[House Report 118-61]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


118th Congress }                                          { REPORT 
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session   }                                          { 118-61

======================================================================
 
                  NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS 
                            IMPROVEMENT ACT

                                _______
                                

  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. 1496]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 1496) to upgrade the communications 
service used by the National Weather Service, 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..............................................     2
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Legislative History..............................................     2
Committee Views..................................................     2
Section-by-Section...............................................     2
Committee Consideration..........................................     3
Roll Call Votes..................................................     3
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch.....................     5
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the 
  Committee......................................................     5
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     5
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     5
Federal Advisory Committee Act...................................     5
Unfunded Mandate Statement.......................................     5
Earmark Identification...........................................     5
Committee Cost Estimate..........................................     5
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures     6
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     6
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     7

                          Purpose and Summary

    H.R. 1496 authorizes the National Weather Service (NWS) to 
improve its current legacy instant messaging communications 
system (referred to as `NWSChat') by upgrading to a cloud-based 
commercial communications system.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    The National Weather Service provides weather, water, and 
climate data, forecasts, warnings, and impact-based decision 
support services for the protection of life and property, and 
enhancement of the national economy. To communicate its 
services with local officials and emergency responders, NWS 
personnel use NWSChat, an instant messaging program utilized to 
share critical warning decision expertise and weather 
information. The current legacy communication system has 
experienced dissemination issues, and the NWS has initiatied a 
demonstration effort to migrate NWSChat to a new operational 
environment. The National Weather Service Communications 
Improvement Act would support NWS' ongoing efforts to improve 
the reliability of their instant messaging service by requiring 
the implementation of a commercial off-the-shelf solution.

                          Legislative History

    In the 117th Congress, Representative Randy Feenstra 
introduced H.R. 7361, the National Weather Service 
Communications Improvement Act on April 1, 2022. It passed as 
part of a package of suspension bills that received requests 
for recorded votes (H. Res. 1254) on the House floor on July 
27, 2022.
    H.R. 1496 was introduced on March 9, 2023, by 
Representative Feenstra (R-IA) with Representatives Ross (D-
NC), Miller (R-OH), Bonamici (D-OR), Crawford (R-AR), Carbajal 
(D-CA), Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Jackson (D-NC), Hinson (R-IA), 
Sorensen (D-IL), Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR), Foushee (D-NC), LaMalfa 
(R-CA), Radewagen (R-AS), Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Carey (R-OH), and 
Lee (D-PA).

                            Committee Views

    The Committee notes that NWSChat is a critical tool but has 
faced issues with dissemination of information with its current 
legacy system. To address these issues, the NWS has already 
started to transition to the use of commercial off-the-shelf 
communication systems. This bill would provide the NWS with the 
necessary authorization to continue its transition from its 
current legacy system to a new system and increase the overall 
performance and reliability of an instant messaging system.

                           Section-by-Section


Section 1. Short title

    The short title of this legislation is ``National Weather 
Service Communications Improvement Act.''

Section 2. National Weather Service communications

    This section amends Title IV of the Weather Research and 
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 by directing the National 
Weather Service to upgrade its current legacy instant message 
service, commonly known as NWSChat, to a cloud-based commercial 
off-the-shelf communications system. This section also 
authorizes $3,000,000 for each of FY2024 through FY2027 from 
amounts appropriated to NWS to carry out this Act.

                        Committee Consideration

    On March 29, 2023, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 1496, 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. 1496 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

    In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the goal of 
H.R. 1496 is to authorize an improvement of National Weather 
Service (NWS) communications abilities by replacing the current 
legacy system, NWSChat, with a modern, cloud-based commercial 
communications system. Upgrading to a commercial cloud 
communications system alleviates the dissemination issues that 
the current system has been having and allows for better 
communication between NWS and local officials as well as their 
emergency responders.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII, the Committee 
finds that no provision of H.R. 1496 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. 1496 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.

             New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, 
                          and Tax Expenditures

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII, the Committee 
finds that H.R. 1496 would result in no new or increased budget 
authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or 
revenues.

               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    With respect to the requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of 
rule XIII and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate 
for H.R. 1713 from the Director of Congressional Budget Office:




    No H.R. 1496 would authorize the appropriation of $3 
million annually over the 2024-2027 period for the National 
Weather Service (NWS) to replace its current instant messaging 
system with an updated, cloud-based system. The NWS uses 
instant messages to share its expertise on making critical 
warning decisions and other types of significant weather 
information with public safety officials, emergency personnel, 
and the media.
    Based on spending patterns for similar activities, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 1496 would cost $11 million 
over the 2023 2028 period and $1 million after 2028, assuming 
appropriation of the authorized amounts.
    The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall 
within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).

               TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER H.R. 1496
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
                                                      ----------------------------------------------------------
                                                        2023    2024    2025    2026    2027    2028   2023-2028
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Authorization........................................       0       3       3       3       3       0        12
Estimated Outlays....................................       0       2       2       3       3       1        11
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aurora Swanson. 
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Director of Budget Analysis.
                                         Phillip L. Swagel,
                             Director, Congressional Budget Office.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is 
printed in italics and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

        WEATHER RESEARCH AND FORECASTING INNOVATION ACT OF 2017


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

  (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Weather 
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017''.
  (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is 
as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
     * * * * * * *

                 TITLE IV--FEDERAL WEATHER COORDINATION

     * * * * * * *
Sec. 415. National Weather Service communications.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


TITLE IV--FEDERAL WEATHER COORDINATION

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 415. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS.

  (a) System Upgrade.--The Director of the National Weather 
Service shall improve the instant messaging service used by 
National Weather Service personnel by implementing a commercial 
off-the-shelf communications solution hosted on the public 
cloud to serve as a replacement for the communications system 
in use as of the date of the enactment of this section 
(commonly referred to as ``NWSChat''). Such communications 
solution shall satisfy requirements set forth by the Director 
to best accommodate future growth and perform successfully with 
increased numbers of users.
  (b) Funding.--From amounts made available for Operations, 
Research, and Facilities, the Director of the National Weather 
Service shall allocate up to $3,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2024 through 2027 to carry out subsection (a).
  (c) Limitation on Funding.--Amounts made available to carry 
out subsection (a) shall be derived from amounts appropriated 
or otherwise made available to the National Weather Service.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


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