“To establish the National Weather Safety Board to investigate certain major disasters, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes, not later than 180 days after enactment, an independent entity known as the National Weather Safety Board to investigate the preparedness for and response to covered major disasters by specified federal entities (i.e., Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Homeland Security including FEMA, Federal Communications Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Weather Service). The board consists of not fewer than 7 presidentially appointed members (Senate-confirmed; no more than 4 from the same political party), drawn from a candidate list submitted by the NOAA Administrator and DHS Secretary with expertise in atmospheric/hydrological sciences, commercial meteorology, social sciences, academia, or emergency management; members serve 5-year terms (with President removal only for neglect of duty or malfeasance), and 5 members constitute a quorum. Not later than 120 days after establishment, the board must develop an information system on disaster impacts (i.e., people affected, severity, economic effects); within 14 days of a severe weather event's declaration as a covered major disaster, it votes (affirmative quorum required) on whether to investigate relevant entities' actions, including weather forecast/warning determinations, with subpoena authority for data/testimony. The board submits a preliminary investigation report within 90 days after the disaster's conclusion and a final report (findings and entity-specific recommendations) within 20 months of investigation start to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (and the President on request); it also maintains a public website tracking recommendation implementation by entities.