[House Report 118-60]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


118th Congress   }                                      {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session     }                                      {      118-60

======================================================================



 
              NOAA WEATHER RADIO MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2023

                                _______
                                

  May 16, 2023.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Lucas, from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1482]

    The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 1482) to provide guidance for and 
investment in the upgrade and modernization of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio All 
Hazards network, and for other purposes, having considered the 
same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommends that the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose and Summary..............................................     1
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Legislative History..............................................     2
Committee Views..................................................     3
Section-by-Section...............................................     3
Committee Consideration..........................................     3
Roll Call Votes..................................................     4
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch.....................     6
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the 
  Committee......................................................     6
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     6
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     6
Federal Advisory Committee Act...................................     6
Unfunded Mandate Statement.......................................     6
Earmark Identification...........................................     6
Committee Cost Estimate..........................................     6
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures     7
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     7

                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    H.R. 1482 expands the coverage and increases reliability of 
the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) by upgrading technologies and 
increasing the number of transmitters leading to modernization 
of the NOAA Weather Radio for the 21st Century.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(NOAA)'s National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, 
water, and emergency forecasts, warnings, and impact-based 
decision support services for the protection of life and 
property. Forecasters at Weather Forecasts Offices utilize the 
Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System to create and 
distribute NWS weather warnings. When NWS disseminates 
warnings, they are sent out among several outlets and 
services--the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and NWR being two 
of the most effective and efficient methods.
    Wireless Emergency Alerts are originated via the National 
Weather Service Telecommunication Gateway and then sent to the 
Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS). Once the 
alert reaches the IPAWS, the alerts are then ``pushed out'' to 
commercial wireless carriers who broadcast the alert from cell 
towers in the threat area, straight to individuals' cellular 
devices. However, there is not complete commercial coverage 
from cellular towers and not every individual possesses a 
cellular device.
    NWR provides coverage for the majority of the nation 
including the portions not covered by WEA. NWR consists of a 
nationwide network of over 1000 radio stations covering all 50 
states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, and U.S. Pacific Territories. NWR provides NWS 
official warnings, watches, forecasts, and other hazard 
information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week making it the 
comprehensive source for weather and emergency information to 
over 95% of the population. NWR provides services where 
cellular coverage is limited, when cellular broadcast towers 
are out of commission, and when internet is unavailable. 
However, due to NWR transmitter sustainability there is a need 
for improving and modernizing NWR.
    Operations and maintenance as well as tower transmitter 
leases are increasingly expensive as transmitters age. 
Furthermore, as populations shift it becomes difficult to 
ensure sufficient transmitters in the correct locations in 
addition to shifting consistent maintenance and timely repairs 
to those transmitters. There is also the need to transition 
from obsolete copper technology to Internet Protocol (IP)--or 
wireless based technologies. Transitioning to a modernized NWR 
will allow for greater precision with warnings and alerts. 
Implementing partial county alerting rather than broad warnings 
will reduce over-warning of areas which can lead to warned 
individuals becoming complacent. Finally, modernizing NWR will 
provide the ability to enhance non-weather emergency messages 
via NWR at the request of authorized officials.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    In the 117th Congress, Representative Stephanie Bice, then-
Ranking Member, and Representative Mikie Sherrill, then-
Chairwoman, of the Environment Subcommittee of the House 
Science, Space, and Technology Committee introduced H.R. 5324, 
the NWR Modernization Act of 2021 on September 22, 2021. It 
passed by a vote of 397 yeas to 20 nays on the House floor on 
May 11, 2022.
    H.R. 1482 was introduced on March 9, 2023, by 
Representative Bice (R-OK) with Representatives Sherrill (D-
NJ), Miller (R-OH), Bonamici (D-OR), Kilmer (D-WA), Jackson (D-
NC), and Lee (D-PA).

                            COMMITTEE VIEWS

    The Committee notes the critical importance of NWR to the 
protection of life and property of individuals in the United 
States and its Territories during extreme weather events. NWR 
has provided continuous warnings, watches, forecasts, and 
additional hazard information for decades and is an essential 
resource for the public, especially Americans who are often 
unable to access advanced products via internet communication 
or cellular devices. Modernization efforts authorized in this 
bill will help bring NWR into the 21st century and support 
continued, reliable broadcasts of weather and non-weather 
hazards to Americans across the United States and its 
territories.

                           SECTION-BY-SECTION

Section 1. Short title

    The short title of this legislation is ``NWR Modernization 
Act of 2023.''

Section 2. Definitions

    This section defines Administrator and NOAA Weather Radio.

Section 3. Findings

    This section makes five findings on the importance of the 
NWR and efforts to modernize it's broadcast to reach the entire 
population of the United States.

Section 4. Upgrading existing systems

    This section directs the NOAA Administrator to expand 
coverage of the existing NWR and ensure its reliability through 
system support, maintenance, and acquisition of additional 
transmitters to reach rural and underserved communities.

Section 5. Modernization initiative

    This section directs the NOAA Administrator to undertake 
activities in parallel to those in Section 4 to modernized NWR 
capabilities and ensure coverage remains valuable to the 
public, including upgrading the telecommunications 
infrastructure, accelerating software upgrades, ensuring 
accessibility of the data to stakeholders, developing backup 
capabilities, and more. Additionally, the Administrator is 
required to conduct an assessment that would provide 
recommendations on improving access to NWR, with input from 
relevant stakeholders, and those recommendations prioritized in 
carrying out activities to maximize accessibility.

                        COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    On March 29, 2023, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 1482, without 
amendment, by roll call vote, a quorum being present.

                            ROLL CALL VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII requires the Committee to list the 
record votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments 
thereto. The following reflects the record votes taken during 
the Committee consideration:


              APPLICATION OF LAW TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that H.R. 1482 does not relate to the 
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services 
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of 
the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104-1).

  STATEMENT OF OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 
(2)(b)(1) of rule X, the Committee's oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of 
this report.

         STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

    Pursuant to clause (3)(c)(4) of rule XIII, the goal of H.R. 
1482 is to modernize NOAA Weather Radio by increasing the 
number of transmitters and upgrading related technologies in 
order to expand coverage and increase system reliability. 
Modernization of the NOAA Weather Radio system is integral to 
ensure continued, reliable broadcasts of weather and non-
weather hazards to Americans across the United States and its 
territories.

                    DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII, the Committee 
finds that no provision of H.R. 1482 establishes or 
reauthorizes a program of the Federal Government known to be 
duplicative of another Federal program, including any program 
that was included in a report to Congress pursuant to section 
21 of Public Law 111-139 or identified in the most recent 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.

                     FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish 
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within 
the definition of section 5(b) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act.

                       UNFUNDED MANDATE STATEMENT

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act.

                         EARMARK IDENTIFICATION

    Pursuant to clauses 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the 
Committee finds that H.R. 1482 does not include any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits.

                        COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII, the Committee 
adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. At the time this report was 
filed, the estimate was not available.

   NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII, the Committee 
finds that H.R. 1482 would result in no new or increased budget 
authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or 
revenues.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII, at the time this 
report was filed, the cost estimate prepared by the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 was not available.

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