House Science Committee advances NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act with amendments on service priorities, worker consultation and procurement

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on Thursday advanced H.R. 78 13, the NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act, approving a package of amendments intended to upgrade transmitters, expand targeted alerting and strengthen implementation processes.

The measure, described to the committee as aimed at repairing or replacing aging NOAA Weather Radio transmitters and migrating certain operations to secure cloud systems, won voice passage after members agreed to several bipartisan amendments. Chair Babin said the NOAA Weather Radio all-hazards network includes more than 1,000 stations across all 50 states covering about 95% of the U.S. population and that "anything short of complete and reliable coverage is just unacceptable." The committee ordered the bill favorably reported to the House.

Why it matters: Committee members said the modernization is aimed at closing the gap between producing accurate forecasts and reliably delivering life-saving warnings to local emergency managers and residents when power, cell service or internet fail. Members repeatedly cited recent catastrophic floods and storms — and staffing challenges at the National Weather Service — as drivers for modernizing the warning network.

What the committee adopted: Representative Van Epps (Tenn.) offered an amendment to prioritize equipment maintenance and staffing in communities at elevated risk of severe weather and to expand research into partial-county alerting. "By passing this amendment, we make it clear that the undersecretary should prioritize high risk communities first," Van Epps said; the committee adopted the amendment by voice vote.

Representative Fushee (N.C.) offered an amendment to ensure NOAA consults with employees and employee representatives during implementation so operational knowledge from the field informs changes; Chair Babin and Ranking Member Lofgren voiced support and the committee adopted the language by voice vote.

Representative Webster (Fla.) offered two security- and governance-focused amendments. The first prohibits procurement of equipment for the modernization from companies based in specified "foreign countries of concern," singled out in debate as China; the second clarifies that reports to Congress must indicate whether standards were developed through voluntary consensus processes. Committee members supported both amendments following technical review and the committee adopted them by voice vote.

Votes and next steps: All recorded actions in the markup were resolved by voice votes; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the markup transcript. After adopting amendments, Chair Babin moved that the committee report H.R. 78 13, as amended, favorably to the House; the committee approved the motion by voice vote and ordered the bill favorably reported. Chair Babin authorized staff to make technical and conforming changes and allowed members two calendar days to submit supplemental or minority views.

Quotes and context: Ranking Member Lofgren said she supported the bill and noted that several amendments had been worked out across the aisle. Representative Christian Menefee, the new member welcomed at the start of the markup, said the measures "are life and death" for constituents in Houston who face recurring catastrophic flooding. Members repeatedly framed the modernization as a commonsense, bipartisan step to improve public-safety communications.

Limitations and details not specified in the markup: The markup transcript does not include roll-call vote tallies, specific funding amounts or an implementation timeline. The bill text and committee report (not included in the transcript) would be expected to contain funding authorizations, technical specifications and further implementation requirements.

The committee adjourned with the bill ordered to be reported to the House.