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November 09, 2023

Science Committee Passes Bipartisan Weather Act Reauthorization

The Weather Act Reauthorization of 2023 includes five bills led by Democratic Members.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—Yesterday, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology passed H.R. 6093, the Weather Act Reauthorization of 2023 through Committee. The bill was reported favorably to the House and includes five bills led by Democratic Members of the Committee this Congress. The provisions in this bill were developed over the course of many months, with rigorous stakeholder input on what the U.S. weather enterprise needs most to succeed.

Bills led by Democratic Members that were included in the bipartisan Weather Act Reauthorization of 2023:

“Updating the Weather Act provides an important opportunity to make our communities safer,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR). “I’m grateful that the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology approved my bipartisan amendments to improve our tsunami warning systems and help protect coastal, lake, and river communities from harmful algal blooms that can disrupt local ecosystems and threaten health and the economy. I urge House leadership to quickly bring this legislation to the House floor.”

“The Weather Act Reauthorization is life-saving legislation. Passing this bill would mean communities are better prepared for all weather,” said Congressman Maxwell Frost (D-FL). “I’m proud my bill, the Fixing Gaps in Hurricane Preparedness Act, was included as a bipartisan amendment in the Weather Act Reauthorization. My amendment makes sure our most at-risk communities are safe during extreme weather events. I look forward to seeing this effort be considered on the House floor and on to the Senate.”

“Every second matters when warning the public about severe weather,” said Congressman Jeff Jackson (D-NC). “I’m proud my bills to close the Charlotte, NC weather radar gap and improve precipitation forecasts were included as amendments in the Weather Act Reauthorization we marked up yesterday. Moving the Weather Act Reauthorization through Congress will keep North Carolinians and all Americans safe and informed. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on this important effort.”

“I’m proud to see so many bipartisan priorities make it into the Weather Act Reauthorization that we passed through Committee this week,” said Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). “Weather and climate events impact every American. As climate change drives these events to be more severe and more frequent, we must make sure we’re doing everything we can to strengthen our weather enterprise and equip NOAA with the tools, capabilities, and workforce to continue to protect lives and property. I thank my colleagues for their important contributions to the Weather Act Reauthorization and I also thank Chairman Lucas for his continued bipartisanship. I look forward to moving this bill through Congress.”

Four additional amendments led or joined by Democrats were adopted during the markup of H.R. 6093, the Weather Act Reauthorization of 2023. Those amendments include:

  • Congresswoman Emilia Sykes’s (D-OH) amendment to ensure the Aviation Weather Center can disseminate data, forecasts, and information to airports across the country in a timely manner to meet the needs of aviation users.
  • Congressman Eric Sorensen’s (D-IL) amendment to support reanalysis and reforecasting activities. This will allow weather models to learn from previous storms using historical data. 
  • Congresswoman Deborah Ross’s (D-NC) amendment to address workforce issues at the National Weather Service by establishing milestones, timelines, and service level expectations required for expeditious hiring and timely on-boarding of NWS employees. Ms. Ross’s amendment will allow NWS to assess medical impacts, including stress and mental health on its employees working rotating shifts. The amendment also designates one service hydrologist at each Weather Forecast Office.
  • Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan’s (D-VA) amendment to include under-observed, underserved, or highly vulnerable populations in post-storm community impact studies. Storm impacts are not felt equally by all communities. In order to fully rebuild and increase resilience, we have to focus on communities that have been left behind in the past.