Bill · S. 258· Senate(119-S-258)
TORNADO Act
- Introduced
- 1/27/2025
- Last activity
- 6/2/2025 — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 88.
- Sponsored by
- Roger Wicker
- Cosponsors
- - 7 - 2
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
The TORNADO Act aims to improve the forecasting and understanding of tornadoes and other hazardous weather and water events. It directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to improve how weather risks are communicated to the public to prevent loss of life and property. The bill establishes a hazard risk communication office to simplify and improve the form and methods of weather warnings. It also mandates a strategic plan for high-resolution probabilistic forecasts and requires an evaluation of the current tornado severity rating system. Additionally, the act maintains the VORTEX-USA program to advance research in weather sciences. Finally, it calls for post-storm surveys to better understand community impacts and improve future responses.
Yes· 3 of 13
Does this put more money into scientific research?+6
The bill maintains and expands research programs like VORTEX-USA and pilot programs for hazard communication.
Does this make mental health care easier to get?+5
The bill provides professional counseling to support the mental health of employees conducting post-storm surveys.
Would Black Americans be better off under this?+4
The bill prioritizes research grants for historically Black colleges and universities.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Safety Through Better Communication: The bill directs the Under Secretary to improve how hazardous weather risks are communicated to encourage people to take action to prevent loss of life or property (Section 3(a)).
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Clearer Weather Information: A new hazard risk communication office will work to eliminate unnecessary or confusing terms, making weather warnings easier for the public to understand and act upon (Section 3(b)(2)).
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Enhanced Research for Specific Needs: The bill creates a pilot program for tornado hazard communication and allows for research grants that can be prioritized for minority-serving institutions to improve life-saving information (Section 3(c) and Section 7(a)(1)(ii)).
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Updated Accuracy for Tornadoes: The Under Secretary is required to evaluate and, if necessary, update the system used to rate how severe a tornado is to ensure ratings are accurate (Section 5).
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Improved Post-Storm Learning: By conducting post-storm surveys and assessments, the government can better understand community impacts, evaluate the accuracy of prior risk evaluations, and gather survivability statistics (Section 6).
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Employee Support: The bill ensures that employees who conduct post-storm surveys and assessments receive training, resources, and professional counseling to support their mental health and well-being (Section 6(e)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For African Americans+4Good For Hispanic Americans+4Good For Native Americans+4Good For Low Income Households+3Good For People With Disabilities+2Good For Rural Residents+2
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+6
- Healthcare
- Improves Mental Health Access+5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Racial Equity+4Improves Poverty Reduction+1
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+3
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+2
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Economic Growth+1
- 6/2/2025
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with amendments. With written report No. 119-26.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 88.
- 2/5/2025
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
- 1/30/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/27/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 8 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
Marsha BlackburnRepublican · Tennessee
Ted CruzRepublican · Texas
Chuck GrassleyRepublican · Iowa
Cindy Hyde-SmithRepublican · Mississippi
Jerry MoranRepublican · Kansas
Gary PetersDemocrat · Michigan
Tim SheehyRepublican · Montana
Raphael WarnockDemocrat · Georgia
Todd YoungRepublican · Indiana