positions from executive orders or memoranda imposing a hiring freezes (S. 1958).In addition, the Trump Administration has proposed to eliminate NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and transfer several OAR weather research-related activities to NWS. Members may consider whether NOAA staffing cuts and reorganization proposals might affect congressional goals set out in H.R. 3816, and may choose to consider options proposed in H.R. 3809 and S. 1958 to address such cuts. Members also may consider whether staffing changes might affect weather-related research previously conducted under OAR were the research activities transferred to NWS. S.Rept. 119-44 acknowledged OAR programs provide research and technology "needed to improve NOAA weather forecasts" and in the absence of detailed organization plans would "maintain ... funding for OAR programs under their existing structure."