Senate Unanimously Approves Bipartisan, Bicameral Comprehensive Weather Forecasting Bill

Includes Cruz’s 2025 Hill Country Flood Weather Radio Bill 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 (Weather Act). 

Senate passage reflects a bicameral agreement on the legislation (S.3923) reauthorizing many weather forecasting and hazard communication programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In light of this agreement, it is anticipated that the House of Representatives will take up and send the Weather Act to the President’s desk before the end of the 119^th Congress. 

Upon Senate passage, Chairman Cruz said: “Today, the Senate took a pivotal step toward ensuring Americans are prepared for severe weather. Texans know all too well the devastation storms can bring. The lives lost in the July 4, 2025, Texas floods are a heartbreaking reminder of what is at stake. The Weather Act brings together over a dozen bipartisan bills to modernize radar systems, deliver more accurate and timely forecasts, and improve warnings so families and first responders have more time to act, no matter where they are and no matter the time of day. These improvements will help protect property and, more importantly, save lives in Texas and across the country.”

Ranking Member Cantwell said: “Americans are facing increasingly dangerous and costly weather disasters, and better forecasts give communities more time to prepare and get out of harm’s way. The Weather Act will advance next-generation weather radar, modernize lifesaving warning systems, and improve forecasts for atmospheric rivers and wildfires, like the devastating fires that forced thousands to evacuate in Spokane last month. Today’s Senate passage brings us one step closer to giving forecasters, emergency managers, and communities the tools they need to save lives and protect property.”

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin (R-Texas-36) said: “Reliable weather forecasts and timely warnings are essential to protecting American lives and property. Last year’s devastating floods in Texas served as a tragic reminder of the need to better predict severe weather and communicate critical information to communities in harm’s way. The Weather Act Reauthorization represents an opportunity to modernize our nation’s forecasting capabilities and strengthen emergency preparedness. Building on the legislation the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee advanced last September, the Senate-passed bill reflects a bipartisan, bicameral compromise and a shared commitment to protecting American communities. I thank Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Lofgren, Rep. Lucas, and our colleagues in both chambers for their hard work in reaching this agreement. I look forward to continuing our efforts to get this legislation across the finish line.

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D- Calif. -18) said: “This is a long time coming. The Weather Act Reauthorization will give NOAA the support it needs to carry out its critical mission. I want to thank Chairman Babin, my former Committee partner, Mr. Lucas, and the dedicated staff on both sides of the aisle for getting this to the finish line. The World Meteorological Organization just released its State of the Climate update emphasizing that the supersized El Niño we are experiencing is expected to bring record heat, flooding, and drought conditions for the next year. Now more than ever, more observations and data are needed to bolster our nations forecasting capabilities to protect lives, property, the economy, and national security. We have to ensure that NOAA has the tools, staffing, and infrastructure to help support communities prepare for and respond to disasters. This bill will help us do that.”

More than a dozen bipartisan bills are in the Weather Act, including Chairman Cruz’s NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act. His Radio Modernization Act upgrades weather radio equipment to make broadcasts of emergency notices during severe weather more reliable and accessible nationwide. This bill, along with numerous other underlying measures in the Weather Act came about as a response to gaps identified after the deadly July 2025 floods in Texas’ Hill Country.

In addition to Chairman Cruz and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), cosponsors include Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Curtis (R-Utah), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.).

The legislation would: 

• Reauthorize multiple weather forecasting programs while advancing next-generation forecasting technologies and improving research-to-operations transition efforts.
• Improve forecasting for flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, landslides, wildfires, and atmospheric rivers.
• Enhance public communication of weather risks — including through NOAA weather radio —to ensure warnings are clear, timely, and actionable.
• Modernize NOAA’s aging radar network through planning and deployment of next-generation weather radar and targeted efforts to close radar coverage gaps, including gaps in flash-flood prone and under-observed regions such as the Texas Hill Country.
• Improve coastal marine fog forecasting where dense fog can disrupt shipping and maritime commerce.
• Advance long-range weather forecasting to support farmers, ranchers, and water managers by improving weather outlooks weeks to months in advance.

Sen. Sullivan said: “We must invest in advancing and strengthening our preparedness, response, and mitigation capabilities to address natural disasters. This is especially important for Alaska, where our vast geography, remote communities, and exposure to a wide range of hazards make accurate forecasting and timely warnings essential to protecting lives, property, and communities. The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act reinforces our existing federal programs, protects NOAA’s core weather research and forecasting framework, including authorization levels that direct adequate resources, including personnel, and bolsters NOAA’s forecasting, warning, and communication systems to be better prepared for natural disasters such as tsunamis, landslides, wildfires, and severe weather. It also incorporates bills I have introduced or cosponsored, including my Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments (HABHRCA) Act, which ensures robust prevention, identification and response to the harmful algal blooms that are increasingly found in both our coastal and inland waters, as well as several bills I have cosponsored: the NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act; the Fire Ready Nation Act; the Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Ocean Research (ANCHOR) Act; and the Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Reauthorization Act. I am pleased to see all these priorities for Alaska advance through this comprehensive legislation.”

Sen. Blunt Rochester said: “Delaware is the lowest-lying state in the nation. Our rapidly changing climate has changed the way we prepare for severe weather events. As severe weather damages communities more frequently, it couldn’t be more important for us to properly invest in NOAA’s weather forecasting. I’m grateful for the bipartisan coalition of colleagues on this bill. We must do everything in our power to help Delawareans, and folks across the country, prepare for whatever weather events are on the horizon. I look forward to working together to get our Weather Act passed into law.”

Sen. Moran said: “Kansans, particularly farmers and ranchers, rely on access to timely and reliable weather data every day. I’m pleased this bill incorporates my legislation, the FORECAST Act, to help make certain NWS offices remain staffed to provide lifesaving 24/7 weather forecasting to their communities. Passage of this legislation is an important step to improve access to timely weather data for Kansans.”

Sen. Schatz said: “As severe weather in Hawai‘i and around the country becomes more damaging and frequent, having better forecasting can make all the difference in saving lives and livelihoods. Our bill will help improve forecasts and weather communications so that communities can better anticipate, prepare for, and respond to extreme weather.”  

Sen. Sheehy said: “As severe weather grows more dangerous, costing us hundreds of billions of dollars in economic impact and harming thousands of Americans every year, we need to make sure communities have the tools they need to prepare and respond quickly and effectively. Montanans know firsthand the devastation wildfires cause, and while fire season only seems to be getting worse, government response has largely stayed the same. Better forecasting helps save lives, protect homes and livelihoods, and strengthen our resilience. The Weather Act is a commonsense step toward a safer, better-prepared America, and I’m glad to see it pass the Senate.”

Sen. Rosen said: “The severity of the wildfires and extreme heat in Nevada this past summer reminded us just how important it is that we invest in the latest weather prediction technology and fund critical programs at NOAA. I’m glad that my bill, to ensure Nevada’s farmers and ranchers have access to forecasts that will improve their resilience to weather anomalies, is part of the bipartisan Weather Act that has now passed the U.S. Senate. I call on the House of Representatives to pass it soon so we can send it to the President’s desk without delay.” 

Sen. Budd said: “North Carolina knows all too well the risks when major storms strike. This bipartisan effort to reduce major gaps in our weather system will help us track future storms more effectively and efficiently, to help prevent loss of life and property.  I am grateful that two bills I authored were included as provisions to the Weather Act to help enhance the accuracy of hurricane forecasts and communication, as well as modernize our radar system to get warnings out quicker.”

Sen. Klobuchar said: “This past year, communities across Minnesota faced severe weather that affected local businesses, agriculture, infrastructure, and safety. From forest fires impacting tourism on the North Shore to major crop loss from floods in Southern Minnesota, natural disasters have taken a toll on our industries. By investing in weather forecasting and research, the bipartisan Weather Act will help communities better prepare for severe weather. My provision to protect the Aerial Snow Survey Program was included in the bill, which is crucial for collecting data and monitoring snowpack to better predict water levels and downstream impacts for local communities.”

Sen. Curtis said: “Over the course of this year’s fire season, Utah communities have faced extreme wildfires that have led to catastrophic flooding. I’ve seen the damage these floods have caused to homes and livelihoods firsthand, and it is devastating. This bipartisan bill will help support our rural communities facing increasingly powerful fires and floods by modernizing weather communication and radio services, and I hope to see it signed into law soon.”

Sen. Hickenlooper said: “Colorado and the West are facing historic drought and relentless wildfires fueled by climate change. Investing in NOAA’s operations and research gives Coloradans better tools and resources to forecast extreme weather, prepare for disasters, and save lives.”

Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell and a bipartisan group of Commerce Committee members introduced the Weather Act in February 2026. The bill was unanimously advanced out of the Commerce Committee the following month.

For bill text, click HERE.

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