Bill · H.R. 2296· House(119-HR-2296)
National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act
- Introduced
- 3/24/2025
- Last activity
- 3/24/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
- Sponsored by
- Randy Feenstra
- Cosponsors
- - 10 - 12
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act," directs the Director of the National Weather Service to upgrade their current instant messaging service. The goal is to replace the existing "NWSChat" with a commercial off-the-shelf communications solution by October 1, 2027. This new system must be hosted on the public cloud and meet specific requirements regarding growth, user capacity, ease of use, and similarity to existing commercial systems. The Director is authorized to allocate up to $3,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2029 to complete this upgrade. The funds will be drawn from amounts already made available to the National Weather Service for Operations, Research, and Facilities.
Yes
Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster?+2
Improving National Weather Service communication tools supports more efficient weather response and disaster readiness.
Does this put more money into scientific research?+1
The bill allocates funds for NWS operations which supports meteorological research capabilities.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Improved Communication Efficiency: The Director must implement a new communications solution that is easy to use and similar to systems already in commercial use (Section 2(b)). This could make daily tasks smoother for National Weather Service personnel.
-
Scalability and Future-Proofing: The new system must be able to accommodate future growth and perform successfully as the number of users increases (Section 2(b)). This ensures the service remains functional even as the organization expands.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Use of Existing Funds: The money for this upgrade must be taken from amounts already appropriated or made available to the National Weather Service for Operations, Research, and Facilities (Section 2(d)). This means these funds are being diverted from their original intended purposes to pay for the new communication system.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Disaster Relief And F E M A+2
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+1
- 11/10/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/10/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/9/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/1/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/2/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/25/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 3/24/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
- 15 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Eric CrawfordRepublican · Arkansas
Salud CarbajalDemocrat · California
Angie CraigDemocrat · Minnesota
Dan CrenshawRepublican · Texas
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Sam GravesRepublican · Missouri
Josh GottheimerDemocrat · New Jersey
Laura GillenDemocrat · New York
Ashley HinsonRepublican · Iowa
Mike HaridopolosRepublican · Florida
Nick LaLotaRepublican · New York
Mariannette Miller-MeeksRepublican · Iowa
Jared MoskowitzDemocrat · Florida
James MoylanRepublican · Guam
April McClain DelaneyDemocrat · Maryland
Sarah McBrideDemocrat · Delaware
Brittany PettersenDemocrat · Colorado
Deborah RossDemocrat · North Carolina
Aumua Amata RadewagenRepublican · American Samoa
Thomas SuozziDemocrat · New York
Eric SorensenDemocrat · Illinois
Eugene VindmanDemocrat · Virginia