HR7813-119

What This Bill Does

The NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act amends the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017. It requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to establish or maintain NOAA Weather Radio as a nationwide, 24-hour, seven-day weather radio network broadcasting weather information, emergency weather watches, warnings, geological hazards, and other hazard information. NOAA must keep existing systems operating before new technologies are implemented, especially where cellular service is missing or poor, and must ensure transmitter-site maintenance, monitoring, and timely repairs.

The bill creates a modernization initiative to expand coverage, improve hazardous-weather risk communication, amplify non-weather emergency messages through IPAWS when needed, add transmitters for rapid-onset disaster areas, underserved communities, and federal lands, and add satellite, internet-protocol, or emerging-technology alert capability. NOAA must upgrade telecommunications infrastructure, accelerate Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System software improvements for partial-county alerts, improve data and feed accessibility, develop backup continuity options, research microwave or other remote-transmitter options, transition critical applications to the Integrated Dissemination Program, and work with the General Services Administration on priority tower and space capacity. It authorizes $20,000,000 for each fiscal year 2026 through 2031 for operation and $100,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 for modernization and assessment work.

The bill also allows the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology to support national standards for flash-flood emergency alert systems in 100-year floodplains, especially for communities lacking broadband, state or local warning systems, or satellite coverage. Finally, NOAA must coordinate with OMB to categorize NOAA meteorology, hydrology, physical science, electronics technician, and IT management positions as protective service occupations, and NOAA may not make staffing changes in those occupations until congressional committees have had 30 days to review a report on the change.

Who Benefits and How

NOAA Weather Radio listeners benefit from a statutory requirement for continuous nationwide broadcasts and modernization of warning delivery. Communities lacking broadband benefit from transmitter expansion and standards designed for emergency alerts where internet access is weak. National Weather Service forecast offices benefit from upgraded communications infrastructure, partial-county alert software, and continuity options. Federal lands visitors benefit if NOAA expands coverage to National Park System, National Forest System, and National Recreation Area lands. State emergency managers and local emergency managers benefit from stronger flash-flood alert standards and better coordination. NOAA meteorologists, hydrologists, electronics technicians, physical scientists, and IT managers benefit from protective-service occupation classification and staffing-change notice requirements.

Who Bears the Burden and How

NOAA Weather Radio program staff must maintain existing systems, modernize coverage, repair transmitters, conduct assessments, and implement technology upgrades. Department of Commerce budget staff and federal taxpayers bear the cost of the $20 million annual operations authorization and the $100 million fiscal year 2026 modernization authorization if appropriated. NIST standards staff must support flash-flood alert standards if the authority is used and report to Congress within one year. OMB classification staff and OPM classification staff must coordinate on protective-service occupation categorization. NOAA managers must wait 30 days after congressional receipt of staffing-change reports before changing specified weather, hydrology, science, electronics, or IT positions. Tower and land-capacity providers may need to negotiate priority space arrangements with GSA and NOAA.

Key Provisions

• Requires NOAA to maintain NOAA Weather Radio as a nationwide 24-hour emergency weather radio network.
• Directs NOAA to preserve existing service before deploying new technologies and to make timely transmitter repairs.
• Authorizes modernization for coverage expansion, IPAWS amplification, satellite or internet-protocol alerts, partial-county warnings, backup continuity, and remote-transmitter research.
• Requires a one-year NOAA Weather Radio access assessment with recommendations to House and Senate science and commerce committees.
• Authorizes $20,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2031 for operations and $100,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 for modernization and assessment work.
• Authorizes NIST-supported flash-flood emergency alert standards for 100-year floodplain communities lacking communications coverage.
• Requires NOAA weather, hydrology, science, electronics, and IT positions to be categorized as protective service occupations.
• Requires congressional reporting and a 30-day waiting period before staffing changes in specified NOAA occupations.