S. 3923 — Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026

This section revises the public safety priority provision to require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to ensure the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) focuses on accurate and timely weather forecasts that protect lives and property and enhance the national economy by (1) coordinating and modernizing observational infrastructure, weather forecasting systems, communications, and impact-based decision support services; and (2) improving operational weather forecasts, products, and services. It further revises research directives to prioritize improving weather data, modeling, computing, forecasting, and warnings, including supporting transition of advancements into operational forecasting and services (previously limited to improvements without transition support).

This section revises the authorization of appropriations to NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research for weather research and forecasting activities, striking prior authorizations of $136,516,000 to $154,154,000 for FY2019 through FY2023 (allocated to weather laboratories and cooperative institutes, weather and air chemistry research programs, and the joint technology transfer initiative) and instead authorizing the following for FY2026 through FY2030: (1) $166,736,000 for FY2026, of which $94,000,000 is for weather laboratories and cooperative institutes, $39,491,000 is for the United States Weather Research Program, $21,125,000 is for tornado, severe storm, and next-generation radar research, and $12,120,000 is for the joint technology transfer initiative; (2) $168,403,000 for FY2027, of which $94,940,000 is for weather laboratories and cooperative institutes, $39,886,000 is for the United States Weather Research Program, $21,336,000 is for tornado, severe storm, and next-generation radar research, and $12,241,000 is for the joint technology transfer initiative; (3) $170,089,000 for FY2028, of which $95,890,000 is for weather laboratories and cooperative institutes, $40,285,000 is for the United States Weather Research Program, $21,550,000 is for tornado, severe storm, and next-generation radar research, and $12,364,000 is for the joint technology transfer initiative; (4) $171,789,000 for FY2029, of which $96,849,000 is for weather laboratories and cooperative institutes, $40,688,000 is for the United States Weather Research Program, $21,765,000 is for tornado, severe storm, and next-generation radar research, and $12,487,000 is for the joint technology transfer initiative; and (5) $173,506,000 for FY2030, of which $97,817,000 is for weather laboratories and cooperative institutes, $41,094,000 is for the United States Weather Research Program, $21,983,000 is for tornado, severe storm, and next-generation radar research, and $12,612,000 is for the joint technology transfer initiative. It retains the limitation that no additional funds are authorized to carry out these activities or related amendments.

This section revises the tornado warning improvement and extension program, renaming it the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment–United States of America (VORTEX–USA), to require the NOAA Under Secretary to maintain the program (previously to establish it) in collaboration with the weather industry and academic partners for rapidly improving tornado forecasts, predictions, warnings, and forecaster training in radar interpretation and new data sources. (As background, the program supports NOAA efforts to extend tornado warning lead times beyond one hour, reducing loss of life and property damage from these severe weather events affecting the central and southeastern U.S.) The revision specifies program goals of improving effectiveness and timeliness, optimizing lead times beyond one hour with actionable information, and transitioning from warn-on-detection to warn-on-forecast; expands innovative observations to include testing novel sensors, networks, crewed/uncrewed systems, and hosted instruments on commercial aircraft, vessels, and satellites; and directs grant awards for research aligned with the 2019 NOAA Tornado Warning Improvement and Extension Program Plan, social/behavioral/economic risk communication sciences, and physical sciences/modeling of tornado formation, impacts, and hurricane interactions. It further requires priority for grants to institutions frequently subject to severe weather or near National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices; coordination with another weather program to develop probabilistic tornado forecast guidance, incorporate social/behavioral sciences into modeling, enhance workforce training, and expand computational resources (including cloud computing) for warn-on-forecast; evaluation and potential updates to the tornado severity rating system; and annual budget submissions with the President's budget request. Finally, this section authorizes $11 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030, of which at least $2 million each year must fund grants to priority institutions, and makes a conforming change to the table of contents.

This section revises the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program—under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which supports research to improve hurricane forecasts, warnings, and related technologies to reduce losses—to expand it from a project to a program that awards grants for research on specified priorities (e.g., implementing strategies from NOAA's 2019 Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program report, enhancing social and behavioral sciences for risk communication in coordination with the National Science and Technology Council's Social and Behavioral Sciences Subcommittee, and advancing physical sciences, modeling, and tools for hurricane formation, wind/water hazards, and hurricane-tornado interactions). The revised program updates its goals to emphasize accurate forecasts, predictions, and warnings with a focus on (1) understanding, predicting, and communicating rapid intensity changes and paths (including probabilistic hazard mapping); (2) forecasting and impact-based communication of inland/compound flooding and storm surges (in coordination with the program under sec. 205 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026); (3) incorporating social, behavioral, risk, communication, and economic sciences; and (4) innovative observations (e.g., acoustic/infrasonic measurements, novel sensors, uncrewed systems, hosted instruments). It further requires NOAA, in coordination with the program under sec. 403(a) of that Act, to (1) develop and operationally transition probabilistic weather forecast guidance for hurricanes; (2) incorporate social, behavioral, and economic sciences into modeling; and (3) expand computational resources (including cloud computing) for higher-resolution modeling. Finally, this section requires NOAA, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to submit annual reports through June 1, 2029, to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology describing missed requirements and untasked requests under the National Hurricane Operations Plan and National Winter Season Operations Plan; a workforce plan for observational data collection; and summaries of hurricane technology in research, prototype, and operational transition stages.

This section revises the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.), including inserting ", Research," into the title heading after "Warning"; amending the purposes of the Act (33 U.S.C. 3202) to insert "timeliness and" before "accuracy" in paragraph (2) and to add a new paragraph (9) requiring management, archiving, and availability of data and metadata for operations, research, education, and mitigation in accordance with section 305 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017; and making multiple changes to the tsunami forecasting and warning program (33 U.S.C. 3203). Among other changes to the program, the section (1) requires maintenance of detection assets in operational condition using industry and scientific best practices; (2) capitalizes "Global Seismic Network" and adds the global navigation satellite system network to required detection and monitoring components; (3) revises paragraph (6) to ensure data quality and management systems, support data and metadata access and archiving, and comply with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 and chapter 31 of title 44, U.S. Code; (4) expands cooperative efforts in paragraph (7) among NOAA, USGS, NASA, and NSF to include real-time support for global navigation satellite system data streams, assessment of collaborating agencies' data, incorporation of USGS Earthquake Early Warning System notifications, and preliminary analysis from the National Earthquake Information Center within five minutes of offshore earthquake detection; (5) inserts "and decision support aides" after "graphical warning products" and "-prone" after "tsunami" in paragraph (8); (6) adds paragraph (11) requiring updates to tsunami inundation maps, models, or other geographic products to support mitigation and recovery; (7) expands coverage in subsection (c) to the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans (including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico) for areas posing significant tsunami risks to states and territories; (8) inserts new subsection (d) directing NOAA, in collaboration with social scientists, emergency personnel, and high-risk communities, to evaluate and potentially update tsunami alert levels for terminology, timing, and effectiveness; and (9) makes conforming and technical amendments throughout, including to responsibilities of warning centers and detection sources. (As background, the Act directs NOAA to operate the U.S. Tsunami Warning System, which detects tsunamis primarily from undersea earthquakes via a Pacific-wide network of buoys, seismometers, and other sensors; provides forecasts, warnings, and inundation maps; and supports education, research, and international efforts to minimize loss of life and property from tsunamis.)

This section revises observing system planning requirements for the NOAA Under Secretary by (1) limiting identification of data gaps to Federal observing capabilities (previously, all observing capabilities); (2) requiring options to address such gaps to include private sector partnerships or commercial acquisition; (3) directing comparison of costs, schedules, and cost-benefit analyses for Federal and private sector supplemental options to meet observation data requirements and fill identified gaps; and (4) requiring submission to Congress, not later than one year after enactment of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026, of a report analyzing the technical, schedule, cost, and cost-benefit aspects of placing an operational polar-orbiting environmental satellite capability in the early morning orbit to support the weather enterprise and NOAA's mission.

This section modifies requirements for Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs)—quantitative assessments by NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research of proposed observing systems' value for weather forecasting, including extreme events—by (1) requiring assessments under subsection (b)(3) to compare government systems' capabilities and costs to current or experimental commercial systems providing life- and property-protecting data; (2) striking from subsection (c)(1) the examples of polar-orbiting and geostationary satellite systems as major operational observing systems (with lifecycle costs exceeding $500 million) requiring pre-acquisition OSSEs; and (3) striking subsection (d), which required a priority OSSE assessing Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Occultation data value (due not later than 30 days after April 18, 2017), and redesignating former subsection (e) as subsection (d).

This section revises Section 108 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8518) concerning National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) computing resources by striking authorizations of $5 million for FY2019, $10 million for FY2020, and $5 million for each of FY2021-FY2023 for pilot programs assessing new information technology capabilities and related reporting requirements; and inserting the following: (1) requirements for the NOAA Under Secretary to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to optimize advanced computing for NOAA missions and to incorporate related computing needs into major acquisitions of high-performance or cloud computing systems; (2) authority to expand or establish centers of excellence to promote adoption of artificial intelligence- and machine learning-enabled advanced computing capabilities, including through public-private partnerships, software development, application of artificial intelligence technologies to challenges, and exploration of quantum computing to improve weather prediction accuracy and resolution; (3) authority to enter multiyear contracts under 41 U.S.C. §3903 for high-performance and cloud computing infrastructure, exempt from that section's duration limits if compliant with applicable law and including safeguards against unfunded liabilities upon cancellation; (4) a requirement for a report to specified congressional committees, due not later than two years after enactment of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026, evaluating the value of high-resolution probabilistic forecast guidance for hazardous weather or water events, needs for computing collaboration with the Department of Energy, and timelines for high-resolution weather models and related capabilities; and (5) a requirement to publish a 10-year strategic plan on NOAA high-performance computing and data management needs not later than one year after enactment and to update it every five years through 2035, addressing projected computing outlooks and needs for fisheries management, oceanographic and ecological forecasting; resources by line office; facilities, contracts, and partnerships; use of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies; resource distribution between operations and research; delayed products and services; workforce needs; and high-performance computing requirements.

This section revises the research and development program elements related to advanced numerical weather prediction under NOAA's high-impact weather research program (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)(5)) by striking "and" after subparagraph (D); replacing subparagraph (E), on quantitative assessment tools including observing system simulation experiments, with a new subparagraph (E) requiring development of publicly accessible community weather research modeling systems that (i) comply with public access requirements, (ii) run on public computers and networks, (iii) utilize cloud computing when appropriate, (iv) ensure model interoperability, (v) enable open community testing, (vi) provide real-time access to operational data per applicable restrictions, and (vii) offer supported versions of the unified forecast system for applications including fire weather, subseasonal-to-seasonal, hurricanes, space weather, ocean, cryosphere, air quality, and coastal models; and adding subparagraph (F) to establish and maintain a NOAA Data Lake consolidating publicly available numerical weather prediction data and metadata for model testing, pursuant to redistribution restrictions, licensing agreements, and applicable laws. (Thus, the program shifts from assessing observing systems to prioritizing community modeling infrastructure and centralized data access.)

This section strikes the requirement in subsection (a)(1) for the NOAA Under Secretary to complete and operationalize the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC)–1 and COSMIC–2 microsatellite constellations—including deployment in equatorial and polar orbits, integration into weather models, open data access, and annual reports to Congress—and redesignates former paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) as paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), respectively. It replaces subsection (b) with new requirements for the Under Secretary to (1) maintain a fleet of NOAA space-based observation platforms to provide operations-focused data supporting the agency's weather protection mission; (2) implement recommendations from the NOAA Observing Systems Council for an appropriate mix of government, academic, commercial, and international partnerships, including broadened use of the Commercial Data Program; (3) prioritize development of mission-tailored products and services with sufficient federal personnel for management and operations; and (4) maintain the National Centers for Environmental Information to archive and provide access to NOAA's national and global data and metadata. The section adds to subsection (c) a new paragraph (3) directing the Under Secretary, subject to appropriations, to develop and maintain geostationary extended observations (GeoXO) that (i) ensure data continuity and quality meeting or exceeding the GOES–R series in geostationary orbit, (ii) modernize core weather-monitoring with imaging and sounding as core instruments on all satellites, and (iii) launch not later than 2032; and requires submission to congressional committees of a revised mission architecture and implementation plan—including costs and launch schedule—before terminating any related program elements. This section also extends the date in subsection (f)(1) to 2030 (from 2023).

This section revises elements of NOAA's weather research and forecasting program (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)(3)), which supports research, development, and technology transfer to improve forecasts of high-impact weather events that endanger life and property, by (1) expanding covered weather observing systems to crewed and uncrewed aerial and surface systems (from aerial only); and (2) specifying additional observation sources to include stationary and mobile commercial observing systems, such as uncrewed aircraft and marine systems, in cooperation with NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (from commercial observing systems generally). The section further adds a new subsection (c) directing the Assistant Administrators for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and Marine and Aviation Operations, whenever practical, to use uncrewed aerial systems for damage assessment and recovery after extreme weather or water events and authorizing acquisition of such systems and related training for NOAA regional offices and partners.

This section revises the Interagency Committee for Advancing Weather Services (15 U.S.C. 8542) by (1) renaming it the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services; (2) designating the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere as co-chairs, with the Under Secretary also serving as Federal Coordinator for Meteorology (previously, only the Federal Coordinator served as co-chair); (3) streamlining federal coordination with weather industry stakeholders, academic partners, states, and emergency managers; and (4) adding functions to prioritize research needs, recommend efficiencies, leverage Earth observation research, expand private partnerships, share information, advise on resources, enhance communication, and develop the meteorological workforce. The section further (5) directs the council, in coordination with the United States Group on Earth Observations, to maintain a meteorological data inventory by soliciting private sector updates every two years for 10 years beginning on enactment and making data available to participating agencies; (6) requires the Interagency Meteorological Coordination Office to provide administrative support; (7) authorizes participating agencies to provide reimbursable funding to that office; and (8) requires the council to publish by one year after enactment (and annually through 2030) a report identifying federal programs using meteorological data, private sector acquisitions, forecasting advancements, and acquisition barriers. (As background, the council coordinates weather research, observations, and forecasting across agencies including NASA, FAA, NOAA, and NSF to address priority needs.) Any statutory reference to the prior committee name is deemed to refer to the council.

This section adds to the elements of the National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System (i.e., a nationwide network of federal and nonfederal assets for integrated ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observations, data products, modeling, and forecasting) a new paragraph establishing ships-of-opportunity pilot programs and projects. The NOAA Administrator, coordinating with relevant federal agencies, must contract with research or commercial ship operators—subject to regulations and certifications—for data collection using ocean and atmospheric observing instruments on vessels, including in the Arctic, to supplement the system and improve understanding of coastal and ocean systems and human activities; ensure such data meets standards under section 302(d) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017; submit to Congress, within five years of enactment and in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, a report on requirements for a global network of such instruments; and sunset the provision on the earlier of September 30, 2030, or one year after report submission.

This section consolidates reporting requirements applicable to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 by— (1) striking the requirement for biennial assessments of the adequacy of NOAA environmental data and information systems (considering data management, interfaces, standards, and policy-relevant integration) and related 10-year modernization plans submitted to congressional committees (15 U.S.C. 1537); (2) in the 2017 Act— (A) striking subsection (e) of section 102; (B) replacing section 105 with a requirement for the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, acting through the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and in coordination with the National Weather Service and Satellite and Information Services, to issue a biennial research and development and research-to-operations plan (not later than two years after enactment and every two years thereafter) on numerical weather prediction and forecasting, including forecasting goals, priorities, collaborations, and community modeling advances; (C) requiring annual briefings (instead of whatever frequency previously applied) to congressional committees under section 403(d) on participation in the weather enterprise engagement program and resulting innovations; and (D) striking sections 408 through 411 and 414 and redesignating sections 412 and 413 as 408 and 409, respectively (weather enterprise outreach and hurricane hunter aircraft); and (3) in section 108 of the 1992 Act— (A) striking paragraph (5) of subsection (a) and redesignating paragraphs (6) through (12) as (5) through (11); (B) striking subsection (b); and (C) redesignating subsection (c) as (b).

This section establishes a Precipitation Forecast Improvement Program under Title VI of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (i.e., NOAA weather research and forecasting authorities). The NOAA Administrator must maintain the program, in collaboration with the weather industry and other partners, to develop more accurate precipitation forecasts across timescales using a fully coupled Earth system prediction model, with goals and activities focused on precipitation extremes (e.g., atmospheric rivers), innovative observations and modeling, research-to-operations transition, social and behavioral sciences for risk communication, and data management. The Administrator must submit a proposed budget for the program to Congress annually with the President's budget under 31 U.S.C. 1105(a). The section also redesignates section 603 of the act as section 604 and makes a related clerical amendment to the table of contents.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to establish a long-term, agency-wide next-generation numerical weather prediction initiative to align modeling activities around a shared strategic vision for improving forecast accuracy, protecting lives and property, enhancing the economy, and promoting U.S. leadership in weather prediction. The initiative shall encourage physics-based and data-driven modeling, ensemble systems, continuous collaborative development, and modernization of modeling infrastructure and software practices. In carrying out the initiative, the Under Secretary should (1) enhance forecast accuracy, efficiency, and interpretability; (2) leverage innovation from the broader weather enterprise; (3) use advanced computing technologies and observational data; (4) periodically evaluate modeling systems to focus resources on the most capable solutions while ensuring operational continuity; and (5) explore artificial intelligence-based modeling and related training data needs.

This section establishes the Radar Next Program, to be carried out by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (in consultation with the National Weather Service director), to (1) develop performance and coverage requirements for the U.S. weather radar network (including territories); (2) collaborate with the weather enterprise on potential solutions meeting those requirements; and (3) develop a plan to replace the existing Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) system. The replacement plan must include estimates of quantifiable improvements in performance, coverage, and accuracy; development of a phased array radar for testing specifications; implementation of recommendations from the November 15, 2023, NESDIS Observing System Backbone Framework report; establishment of a weather surveillance radar testbed to evaluate commercial radars (to replace or supplement NEXRAD) and provide technical assistance for small gap-filling radars with private and local partners; consultations with academia, meteorologists, emergency managers, and public safety or utility officials; prioritized initial deployment locations; expected locations for the new system (including sites more than 75 miles from existing NEXRAD stations and other appropriate sites); and planned improvements to weather and water forecast/warning data. The Under Secretary must fully implement and execute the plan by September 30, 2040. This section authorizes the Under Secretary to partner or contract with non-NOAA entities ("Radar-as-a-Service") to fill weather radar data gaps (including low levels and wide areas) using radars and data assimilation technologies, considering participants from the testbed, National Mesonet Program, cooperative agreements, and weather camera systems (in consultation with the Federal Aviation Administration). The Under Secretary must provide periodic updates on program implementation to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce to identify under-observed regions in the United States and its territories that have weather data gaps or disproportionate hazardous weather impacts and to address those gaps through (1) increased observations and new capabilities; (2) testbeds and decision support services for emergency operations centers; (3) advanced weather, water, and subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasting and modeling; (4) workforce development for emergency officials and meteorologists; (5) data collection to understand extreme rainfall in complex topography; and (6) contributions to a national integrated heat health information system. The Under Secretary must coordinate these activities with the National Weather Service director and FEMA administrator, consult the weather industry and academics, and align with existing regional observing systems. This section further requires an interagency partnership, through the National Weather Service and with FEMA, to support pilot projects accelerating localized weather data use in infrastructure and emergency decisions, including at least one pilot addressing mesonet data challenges, tools, and training for critical infrastructure owners and operators (e.g., dams, energy generation and distribution facilities, nuclear power plants, transportation networks).

This section establishes an Atmospheric Rivers Forecast Improvement Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in collaboration with the weather industry and academic partners and in coordination with the Precipitation Forecast Improvement Program, to reduce loss of life, property damage, and economic losses from atmospheric rivers (i.e., narrow corridors of concentrated water vapor in the atmosphere that produce heavy precipitation and flooding, particularly on the U.S. West Coast). The section directs NOAA to (1) develop skill metrics, forecast systems, scientific understanding, tools, testbeds, and social science integration for atmospheric river predictions; (2) evaluate innovative observations, data, and modeling; (3) produce a public program plan within 270 days of enactment detailing research, development, data acquisition, partnerships, technology transfer, resources, and timelines, in consultation with the Secretary of the Air Force or the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron commander; and (4) submit an annual proposed budget for program activities to Congress with the President's budget under 31 U.S.C. 1105. The section further authorizes NOAA to improve modeling through high-resolution prototypes, data assimilation, processing techniques, artificial intelligence, ocean observations, and baseline weather monitoring; to acquire aircraft, equipment, and personnel for reconnaissance missions under NOAA and Air Force plans, with data for research and operations; and to conduct research on hazard communication in coordination with another NOAA program.

This section establishes a Coastal Flooding and Storm Surge Forecast Improvement Program, to be led by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (i.e., NOAA administrator) in collaboration with the weather industry and academic partners. The program's goal is to reduce loss of life and property damage from coastal flooding—including high tide flooding—and storm surge through improved forecasts and warnings, with implementation priorities that include (1) enhancing real-time operational predictions of the ocean's role in such events; (2) improving coastal communities' capacity to mitigate, adapt to, or prevent impacts; (3) incorporating data from in situ sensors into models; (4) developing probabilistic estimates for long-term planning; (5) establishing skill metrics for inundation forecasting; and (6) improving operational storm surge and wave models. The section further directs NOAA to periodically test innovative observations and modeling techniques—such as enhanced physics, machine learning systems, novel sensors, uncrewed systems, and hosted instruments—to improve forecasts; requires a detailed program plan within 180 days of enactment specifying research, development, data acquisition, technology transfer, resources, and timelines; and requires annual proposed budgets for the plan's activities to be submitted to Congress alongside the President's annual budget under 31 U.S.C. 1105.

This section establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the National Integrated Heat Health Information System to reduce heat-related impacts by improving delivery of temperature and extreme heat data, forecasts, and warnings; developing science-based tools for impact-based decision support services affecting human life, property, and the economy; and supporting coordinated heat health research. It also establishes within NOAA the National Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency Committee to coordinate federal agencies in reducing heat health risks. The section authorizes $5 million annually for NOAA for FY2026 through FY2030 to carry out these provisions, including administrative costs.

This section establishes an airborne observation program within NOAA to procure weather data from commercial aircraft, acquire additional vertical profile observations, and analyze such data for improved aircraft forecasts, with $10 million authorized annually for FY2026 through 2030. The section directs the National Weather Service to enhance aviation weather and turbulence forecasting at the Aviation Weather Center and Center Weather Service Units, including through an interagency working group, data gap identification, research transitions to operations, and probabilistic forecast technologies. The section amends the next generation weather research program (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)(3))—which supports research, development, and technology transfer to improve forecasts of high-impact weather events—by adding aviation weather phenomena, including atmospheric composition and turbulence, as a new priority area (new subparagraph (F)); completing subparagraph (G) on additional sources of weather data, including commercial observing systems; and adding a new paragraph (4) for a joint technology transfer initiative. The section further requires the Aviation Weather Center to disseminate full-resolution aviation weather data timely; mandates a five-year interagency agreement between NOAA and the FAA for NOAA to provide weather services (with FAA consultation on commercial supplements and fair compensation); and requires joint briefings to specified congressional committees every 90 days through December 31, 2030, on these matters.

This section directs the Assistant Administrator of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) to maintain (1) a partnership program, administered in consultation with NASA through annual or more frequent broad agency announcements and other transactional authorities, to enhance engagement with the private sector, academia, and other federal agencies; and (2) a transition program, also in consultation with NASA, to advance selected technologies, missions, data systems, spacecraft, and instrument designs from research to demonstration phases, prioritizing those that improve NOAA satellite architecture, align with recommendations of NOAA's May 31, 2018, Satellite Observing System Architecture Study, and meet mission requirements. (Thus, NESDIS must monitor demonstration progress and plan promising results for integration into NOAA's operational satellite architecture, which provides environmental observations for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and disaster response.) This section requires NESDIS to submit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology an annual plan outlining progress in these programs and operational planning, beginning one year after enactment and through 2029. This section authorizes $20 million for NESDIS for FY2026 through 2030 to carry out these provisions.

This section directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, acting through the Director of the National Weather Service, to develop by September 30, 2030, a strategy to transition operations of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS)—the primary system used by the National Weather Service to integrate, process, and disseminate weather data—to an operational cloud-based environment. The cloud-based AWIPS must provide impact-based decision support services to emergency managers at the Federal, State, local, and Tribal levels and continue to (1) integrate and display forecast data from meteorological, hydrological, climate, ocean, satellite, and radar sources; (2) acquire and process observational data from sensors and local sources; (3) provide an interactive communications system, including satellite broadcast capabilities; and (4) disseminate weather, water, marine, ecological, subseasonal to seasonal, aviation, and space warnings and forecasts rapidly and reliably. The transition may include (1) testbeds, pilot projects, and testing activities; (2) coordinated training for users; (3) bandwidth evaluations; (4) circuit installations for network reliability; (5) a cloud-based data repository; (6) virtualized systems to replace hardware; (7) evaluations of commercial cloud providers, including hybrids; and (8) development and operationalization of forecast and warning products. The Under Secretary must provide periodic updates on implementation to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. This section does not prohibit development of new forecast capabilities, subsystems, or modeling advancements.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to support reanalysis and reforecasting activities within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including through NOAA weather testbeds, (1) to improve weather forecasts, extreme weather predictions, and weather and climate datasets and (2) to serve as training data for artificial intelligence and machine learning models.

This section directs the Director of the National Weather Service (NWS) to (1) submit to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Congress, not later than one year after enactment and annually thereafter, an assessment of hiring and onboarding milestones, timelines, and service expectations for NWS employees—including recommendations to outsource hiring and determinations of required staff at forecasting offices; (2) contract with or partner with an external entity to assess medical impacts (e.g., stress) of rotating shift work on NWS employees, including mitigation options and benefit improvements; and (3) establish service level standards based on staffing levels, notwithstanding the hiring assessment results. This section further authorizes the NWS Director to designate at least one service hydrologist at each Weather Forecast Office—who may perform specified hydrology-related responsibilities (e.g., providing decision support services for flood events, liaising with users such as emergency managers, collaborating on forecasts and inundation mapping, and partnering on reservoir operations)—or to assign those duties to other staff. In addition, the section requires the NWS Director to conduct pilot projects on (1) transformational decision support services and technology, (2) cloud transitions for data and services, (3) on-site emergency support, and (4) probabilistic models and hazard communications—along with a study on scaling them—and sunsets this authority two years after enactment. Nothing in the section authorizes or requires changes to authorized NWS staffing numbers.

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA) to develop and curate, by four years after enactment, comprehensive weather forecasting training datasets incorporating relevant Earth system data, quality information, and metadata, in consultation with specified federal agencies, the Director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the Interagency Council on Advancing Meteorological Services, and other experts. To accelerate this effort, the Under Secretary must assess and build upon existing federal Earth system reanalysis datasets to the greatest extent practicable. The section further authorizes the Under Secretary to develop and test a global artificial intelligence (AI) weather model (i.e., a model based primarily on AI technology, including machine learning, neural networks, and natural language processing, using weather forecasting training datasets); experiment with regional and local AI weather models; and explore AI applications to enhance dissemination of weather and wildfire risk information and evaluate communication effectiveness for public preparedness. (Thus, these activities aim to improve forecast accuracy and timeliness for weather, water, wildfires, and space weather while strengthening public-private partnerships.) Additionally, the section requires NOAA to continue supporting observational data collection (including remote sensing and in situ platforms), Earth system research, numerical weather modeling (i.e., models based on coupled Earth system processes using numerical computation), data post-processing, and data assimilation techniques; evaluate machine learning cost functions to address inequities in observing system coverage; and conduct uncertainty quantification research for probabilistic forecasts. Not later than two years after enactment, and biennially thereafter through 2035, the Under Secretary must report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on these activities.

This section requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to submit to the specified congressional committees, not later than two years after enactment of this Act, a report assessing (1) federal observation capabilities and data gaps related to Earth's atmospheric composition (troposphere and stratosphere); (2) federal efforts advancing understanding of atmospheric composition changes' effects on Earth's radiation budget; (3) current and projected uses of ground-, space-, maritime-, aerial-, and commercial-based observation platforms; (4) recommendations for adapting or expanding such technologies; and (5) prioritized additional capabilities needed for comprehensive monitoring. The section authorizes the Under Secretary to conduct pilot projects testing atmospheric observation systems on commercial and uncrewed aircraft, ocean surface platforms or vessels, and in situ tropospheric/stratospheric sensors (with interagency consultation); and to enter agreements with governmental and nongovernmental entities to purchase commercial data, host instruments on platforms, and leverage international data. The appropriate committees of Congress are the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

This section directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to conduct a project to improve forecasts of coastal marine fog, with the goal of enhancing vessel safety and reducing economic impacts by (1) increasing marine-based observations via buoys, meteorological stations, vessels, unmanned systems, remote sensing, and advanced algorithms; (2) advancing modeling coverage, resolution, skill, accuracy, and marine channel forecasts; (3) improving communication of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) marine fog advisories; (4) communicating risks to maximize public decision-making; and (5) providing decision support services. The section requires engagement with public, private, and tribal stakeholders (Indian tribes as defined in 25 U.S.C. 5304)—and a project plan within one year of enactment detailing research, development, technology transfer activities, resources, and timelines.

This section revises the commercial weather data provision (previously requiring a one-time procurement strategy due 180 days after April 18, 2017) to establish and require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA) to maintain the Commercial Data Program for coordinating acquisition of satellite-, ground-, airborne-, marine-, in situ, remote sensing, or crowd-sourced weather and environmental data and services from private sector entities for operational forecasting and modeling. The program must (1) coordinate across specified NOAA offices and programs (e.g., National Mesonet Program, Aircraft Based Observation Program, National Data Buoy Center); (2) publish data standards and specifications within 180 days of enactment and ongoing; (3) prioritize acquisitions from participants in NOAA's Commercial Data Pilot Program or similar efforts; (4) maintain the Observing Systems Council and Fleet Council to guide observing system portfolios, including commercial data; (5) authorize the Secretary of Commerce to enter agreements for purchasing such data/services or hosting instruments on co-hosted platforms; (6) designate an ombudsman as a private sector liaison; and (7) require a report to Congress within two years evaluating NOAA data governance practices. (As background, NOAA provides essential public weather forecasts, warnings, and environmental data; commercial sources supplement federal observations to improve accuracy, coverage, and cost-effectiveness.)

This section revises Section 303 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8533)—previously requiring the NOAA Under Secretary to avoid unnecessary duplication between public and private data sources—by establishing the Commercial Data Pilot Program within NOAA's Commercial Data Program. The pilot program engages private sector partners to test and develop shared standards and methodologies for the quality, use, licensing, and attribution of observation services and data (e.g., surface-based, airborne-based, space-based, coastal- and ocean-based data, metadata, and model components) and to ensure their compatibility with NOAA modeling, meteorological awareness, and forecasting. NOAA must acquire such data meeting standards under section 302(d); enter pilot contracts through open competition; and annually assess and report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on contract summaries, standard compliance, integration viability into NOAA forecasts and models, expected improvements, data quality metrics (accuracy, timeliness, reliability, security, cost-effectiveness), and integration steps if viable (Thus, viable private data must be integrated into NOAA operations within one year of determination or identify challenges.) If assessments confirm viability, NOAA must (1) acquire cost-effective private data through the Commercial Data Program; (2) evaluate commercial alternatives early in future satellite system acquisitions before critical design; (3) assess national interest in government-only development if alternatives exist; and (4) report determinations to the specified committees.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA) to enter into multiyear contracts and agreements consistent with 41 U.S.C. 3903 (i.e., executive agency authority for contracts of more than one but not more than five program years). In acquiring weather and environmental observations and data under sections 302 (Commercial Data Program) and 303 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, the Under Secretary must (1) use year-long or multiyear contracts that foster service and data resiliency; (2) partner with multiple providers simultaneously to reduce data gaps and improve mission robustness; and (3) employ innovative transaction authorities such as those under section 301(d). The section further directs NOAA to avoid unnecessary duplication with NASA, other federal agencies, and private sector entities by coordinating activities, expenditures, and personnel; soliciting interagency requirements for the Commercial Data Program; and ensuring fair compensation to NOAA or non-federal providers by other agencies using such data and services. (A savings clause clarifies that the provision does not affect Department of Defense acquisition authorities under title 10, U.S. Code.)

This section establishes data assimilation, management, and sharing practices within NOAA as new section 305 of Title III of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017. Specifically, it requires the NOAA Under Secretary to (1) collaborate with the weather enterprise (i.e., public, academic, and private weather community) to establish open data standards supporting findability, accessibility, usability, and preservability; (2) consolidate data infrastructure using commercial cloud technologies or hybrids, partner with specified federal agencies (e.g., NASA, DOE) for co-location, and ensure long-term archival of Commercial Data Program data at the National Centers for Environmental Information; (3) share non-restricted data purchased via the Commercial Data Program or from international partners with U.S. weather enterprise members and provide model/forecast outputs incorporating such data; and (4) create a data assimilation program testing methods including artificial intelligence and machine learning, including a consortium of institutions of higher education (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1001) to conduct research, train students, and facilitate research-to-operations transitions in coordination with the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation, all consistent with federal cybersecurity requirements. The section further directs the Under Secretary to seek an agreement with a non-Federal entity within 90 days of enactment for a study on data management practices.

This section makes a clerical amendment to the table of contents of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 by updating the titles for sections 302 through 305 as follows: Sec. 302. Commercial Data Program; Sec. 303. Commercial Data Pilot Program; Sec. 304. Contracting authority and avoidance of duplication; and Sec. 305. Data assimilation, management, and sharing practices.

This section defines, for purposes of this title, the following terms: (1) hazardous weather or water events (i.e., severe storms such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and flash floods; winter storms such as freezing rain, sleet, snow, or combined effects with strong winds; and other hazards such as extreme heat or cold, wildfire, drought, dense fog, high winds, and river, coastal, or lakeshore flooding); (2) institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. 1001); (3) public cloud (i.e., an information technology model in which service providers make computing services, including compute, storage, develop-and-deploy environments, and applications, available on-demand over the public internet or other widely disseminated means); and (4) watch and warning (i.e., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration products issued for public consumption to alert on the potential for or presence of hazardous weather or water events and inform protective actions, excluding technical or specialized forecasts, outlooks, or model guidance).

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA) to maintain and improve NOAA's system for communicating risks of hazardous weather and water events (i.e., those that threaten life and property) to the general public, with the goal of informing action and encouraging response to prevent loss of life and property. The section requires NOAA to maintain a hazard risk communication program that (1) identifies, eliminates, or modifies unnecessary, redundant, or confusing terminology and adds new terminology as appropriate; (2) improves the form, content, and methods of such communications to more clearly inform action; (3) develops, in coordination with the National Weather Service (NWS) performance branch, metrics to track and evaluate the degree to which communications inform action and encourage response; (4) creates a periodically updated support plan informed by research and evaluations; (5) develops and implements science-based recommendations accounting for demographics, regions, hazard types, partners, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and abnormal events in specific areas; (6) coordinates with federal partners (including National Laboratories and cooperative institutes), state and local governments, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, and media; and (7) establishes best practices and guidance for timely and consistent communication across public-facing platforms.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to maintain a hazard communication research and engagement program to (1) modernize development and communication of risk-based, statistically reliable, probabilistic hazard information for hazardous weather or water events and (2) improve social, behavioral, and economic sciences related to such communications, including through voluntary data collection. The program requires coordination with states, tribal governments, localities, and emergency managers on research priorities and results. This section further directs the Under Secretary, in coordination with the VORTEX–USA program (15 U.S.C. 8513), to establish a merit-based competitive pilot program with eligible institutions (i.e., those frequently subject to severe weather or near a National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office) to test incorporation of tornado hazard communication research into operations. This section also requires the Under Secretary, in coordination with the hurricane forecast improvement program (15 U.S.C. 8514), to conduct a pilot study through eligible institutions (i.e., those in EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions (42 U.S.C. 1862g) or near a Weather Forecast Office) using surveys, focus groups, and interviews in hurricane-prone areas to assess disaster supplies, evacuation decisions, trust in forecasts, first-language access to warnings, and barriers to evacuation; the study methodology must be published online. Additionally, this section requires research and development to improve public reception, interpretation, response to, and valuation of hurricane forecasts and warnings, including (1) a comprehensive review of public decision-making factors (e.g., past experiences, demographics, language barriers, geographic differences); (2) identification of communication data gaps; (3) evaluation of the economic value of extended lead times; and (4) use of post-storm surveys under section 406 for retrospective and ex ante analyses.

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to establish or maintain NOAA Weather Radio as a nationwide network broadcasting weather information, emergency watches and warnings, geological hazards, and other hazards 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with resilience to emergencies such as power or cellular outages. The Under Secretary must ensure reliability by maintaining existing systems—particularly in areas with poor cellular coverage—and conducting consistent maintenance and monitoring. This section further requires a modernization initiative to expand coverage and capabilities, including (1) improving risk communication and warning urgency in high-frequency hazard areas; (2) acquiring transmitters for high-risk rapid-onset disaster areas, unserved communities lacking broadband, emergency systems, or satellite service, and federal lands (e.g., national parks and forests); (3) adding satellite dissemination and geographically specific warnings; (4) upgrading infrastructure to internet protocol, software for partial-county alerts, data accessibility, outage continuity options, remote transmission alternatives, and AI integration; and (5) prioritizing enhancements per an access assessment. Not later than one year after enactment, the Under Secretary must complete that assessment of NOAA Weather Radio access, considering real-time broadcasts, stakeholder input, management systems, redundancies, interagency coordination, and electromagnetic/geomagnetic risks. This section authorizes appropriations to the Under Secretary for NOAA Weather Radio for each of FY2026 through 2030.

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, to develop standards for flash flood emergency alert systems within the 100-year floodplain (i.e., areas subject to inundation from a flood having a 1-percent annual chance of being equaled or exceeded). The standards must (1) meet the needs of communities lacking mobile broadband internet access service (as defined in 47 CFR 8.1(b)), state or local emergency warning systems, or satellite service; and (2) ensure reliable systems, especially during hazardous events. Not later than two years after enactment, the Under Secretary must submit a report summarizing the standards to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

This section requires the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere (i.e., NOAA administrator) to conduct one or more post-storm surveys and assessments following every hazardous weather or water event determined by the Under Secretary to be of sufficient societal importance. The section directs coordination with federal, state, and local governments, private entities, and institutions of higher education to optimize data collection, sharing, integration, archiving, and access; requires public availability of appropriate data as soon as practicable; and mandates (1) examination of uncrewed aerial and marine systems for data collection, (2) identification and updating of gaps in tactics and procedures to enhance efficiency and reliability, and (3) integration of social, behavioral, and economic sciences elements (e.g., forecast efficacy, public action barriers, messaging challenges). The section further requires mental health support (i.e., training, resources, counseling) for employees conducting such surveys and exempts information collection during them from the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. ch. 35, subch. I).

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, not later than 18 months after enactment of this Act, a report examining the National Weather Service's information technology infrastructure for timely public notifications via alerts and updates on hazardous weather or water events. The report must include (1) an analysis of the agency's software, hardware, servers, data storage, broadband, data management, and data sharing; (2) identification of secondary and tertiary fail-safes for alert distribution; (3) determination of notification delays and possible improvements; (4) assessment of collaborations with other federal agencies, states, or private entities to reduce delays; (5) description of actions to identify vulnerable steps in the notification process; and (6) evaluation of geographical differences in rural areas, including estimated numbers affected and barriers to reliable systems.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to collect social, behavioral, and economic data—including secondary data, purchased data, or data obtained through private sector partnerships—related to federal communications of hazardous weather or water events and public responses thereto. The section further directs the Under Secretary to (1) establish and maintain a central repository system for such data; (2) ensure NOAA's collection, management, and use of the data complies with applicable legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations, including the Federal Records Act and the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018; (3) develop methods, such as digital watermarking, to reduce unauthorized tampering with online public notifications of such events; and (4) establish policies and procedures for collecting, archiving, and managing data on community responses to such events.

This section revises the functions of the NOAA Under Secretary for agricultural and silvicultural weather services (15 U.S.C. 8521(c)) to require (1) conducting research on subseasonal to seasonal predictability of temperature, precipitation, and other Earth system variables; (2) producing usable, reliable, timely foundational subseasonal to seasonal forecasts of temperature and precipitation; (3) advancing multi-model ensemble forecast systems and verification through improved data assimilation, prediction systems, dataset interactions, and data management; (4) leveraging weather and Earth system research and models; (5) accelerating operationalization of emerging coupled modeling technologies; and (6) providing information on how such forecasts relate to specified impacts, including droughts, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, storm surges, coastal inundation, heat waves, marine heat waves, winter storms, snowpack, permafrost thaw, sea ice conditions, and other high-impact weather events. (As background, subseasonal to seasonal forecasts—covering roughly weeks 2 through 6 to a year—aid agriculture, silviculture, and water management in anticipating and mitigating weather-related damages.) The section further establishes at least two pilot projects within NOAA's United States Weather Research Program (id. (h)) to improve subseasonal to seasonal precipitation forecasts for (A) water management in U.S. areas with high drought levels and reservoir reliance, addressing challenges such as model resolution in mountains, water movement, atmospheric boundary layers, storm tracks, atmospheric rivers, and air-sea interactions; and (B) agriculture in the central United States, addressing land surface modeling, warm-season precipitation, upper-level flow anomalies, and interstate water movement; with activities coordinated between NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and National Weather Service and terminating five years after enactment. The section authorizes $40 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030 to carry out the provision (id. (j)).

This section revises the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)—which integrates precipitation, soil moisture, and other data to provide national and regional drought forecasts, impacts assessments, and early warnings to federal, state, tribal, local governments, the private sector, and the public to reduce drought-related economic losses—by (1) eliminating the prior requirement to implement it through the National Weather Service and other NOAA weather and climate programs; (2) expanding its required functions to incorporate flash drought research and tools, support subseasonal to seasonal precipitation and temperature forecasting and low-flow predictions (from prior references to separate seasonal and subseasonal improvements), utilize specific observational networks, refine indicators across scales, improve decision-support products, optimize federal data resources, address gaps in snowpack, soil moisture, groundwater, and rapid intensification data, and leverage existing NOAA entities for water coordination; (3) authorizing the Under Secretary, through NIDIS and the National Weather Service, to develop within one year a plan to integrate existing NOAA drought products and advanced modeling into probabilistic forecasts; and (4) adding a partnership with the National Mesonet Program to establish memoranda of understanding for coordinated data. This section also authorizes appropriations for NIDIS of $15 million for FY2026, $15.5 million for FY2027, $16 million for FY2028, $16.5 million for FY2029, and $17 million for FY2030.

This section establishes the National Mesonet Program, to be maintained by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, to obtain observations improving forecasts of atmospheric, drought, fire, and water events; integrate denser and varied environmental data annually, including from local networks and sensors; establish memoranda of understanding with external networks; and coordinate with commercial satellite data. In implementing the program, the Under Secretary shall (1) increase data density to enhance National Weather Service forecasts (including nowcasts, warnings, and hyper-local predictions), boundary-layer and air-sea data, and severe weather warnings targeting 30-minute lead times; (2) monitor local conditions via soil moisture data supporting drought forecasting and the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network, plus road weather networks; and (3) administer cost-effectively by leveraging existing networks (e.g., supplemental radars), integrating non-Federal data sources, coordinating with NOAA programs (e.g., National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service), and identifying research priorities. The Under Secretary may award not less than 10% of annual appropriations as financial and technical assistance to State, Tribal, private, and academic entities to build, expand, or upgrade mesonet systems and maintain stations in unfeasible areas, conditioned on data-sharing agreements verified for operational value and cost.

This section establishes the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network within the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, in collaboration with the Secretary of Agriculture, USGS Director, NASA Administrator, and other relevant federal agency heads, must support the network's development, deployment, and maintenance and ensure it carries out the following activities: (1) establishing a visible, user-friendly website; (2) developing criteria for high-quality data sources; (3) supporting research to develop or improve national-scale soil moisture monitoring products; (4) increasing long-term, high-quality in situ and remote sensing monitoring stations across the United States; (5) sharing methodologies and validation protocols with the private sector; (6) developing, releasing, and promoting new nationwide point-based and gridded soil moisture data products; and (7) supporting community outreach and data sharing from collection to end-user decision making.

This section revises provisions governing the National Water Center (NWC)—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) research and operational center of excellence for hydrologic analyses, forecasting, and decision support services—by (1) locating the NWC within the Office of Water Prediction of the National Weather Service; (2) adding functions for the NWC, including leading the transition of federal water research (including model development) into NOAA and National Weather Service operations, serving as NOAA's primary center for research, development, collaboration, and coordination of water activities across federal entities (e.g., Department of Agriculture, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency), and integrating consistency among national and regional hydrological forecast operations; (3) requiring use of the Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System (or successor) to develop and incorporate advanced water resources modeling into the unified forecast system; (4) eliminating the requirement to issue an operations and services policy directive for the NWC; (5) redesignating the "total water prediction" subsection; and (6) adding a new subsection on organization and administration requiring supervision of National Weather Service River Forecast Centers (with coordination to the NWC) and administration of NOAA's duties related to the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (or successor; with coordination to the NWC). This section also extends authorization under subsection (d)(4) through FY2030.

This section directs the Secretary of Commerce to brief the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology not later than 180 days after the date of enactment on Department of Commerce and federal government-wide authorities and policies related to transferring any portion of Commerce-operated weather satellite systems to other federal agencies. The briefing must include (1) a description of the process for decommissioning a Commerce operational weather satellite, any existing agreements related to transfers of weather satellites (decommissioned or not), and any reimbursable agreements related to the transfer of physical property or the operation of Commerce weather satellites on behalf of other agencies; and (2) a summary of any Commerce plans for potential transfer of existing or future weather satellite systems to other agencies.

This section amends Section 603 of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (HABHRCA; 33 U.S.C. 4001), which establishes an Interagency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and Hypoxia to coordinate federal research, assessments, and management strategies for HABs (i.e., excessive algae growth that can produce toxins harmful to humans, marine life, and economies) and hypoxia (i.e., low-oxygen "dead zones" stressing aquatic ecosystems), as follows: (1) adds the Department of Energy as a task force member; (2) expands the scope of biennial scientific assessments from coastal waters including the Great Lakes to marine, estuarine, and freshwater systems and revises assessment elements to address causes, consequences, costs (including food safety and security), environmental stressors, mitigation alternatives, and improved modeling, forecasting, monitoring, and observation; (3) requires the task force to develop and submit to Congress an Action Strategy for HABs not less frequently than once every 5 years that includes scientific assessments of HABs across marine, estuarine, freshwater, and Great Lakes systems (including those migrating from freshwater to coastal areas), causes and impacts (ecological, economic, cultural, subsistence, food safety), stressors, prevention and mitigation methods with cost-benefit analysis, research priorities to address forecasting and monitoring gaps, progress evaluations, interagency coordination improvements, and regional chapters; and (4) directs task force consultation with states, Indian tribes, local governments, industries (e.g., fisheries, agriculture, fertilizer), academia, and nongovernmental organizations. This section also makes conforming and clerical amendments. Additionally, this section amends Section 603A of HABHRCA (33 U.S.C. 4002), which outlines the National HAB and Hypoxia Program to improve prediction, prevention, and mitigation, by (1) incorporating monitoring, observing, and forecasting into program purposes and requiring coordination with the revised assessments and new Action Strategy; (2) expanding eligible cooperative activities to programs and centers for marine, estuarine, and freshwater systems; (3) affirming independent agency missions; (4) streamlining implementation authorities; and (5) revising research priorities to emphasize causes, consequences, costs, monitoring (including the annual Gulf of Mexico hypoxia zone mapping cruise), and opportunities to improve monitoring. (Thus, the amendments broaden HABHRCA from a coastal focus to comprehensively address inland freshwater HABs alongside marine hypoxia.)

This section revises Section 9(g) of the National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2018 (33 U.S.C. 4010), concerning federal response to harmful algal bloom (HAB) and hypoxia events (i.e., low-oxygen zones harming aquatic life, public health, fisheries, and economies) declared to be of national significance, by— (1) authorizing the waiver of non-Federal cost-sharing requirements when no reasonable means exist to meet them and expanding contract, cooperative agreement, and grant authority to States, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, local governments, and other entities to assess environmental, economic, subsistence, and public health effects; (2) adding affected Indian tribal leaders, the executive official of the District of Columbia, and executive officials of affected U.S. territories or possessions as eligible to request event declarations and specifying detailed factors for determining national significance, including public health risks (e.g., toxin levels, illnesses, beach closures), economic and subsistence impacts (e.g., fishery losses, cleanup costs), magnitude relative to past events, and geographic scope; (3) defining "Indian tribe" and "Tribal organization" (per the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act), "Native Hawaiian organization" (per the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. 7517, including the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Office of Hawaiian Affairs), and "subsistence use" (i.e., customary use of resources for economic, nutritional, or cultural needs); and (4) authorizing $2 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030, to remain available until expended.

This section defines terms for purposes of the title, including (1) Administration (i.e., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration); (2) appropriate committees of Congress (i.e., the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology); (3) Earth system model (i.e., a mathematical model of the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land, cryosphere, and biosphere); (4) fire environment (i.e., environmental conditions influencing fuel and fire behavior, wildfire smoke, and post-fire impacts); (5) fire weather (i.e., weather conditions affecting wildfires, smoke, air quality, and related meteorological factors); (6) impact-based decision support services (i.e., scientific advice from the Administration to help emergency personnel and public safety officials make decisions affecting lives and livelihoods); (7) Indian tribe and (10) Tribal organization (each as defined in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act); (8) Native Hawaiian organization (as defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, including the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs); and (9) State (i.e., any state, the District of Columbia, specified U.S. territories, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau).

This section establishes a coordinated fire weather services program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support wildfire readiness, improve forecasts and warnings for wildfires, fire weather, smoke, and post-fire hazards (e.g., flooding and debris flows), and advance related research and decision support tools, consistent with NOAA research priorities under the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8511). The program must prioritize (1) fire weather-enabled Earth system models incorporating artificial intelligence and post-fire rain gauges; (2) observational systems for fire risk and real-time monitoring; (3) impact-based decision tools across the fire lifecycle; and (4) equitable access for rural communities. In addition, the Under Secretary may conduct supporting research on fuels, ecosystems, attribution science, and smoke/air quality forecasts.

This section requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA) to establish a fire weather testbed engaging federal, state, local, academic, private sector, and end-user stakeholders to evaluate and accelerate operational transition of fire weather technologies, models, products, and services for NOAA and land management agencies. The section further directs NOAA to (1) establish a research and development program for uncrewed systems to improve fire weather data collection, modeling, forecasts, and decision support—including required pilots testing real-world scenarios, model integration, and best practices, with coordination across federal agencies and compliance with airspace rules established by relevant federal authorities (e.g., FAA); and (2) conduct additional pilot projects potentially including satellite fire detection, commercial data procurement, and user needs assessments. This section amends the annual reporting requirement under the United States Weather Research Program (i.e., coordinates federal, academic, and private weather research to enhance forecasts and warnings) by adding to the report a description of research transitioned into operations, including from the new fire weather testbed.

This section amends Section 301 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8531) to require the NOAA Under Secretary to make NOAA-generated data and metadata fully and openly available per the Information Quality Act, Evidence Act, and Federal Records Act; preserve and curate such data; manage access using enterprise infrastructure, emerging technologies, commercial partnerships, and digital object identifiers; and collaborate with federal partners to maximize data interoperability, convert historical records to digital formats, and solicit relevant data. This section further amends Section 1114 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (43 U.S.C. 1748b–1), which supports wildfire detection technology development using unmanned aircraft systems and other tools— (1) to add NOAA to the list of agencies for interagency coordination; (2) to require consultation with NOAA on impact-based decision support services (i.e., scientific advice for emergency decisions) related to wildfire activities; and (3) to require collaboration with NOAA to improve coordination, utility, and interoperability of data for wildfire smoke prediction, forecasting, and modeling. This section directs the NOAA Under Secretary to develop and maintain a comprehensive, publicly accessible digital platform for the fire weather program established under section 702(a) that integrates geospatial data, decision support tools, training, and real-time fire weather forecasts; and to acquire sufficient high-performance computing resources for that program's research, operations, data storage, and workforce development, considering capabilities in other federal agencies and the commercial sector.

This section directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmospheres to (1) conduct annual post-fire-weather-season surveys and assessments beginning in the second winter after enactment—including investigating data gaps, improving strategies and systems, evaluating forecast accuracy, and refining performance measures; (2) conduct post-wildfire event surveys as necessary; (3) seek to increase post-wildfire community impact studies; (4) provide annual briefings to congressional committees on fire seasons, outlooks, and forecasts, in coordination with other agencies; (5) coordinate surveys with federal, state, local, tribal, Native Hawaiian, private, and academic partners to optimize data handling; (6) publicly release assessment data in accessible digital formats; and (7) incorporate results into NOAA's research and operations. The section further directs the Under Secretary, in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense, to (1) assess and plan upgrades for the automated surface observing system (ASOS)—which provides real-time weather observations for aviation, forecasting, and other uses—covering observation quality, planetary boundary layer data, public access, latency, atmospheric composition, operational continuity (including remote staffing), data handling, and research needs; (2) implement a standardized upgrade plan without impeding individual unit improvements; (3) develop cooperative agreements for remote automatic weather stations, ASOS, and wildfire smoke monitors; and (4) report to Congress within two years after enactment.

This section establishes an Incident Meteorologist Service within the National Weather Service to provide (1) on-site impact-based decision support services to federal, state, and local government emergency response agencies, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations preceding, during, and following significant weather-related events (e.g., wildland fires) that threaten human life, property, or the economy; and (2) support to federal, state, and local government decisionmakers, partners, stakeholders, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations for seasonal planning and pre-fire mitigation activities. The Service incorporates all existing National Weather Service incident meteorologists as of enactment and any appointed thereafter; deploys as determined by the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere or at the request of another federal agency head with the Under Secretary's approval; and receives adequate staffing, resources, real-time fire weather forecasts, training, administrative and logistical support, and professional counseling or other aid to address the emotional and mental health needs of incident meteorologists responding to high-impact and extreme fire weather events.

This section waives premium pay limitations under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5307 for covered employees (i.e., employees of the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, and the Interior) performing covered services (i.e., as wildland firefighters or fire management officials, incident meteorologists with fire crews, or on incident management teams, at the National Interagency Fire Center, or at coordinating or operations centers) during calendar year 2026, by disregarding premium pay received for such services when calculating aggregate basic and premium pay, subject to an overall annual cap at the Executive Level II rate under 5 U.S.C. 5313. (Thus, affected employees may receive additional premium pay beyond standard caps, but such pay is not creditable as basic pay for retirement or lump-sum annual leave purposes under 5 U.S.C. 5551 or 5552.) This section further (1) amends 5 U.S.C. 5542(a)(5) to include Department of Commerce employees; (2) directs the Secretaries of Commerce, Agriculture, and the Interior, in consultation with the Directors of the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management, to jointly develop and implement by March 30, 2026, a plan ensuring sufficient covered employees are available for covered services each fiscal year beginning in FY2026 without premium pay waivers—not contingent on FY2026 or later appropriations exceeding FY2024 levels—and to submit the plan to specified congressional committees at least 30 days prior to implementation; and (3) requires each Secretary concerned to maintain policies and procedures promoting the health, safety, and well-being of covered employees.

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to submit to the appropriate congressional committees, not later than 18 months after enactment, (1) a plan detailing observational data, modeling, computational, research, personnel, and other resources and timelines needed to implement the Fire Weather Services Program (as described in section 702(b)) and related activities under this title; (2) an assessment of current and projected incident meteorologist staffing levels and National Weather Service research, development, and operational infrastructure needs to address wildfire and high-impact fire weather events; and (3) an assessment of support services needs for National Weather Service emergency response employees, including via the Public Health Service, with estimated required appropriations and a directive to acquire additional services. Following completion of the plan, the section requires the Under Secretary to submit annually to Congress, concurrent with the President's budget submission under 31 U.S.C. 1105, a proposed budget for the plan's elements.

This section directs the Executive Director of the Interagency Council for Advancing Weather Services (established under 15 U.S.C. 8542) to establish, not later than 90 days after enactment, the Fire Science and Technology Working Group—chaired by the Under Secretary or designee—to coordinate science, research, technology, and operations related to wildland fire prediction, detection, forecasting, modeling, resilience, response, management, and assessments among specified agencies, with input from non-Federal stakeholders. (As background, the Interagency Council coordinates federal weather research and forecasting across agencies including NOAA, NASA, FAA, and NSF.) The section further directs the Interagency Council to submit to Congress, not later than 18 months after enactment, a strategic plan for interagency coordination, research, and development to improve wildland fire and wildfire smoke assessment, prediction, and impacts—including on communities, infrastructure, ecosystems, watersheds, and economies—covering specified elements such as priorities for vulnerable populations, high-performance computing needs, interagency data sharing and model interconnection timelines, observation incorporation from technologies including satellites and uncrewed aerial systems, public communication frameworks, and social-behavioral science integration. The Working Group terminates not later than one year after enactment.

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, in collaboration with the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, the directors of the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Bureau of Land Management, the FEMA Administrator, and appropriate stakeholders, to (1) evaluate the current system for rating wildfire risk; and (2) update that system if necessary to ensure its ratings accurately reflect fire risk severity. (As background, fire weather rating systems such as the National Fire Danger Rating System assess weather-driven fire potential to inform resource allocation and suppression efforts on federal lands.)

This section requires the Comptroller General of the United States to submit four reports to Congress on wildfire-related programs and coordination. (1) Not later than three years after enactment, a report evaluating the performance of the Fire Weather Services Program established under section 702(a)—including baseline capabilities and progress toward fully operationalizing the functions described in section 702(b)—and providing recommendations to improve the program. (2) Not later than one year after enactment, a report identifying specified federal interagency bodies for wildfire forecasting, prevention, planning, and management (e.g., Wildland Fire Leadership Council, National Wildfire Coordinating Group); evaluating their roles, functionality, utility, progress, performance, and implementation; assessing efficacy, overlap, and duplication; and providing recommendations to streamline operations, including whether to add the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (3) Not later than one year after enactment, a report identifying authorities, roles, and science and support services relating to wildland fire activities provided by specified agencies (e.g., Departments of Commerce including NOAA and NIST, Agriculture, Interior; NASA; NSF); and recommending mechanisms to improve interagency coordination, research and development, data management and stewardship, interoperability, public safety communications, and real-time data and decision support tools with state, local, Tribal, and other stakeholders. (4) Not later than four years after enactment, a report evaluating the functionality, utility, reliability, and operational status of the automated surface observing system across NOAA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Department of Defense; progress on the plan required by section 705(b)(1)(B); cross-agency collaboration and stakeholder engagement; operational continuity and reliability (particularly in remote and rural areas); and federal coordination on remote automatic weather stations, air resource advisors, and other observing assets.

This section requires each federal agency to cooperate and coordinate with the Under Secretary in carrying out this title and its amendments. It directs the Under Secretary to coordinate with federal and external partners—including agencies at the National Interagency Fire Center, the Predictive Services Program of the National Interagency Coordination Center, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, and relevant interagency bodies identified under section 711(b)—and consult with specified agencies (e.g., NASA, DOI, FEMA, NSF, USGS, USDA, EPA, DOE, DOD, NIST) to leverage existing assets, systems, and data. The section further requires the Under Secretary, not later than 18 months after enactment, to develop and submit to congressional committees a process for annual coordination with state and local governments, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to improve fire weather products and services. It also authorizes the Under Secretary to develop collaborative agreements with foreign partners on transboundary wildfires, fire weather, smoke, air quality, and related hazards, in consultation with the Department of State and other relevant federal partners.

This section directs the Under Secretary to ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that activities under this title and its amendments do not duplicate activities supported by other parts of the Administration or other federal agencies and to coordinate with the Administration and other federal research agencies to complement efforts and promote responsible stewardship of funds. It further provides that nothing in this title satisfies any requirement for government-to-government consultation with Indian tribes or affects or modifies any treaty or other right of any Indian tribe.

This section authorizes appropriations to the Administration to carry out this title and the amendments made by this title of $15 million for FY2026, $20 million for FY2027, $27 million for FY2028, $36 million for FY2029, and $50 million for FY2030. The section prohibits use of these funds to unnecessarily duplicate activities funded under title VIII of division D of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58).

This section revises the NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the United States—established to compile, estimate, analyze, and communicate precipitation frequency data across the United States (including territories and Freely Associated States) at least every 10 years—by (1) adding definitions for atmospheric river (i.e., a transient corridor of strong water vapor producing significant rain or snow that may benefit water supply or cause flooding), atmospheric river flooding event (i.e., an atmospheric river causing flooding or hazards of concern to human health, property, and the economy, as determined by the Secretary of Commerce), and extreme precipitation event (i.e., precipitation exceeding the 5-year annual recurrence interval for a specific location); and (2) requiring coverage of precipitation frequency estimates from such events, such as hurricanes, atmospheric river flooding events, and extreme precipitation events.

This section amends definitions in the National Landslide Preparedness Act (NLPA) by adding terms for "atmospheric river," "atmospheric river flooding event," and "extreme precipitation event" (cross-referencing 15 U.S.C. 9707(a)); "institution of higher education" (from the Higher Education Act of 1965); "Native Hawaiian organization" (from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, expanded to include the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs); and "Tribal organization" (from the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act). The section further revises the NLPA's national landslide hazards reduction program (led by the Department of the Interior, in coordination with other agencies, to minimize losses from landslides) as follows: (1) changes "protect" to "contribute to protecting" life and property from landslide hazards; (2) replaces "implement" with "disseminate" guidance on best practices; (3) requires the first national strategy after enactment (due not later than two years after enactment, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce) to assess risks to life and property from atmospheric river flooding events and extreme precipitation events; (4) directs the national landslide hazards database to identify areas needing additional risk assessments due to hydrology changes (including erosion or drought), atmospheric river flooding events and extreme precipitation events, geologic activity (e.g., earthquakes or volcanic eruptions), or data-poor regions; (5) expands landslide hazard preparedness activities for communities to include Native Hawaiian organizations, Tribal organizations, and other stakeholders; specifies reducing losses from landslides caused by atmospheric rivers and other extreme precipitation events; and updates references to health, safety, and emergency management to encompass these entities; and (6) broadens debris flow early warning system development and implementation to include Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations.

This section designates the existing authority of the Secretary of the Interior to acquire by donation, purchase, or condemnation up to 10 acres of land—or easements, licenses, rights-of-way, or leases—for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gaging stations and observation wells (while protecting state water laws) as section 1 with conforming amendments and adds section 2 to establish within USGS the Next Generation Water Observing System. The system's purpose is to provide real-time data on water quantity and quality that, compared to previous systems, is more affordable, more rapid, and available in more locations, in order to support advanced modeling tools for state-of-the-art flood and drought forecasts, emergency- and water-management decision support, and evaluations of flood and drought risks (including scenarios modifying those risks); seasonal snowpack storage and effects on water supplies; early drought stages and recovery timelines; evapotranspiration losses; wet-dry period water quality differences; streamflow-groundwater interactions; and glacier ice and water volumes (including changes from glacial retreat). The system must incorporate (1) state-of-the-art measurements; (2) dense sensor arrays at selected sites; (3) increased spatial and temporal coverage; (4) new technology testing and implementation; (5) improved operational efficiency; and (6) modernized, timely data storage and delivery. The Secretary must prioritize USGS regions with (1) high drought levels; (2) reliance on reservoirs for water storage; (3) reliance on hydrologic storage, including groundwater, aquifers, and snowpack; or (4) flooding and extreme rainfall. Authorizes $30 million for FY2026 to implement the system in 10 initial basins (as determined by the Secretary), to remain available until expended and derived from amounts appropriated to USGS.

This section amends the Federal priority streamgage program and national groundwater resources monitoring provisions (42 U.S.C. 10367) as follows: **(1)** For the streamgage program— (A) requires the base network to support groundwater quality assessments relating to permafrost thaw and changes in precipitation rates; (B) extends the deadline to increase funded streamgages to not less than 4,700 sites, ensure flood-hardening and equipping with precipitation, water-quality sensors, and modernized telemetry, to 11 years after March 30, 2023 (from 10 years), prioritizes new sites in regions with high drought levels, reliance on reservoirs or hydrologic storage (including groundwater, aquifers, and snowpack), or flooding and extreme rainfall without affecting existing operating sites that meet stakeholder needs, and updates certain program name references; and (C) increases authorized funding to $30 million annually for FY2026 through FY2033 (from $10 million annually for FY2009 through FY2028), to be derived from USGS appropriations. (The program collects continuous streamflow and environmental data in key watersheds to inform water resource management, hydrologic extremes, climate change assessments, and forecasting.) **(2)** For groundwater monitoring— (A) expands required consultation and priority activities to include Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations alongside state and local agencies; (B) requires priority for monitoring activities in regions with high drought levels, reliance on reservoirs or hydrologic storage (including groundwater, aquifers, and snowpack), or flooding and extreme rainfall; and (C) specifies that authorized appropriations be derived from USGS funds.

This section directs key agency leadership—defined as the NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology (NIST Director), in consultation with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner and Coast Guard Commandant—to jointly develop a standard methodology, based on chemical analysis, for identifying the country of origin of seafood to support enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The methodology must (1) align with federal and state law enforcement needs against IUU fishing, (2) minimize processing time, (3) use a field kit portable by one individual, and (4) to the extent practicable, test prepared seafood such as ceviche, sashimi, sushi, and poke; initial development includes pilot studies on red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus, a stationary stock example) and tuna (bigeye [Thunnus obesus], yellowfin [Thunnus albacares], and bluefin [Thunnus thynnus], highly migratory stock examples). Not later than two years after enactment, the Under Secretary must report to specified congressional committees on the methodology, an operationalization plan, or—if any aspect is impracticable—an explanation, potential research needs, and alternative approaches beyond chemical analysis.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, to expend Department of Defense operation and maintenance funds to provide maritime technical assistance to other nations' maritime forces combating illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing and other transnational organized crime. The authority applies to (1) U.S. Coast Guard members deployed to and operating aboard Department of Defense, partner nation, or international partner platforms; and (2) partner nation personnel operating aboard U.S. military or Coast Guard assets or international partner vessels, as appropriate.

This section establishes definitions for the title, including (1) "Director" as the Director of the National Science Foundation; (2) "oceanographic research vessel" as having the meaning given that term in 46 U.S.C. 2101; and (3) "U.S. Academic Research Fleet" as U.S.-flagged vessels that (A) have been accepted into and are active participants administered within the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, (B) are operated as oceanographic research vessels by research universities and laboratories, (C) receive funding from the National Science Foundation, and (D) have achieved designation as a member vessel of the fleet through a standard evaluation process.

This section directs the Director of the National Science Foundation, in consultation with relevant federal agencies, universities, and laboratories, to submit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, not later than one year after enactment, a plan to improve cybersecurity and telecommunications for the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (USARF)—a fleet of research vessels owned or operated by federal agencies, universities, and labs to support oceanographic and scientific missions. The plan must include (1) an assessment of the fleet's telecommunications and networking needs consistent with typical scientific missions; (2) an assessment of cybersecurity needs, informed by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and National Institute of Standards and Technology guidance, tailored to vessel ownership and missions; (3) a cost assessment for necessary equipment (e.g., satellite communications, software, high-performance computing) and excess personnel costs (e.g., training, support); (4) a timeline assessment for upgrades under varying budgets; (5) recommendations for common solutions, consortial licensing, or centralized cybersecurity, telecommunications, or data management; and (6) a spending plan involving the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, non-federal vessel owners, USARF users, or combinations thereof. In developing the plan, the Director must consider network capabilities (e.g., speed and bandwidth) for vessel operations, telemedicine, data uploads, real-time streaming, and remote expert viewing of scientific instruments or operational technology, as well as cybersecurity recommendations from the 2021 JASON report "Cybersecurity at NSF Major Facilities," information security standards (e.g., encryption, incident detection), personnel training, and handling of controlled unclassified or classified information.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Weather Service, to establish alternative or fixed-rate relocation allowances—including those under 5 U.S.C. §§5724, 5724a, 5726, 5727, or 5729—for National Weather Service employees permanently transferred in the federal interest (including from other agencies) and their immediate families, notwithstanding standard federal relocation rules in 5 U.S.C. chapter 57, subchapter II. It preserves the service agreement requirement under 5 U.S.C. §§5722 (for transfers outside the continental United States) and 5724 (for transfers within).

This section requires the NOAA Under Secretary, within 15 days after the President's annual budget submission, to submit to specified congressional committees a prioritized list—from highest to lowest priority—of unfunded priorities (i.e., mission or statutory requirements not funded in the proposed budget that the Under Secretary would have recommended with additional resources). The list must include, for each priority, a description and relation to NOAA's statutory or mission requirements, a funding estimate, and design/acquisition status if applicable; and cover needs related to (1) protecting human life, property, and the economy from weather and water impacts, managing fisheries and ocean/coastal/Great Lakes resources, and improving data storage/accessibility; (2) infrastructure and assets (i.e., facilities, labs, instrumentation, data/cloud/supercomputing resources, and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations aircraft/vessels/uncrewed systems); (3) operational shortfalls compromising timely mission fulfillment; (4) mitigating fishery disasters; and (5) transitioning successful Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research experimental programs to operational status in other NOAA offices. This section further directs the Under Secretary to publish online by February 1 of each year a list of planned stock assessments and surveys for the upcoming fiscal year, in consultation with the Assistant Administrators for Marine and Aviation Operations and National Marine Fisheries Service; requires inclusion of specified priority stock assessments under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in the unfunded priorities list; and amends section 304(e)(1) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 1854(e)(1)) by redesignating the existing text as subparagraph (A) and adding a new subparagraph (B).

This section establishes miscellaneous authorities for the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA), as follows: (1) authorizes technical assistance and services for Pacific Island parties (i.e., Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Federated States of Micronesia; and others deemed appropriate) using existing NOAA programs, offices, and sites in the Pacific Islands region and considering a new cooperative institute; (2) authorizes technical assistance, data, and operational products or services to support voluntary State assessments; (3) authorizes the National Weather Service Director to establish partnerships with international weather services for co-developing meteorological information and instrumentation, building on existing agreements; (4) notwithstanding the general prohibition in 31 U.S.C. 1345 on using appropriations for meeting-related expenses, authorizes reasonable subsistence expenses (excluding travel, transportation, lodging, and per diem for non-Federal employees) for hosting meetings or conferences in the United States; (5) directs NOAA data, services, and products to comply with the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act; and (6) requires a briefing to specified congressional committees, not later than one year after enactment, on intra-agency and interagency meetings attended by NOAA line office Assistant Administrators and Deputy Administrators.