S. 3881 — Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2026

This section amends the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.) by adding definitions of "Indian Tribe" and "Tribal organization" (both as defined in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, 25 U.S.C. 5304) and "Native Hawaiian organization" (as defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. 7517, but including the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs). It revises the purposes of the Act to include (1) improving the timeliness and accuracy of tsunami warnings; (2) enhancing coordination with Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations; and (3) ensuring management, archiving, and availability of data and metadata for operations, research, education, and mitigation. The section further revises the tsunami forecasting and warning program by (1) requiring maintenance of observation systems using best practices and adding the global navigation satellite system network, tidal gauges, water level gauges (including the National Water Level Observation Network and National Water Monitoring Network), and buoys; (2) mandating data access and archiving under the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 and related statutes; (3) expanding interagency agreements with the National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration to support seismic stations, global navigation satellite system data streams, and data assessments for warning system use; (4) requiring USGS incorporation of tsunami notifications into its Earthquake Early Warning System; (5) expanding dissemination of graphical warning products and decision support aids to Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations; and (6) directing updates to maps, models, and geographic products for tsunami mitigation and recovery. It also requires development of timely and adequate warnings, inundation models, and alert levels for tsunamis in the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans posing significant risks to the United States.

This section revises NOAA's tsunami outreach responsibilities under the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 by (1) requiring coordination with Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations (as defined for purposes of this section in section 802 of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act); (2) directing work with tsunami-prone rural communities to assess and enhance emergency planning and response efforts; and (3) requiring education for tsunami-prone communities about the TsunamiReady program (i.e., NOAA's voluntary recognition program for tsunami preparedness).

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States, in consultation with specified federal agencies (e.g., Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Geological Survey), states (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington), tribal and Native Hawaiian organizations, local governments, academia, and private sector representatives, to (1) conduct an assessment, within 180 days of enactment, of the potential impacts of specified tsunami or combined earthquake-tsunami events (i.e., in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone, or Kuril-Kamchatka Subduction Zone) on loss of life, critical infrastructure, secondary events, pollution, and ports; and (2) produce a report, within 18 months of enactment and informed by that assessment, on preparation for, mitigation against, response to, and recovery from those events—including command structures, interagency coordination, risk assessments of federal facilities, mitigation strategies, search-and-rescue plans for large-scale events, critical infrastructure impacts, warning system improvements, and recommended administrative or legislative changes. The section further requires the Comptroller General to submit the assessment to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and to publicly release the report within one month of completion; it also directs the Administrator (likely of FEMA), within six months after the report, and in consultation with specified entities, to develop a related strategy.

This section establishes definitions for the Act by incorporating the meanings of "Administration," "Administrator," "Indian Tribe," "Native Hawaiian organization," and "Tribal organization" from section 802 of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3201).