Full Committee Markup of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
2025-09-10
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Source: Congress.gov
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Good morning. The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will now come to order. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare recesses of the Committee at any time. Pursuant to Committee Rule 2F and House Rule 11, recorded votes may be postponed. Today we'll meet to consider H.R. 5089, the Weather Act reauthorization, Act of 2025, and I now recognize myself for an opening statement. Thank you all for joining us at this markup. We're here today to consider HR 5089, the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025, a bill to strengthen American forecasting and emergency preparedness. Given the tragic flooding event in my home state of Texas in July, on the 4th of July to be exact, And with your hurricane season now in full swing, this legislation cannot come at a more crucial time. This bill updates and modernizes the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, also known as the Weather Act, which was the first comprehensive weather authorization in more than 20 years. There have been extensive discussions regarding this legislation across the aisle and between the chambers. After reflecting on those conversations, we are now considering H.R. 5089, a bill built on the strong foundation of the measure that passed the House with overwhelming support last Congress. By taking up this proven framework, we are establishing a clear and united House position heading into potential negotiations with the United States Senate. I look forward to working with Senator Cruz to ensure that Texans and all Americans are best prepared for severe weather events. Since 2023, this committee has held multiple hearings on the Weather Act of 2017 to evaluate what worked well and identify areas for improvement.
We have heard some tremendous success stories thanks to the Weather Act of 2017. Hurricane track predictions have advanced by more than 10%, and tornado warning lead times have increased by over 10 minutes. In July, National Weather Service provided a 201-minute lead time for Kerr County, Texas, warning of the imminent flash flooding on the Guadalupe River. Yet despite that warning, many precious lives were tragically lost, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic. This heartbreaking event underscores the urgent need to strengthen the connection between forecasts and the timely flow of information to the public. Today's bill equips NOAA with the tools needed to carry out its vital mission of protecting lives and property by bolstering our emergency preparedness. It does so in two key ways, first by improving our ability to forecast severe weather, and second by enhancing how quickly and effectively that we can communicate when emergencies are approaching. Every citizen should understand that an EF3 tornado warning entails. the severity of a flash flood warning, and most importantly, how to respond appropriately. Excellence in weather forecasting also carries real economic benefits. Accurate forecasts support better crop production, guide the safest and most fuel-efficient flight paths, and provide reliable outlooks for critical points of commerce like Port Houston. Additionally, we learned about the value of granting NOAA greater access to commercial weather data generated by both direct measurements and space-based remote sensing instruments on commercial satellites. This novel approach to obtaining significantly more data was established as a pilot program, enabling NOAA is to cautiously test a new direction without wasting taxpayer money.
The 2017 Weather Act provisions, which enable NOAA to use commercial data, proved highly successful according to stakeholder feedback. This legislation builds on that success by broadening NOAA's authority to harness new and innovative technologies that provide more data sources than ever before. Discussions emphasized the need to address evolving challenges like flash flooding, atmospheric rivers, storm surges, and aviation weather. Together, these provisions put NOAA on the strongest path toward a new golden age of science and toward fulfilling its most important mission, and that is to protect life and property. They also strengthen America's global competitiveness and forecasting accuracy and effectiveness. I want to thank former chairman Lucas and ranking member Lofgren for their hard work on this legislation. This is a fiscally responsible bill that prioritizes weather forecasting, and I look forward to moving it through Congress and seeing it signed into law by President Trump. I would now like to recognize a ranking member for five minutes for her opening statement.
Well, thank you, Chairman Babin. I want to thank my fellow bill sponsor, former Chairman Frank Lucas. Today, the committee is considering the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025. The reauthorization includes 18 component bills that have been led by both Democrats and Republicans. all in service of sustaining and bolstering the lifesaving work of the National Weather Service. In the last Congress, we passed the Weather Act out of the House, but unfortunately, although we tried in our bicameral negotiations, the Senate failed to act. I'd like to say to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers, that time is now to finish the job and make this bill a law. Back in 2017, during the first Trump administration, the Science Committee came together on a bipartisan basis to develop and enact the first comprehensive weather policy legislation in more than two decades. That legislation helped accelerate innovation and weather forecasting tools and products, and strengthened the collaboration and cooperation among all stakeholders in the weather enterprise.
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