Weather Radar Coverage Improvement Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Weather Radar Coverage Improvement Act directs the relevant Under Secretary, in consultation with the National Weather Service Director, to develop a plan to replace the existing NEXRAD system and to ensure that replacement is completed by September 30, 2040. The plan must estimate quantifiable coverage and accuracy improvements, develop a prototype digital phased array radar, establish a weather surveillance phased array radar testbed, evaluate commercial radars that could replace or supplement NEXRAD, and provide technical assistance for small gap-filling radars in topographically difficult regions. The bill is about modernizing weather surveillance before the current radar network ages out.
Who Benefits and How
Weather forecasters benefit from a plan for more accurate and broader radar coverage through phased array technology. Residents in radar gaps benefit if small gap-filling radars improve warning coverage in mountainous or otherwise difficult terrain. Emergency managers benefit from better severe-weather detection and more reliable warning lead time. Commercial radar developers benefit from testbed evaluation opportunities for systems that could supplement or replace NEXRAD.
Who Bears the Burden and How
NOAA weather leadership must develop the replacement plan and keep the modernization on a 2040 completion timeline. National Weather Service radar staff must test prototypes, evaluate commercial radars, and define replacement specifications. Federal taxpayers bear the long-term cost of NEXRAD replacement and testbed development. Procurement officials must manage complex radar acquisition, technical assistance, and deployment planning.
Key Provisions
- Requires a plan to replace the existing National Weather Service NEXRAD system.
- Directs completion of the replacement by September 30, 2040.
- Requires quantifiable coverage and accuracy improvement estimates.
- Creates prototype and testbed work for digital phased array radar and small gap-filling radars.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the Commerce Department weather leadership, with the National Weather Service, to plan and complete replacement of NEXRAD with next-generation phased array radar by September 30, 2040.
Key Policy Areas
Weather, Emergency Management, NOAA
Primary Purpose
Requires the Commerce Department weather leadership, with the National Weather Service, to plan and complete replacement of NEXRAD with next-generation phased array radar by September 30, 2040.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Weather forecasters
- Residents in radar gaps
- Emergency managers
- Commercial radar developers
Identified Costs
- NOAA weather leadership
- National Weather Service radar staff
- Federal taxpayers
- Procurement officials
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Crawford (for himself and Mr. Moran) introduced the following …
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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