To limit the impoundment, transfer, or reprogramming of certain Federal funds made available to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Kennedy of New York (for himself, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill protects funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), specifically for the National Weather Service and Great Lakes Region. It prevents the executive branch from redirecting, withholding, or reprogramming these funds without explicit new legislation from Congress.
Who Benefits and How
The National Weather Service benefits by having its funding secured against executive impoundment or transfer, ensuring continued operations for weather forecasting, severe storm warnings, and climate monitoring. Communities in the Great Lakes Region benefit from protected funding for environmental monitoring, water quality programs, and regional weather services. The general public benefits from uninterrupted access to critical weather forecasting and warning services.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The executive branch faces reduced flexibility in budget management, as it cannot redirect NOAA funds even under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The NOAA Administrator must certify compliance annually to five congressional committees, creating a modest reporting requirement. There is no direct cost burden to taxpayers or private industry.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits impoundment, transfer, or reprogramming of discretionary appropriations for the National Weather Service and Great Lakes Region
- Overrides other provisions of law, including the Impoundment Control Act of 1974
- Requires any future changes to these restrictions to be enacted by Congress with explicit reference to this Act
- Mandates the NOAA Administrator certify compliance within 30 days of enactment and annually thereafter
- Requires certification reports to appropriations, natural resources, science, and commerce committees in both chambers
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
This bill aims to protect funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), specifically for the National Weather Service and the Great Lakes Region, by limiting the impoundment, transfer, or reprogramming of allocated federal funds.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
This Act may be cited as the Great Lakes and National Weather Service Funding Protection Act.
This section prohibits the impoundment, transfer, or reprogramming of discretionary appropriations made available for NOAA's National Weather Service and Great Lakes Region unless specific statutory authority is enacted after this Act's enactment.
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.
Learn more about our methodology