,,ii #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #acca ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ac1 #bjae ,mr4 ,thune 7for himself and ,mr4 ,schatz7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to help enhance commerce through improved seasonal forecasts1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,seasonal ,forecasting ,improvement ,act4 #b4 ,improving seasonal forecasts for agriculture and commerce ,section #agfb of title ,,xvii of ,public ,law #ii-aih 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #cac note7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a71 by striking 7a7 and inserting 7a7 ,findings4--2 7#b7 in subsection 7b71 by striking 7b7 and inserting 7b7 ,policy4--2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7c7 ,functions ,the ,under ,secretary1 through the ,national ,weather ,service and other appropriate programs in the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 shall-- 7#a7 collect and utilize information in order to make usable1 reliable1 and timely forecasts of seasonal temperature and precipitation2 7#b7 leverage existing research and models from the academic sector to improve the forecasts under paragraph 7#a72 7#c7 determine and provide information on how the forecasted conditions under paragraph 7#a7 may impact-- 7,a7 the number and severity of droughts1 tornadoes1 hurricanes1 floods1 heatwaves1 or other relevant natural disasters2 7,b7 snowpack2 and 7,c7 sea ice conditions2 7#d7 provide the forecasts under paragraph 7#a7 and the information under paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#c7 on both national and regional levels2 and 7#e7 develop an ,internet clearinghouse with the forecasts of seasonal temperature and precipitation and other relevant seasonal forecasts and products produced by the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 other ,federal and ,state departments and agencies1 and the academic sector4 7d7 ,communication ,the ,under ,secretary shall provide the forecasts and the information on their impacts under subsection 7c7 to the public1 including public and private entities engaged in planning and preparedness1 including-- 7#a7 decisionmakers at the ,federal1 regional1 ,state1 tribal1 and local levels of government2 7#b7 the private sector2 and 7#c7 the public4 7e7 ,cooperation ,the ,under ,secretary shall build upon existing forecasting and assessment programs and partnerships1 including-- 7#a7 by designating research and monitoring activities related to seasonal forecasts as a priority in #a or more ,cooperative ,institute solicitations2 7#b7 by contributing to the interagency ,earth ,system ,prediction ,capability2 and 7#c7 by consulting with the ,secretary of ,defense and the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security to determine the highest priority seasonal forecast needs to enhance national security4 7f7 ,forecast communication coordinators 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary shall provide grants to ,states1 including territories1 for each ,state to have a forecast communication coordinator to receive and disseminate the forecasts and information under subsection 7c74 ,applications for grants under this subsection shall be submitted in such form and manner1 and contain such information1 as the ,under ,secretary prescribes4 7#b7 ,requirements ,for each ,state that requests assistance under this subsection1 the ,under ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 provide funds to support an individual in that ,state to-- 7i7 serve as a liaison among the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 other ,federal departments and agencies1 the academic sector1 the ,state1 and relevant interests within that ,state2 and 7ii7 receive the forecasts and information under subsection 7c7 and disseminate the forecasts and information throughout the ,state1 including county and tribal governments2 7,b7 provide #a grant for the purpose described in paragraph 7#a72 and 7,c7 require matching funds from the ,state1 a university1 a non-governmental organization1 trade association1 or the private sector4 7#c7 ,limitation ,each grant under this subsection shall not exceed #ajj1jjj4 7g7 ,cooperation from other ,federal agencies ,each ,federal department and agency shall cooperate as appropriate with the ,under ,secretary in carrying out this section4 7h7 ,reports 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ah months after the date of enactment of the ,seasonal ,forecasting ,improvement ,act1 the ,under ,secretary shall transmit to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives a report1 including-- 7,a7 an analysis of the how information from the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration on seasonal forecasts1 as provided under subsection 7c71 is utilized in public planning and preparedness2 7,b7 specific plans and goals for the continued development of the seasonal forecasts and related products described in subsection 7c72 and 7,c7 an identification of research1 monitoring1 observing1 and forecasting requirements to meet the goals described in subparagraph 7,b74 7#b7 ,consultation ,in developing the report under paragraph 7#a71 the ,under ,secretary shall consult with relevant ,federal1 regional1 ,state1 tribal1 and local government agencies1 research institutions1 and the private sector4 7i7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #bf1ejj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjae through #bjbj4 7j7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,seasonal ,the term seasonal means the time range between #b weeks and #b years4 7#b7 ,under ,secretary ,the term ,under ,secretary means the ,under ,secretary of ,commerce for ,oceans and ,atmosphere4 4 #c4 ,united ,states ,weather ,research ,program 7a7 ,in general ,section #ajh of the ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration ,authorization ,act of #aiib 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #cac note7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#c71 by striking 2 and and inserting a semicolon2 7,b7 in paragraph 7#d71 by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon2 and 7,c7 by inserting after paragraph 7#d7 the following3 7#e7 provide to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives an annual report1 including-- 7,a7 a list of on-going research projects1 including project goals and a point of contact for each project2 and 7,b7 the #e projects related to observations1 weather1 or seasonal-scale forecasts within the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research that are closest to operationalization1 including for each project-- 7i7 the potential benefit2 7ii7 any barrier to operationalization2 and 7iii7 the plan for operationalization1 including which line office will financially support the project and how much the line office intends to spend2 7#f7 establish teams with staff from the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research and the ,national ,weather ,service to oversee the operationalization of research products developed by the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research within the ,national ,weather ,service2 7#g7 develop mechanisms for the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research's research priorities to be informed by both the relevant line offices within the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 the relevant user community1 and the weather enterprise1 including by exchanging detailees between the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research and the line offices2 7#h7 develop an internal mechanism to track the progress of each research project within the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research and mechanisms to terminate a project that is not adequately progressing2 7#i7 for extramural research funded1 the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research shall develop and implement a system to track whether the grant's goals were accomplished2 7#aj7 provide facilities for products developed by the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research to be tested in operational simulations1 such as test beds2 and 7#aa7 encourage academic collaboration with the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research and the ,national ,weather ,service by facilitating visiting scholars4 2 and 7#b7 in subsection 7b71 in the matter preceding paragraph 7#a71 by striking ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the and inserting ,the4 7b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to carry out section #ajh of the ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration ,authorization ,act of #aiib 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #cac note71 as amended by subsection 7a7 of this section1 #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjae through #bjbj4 #d4 ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration satellite design and management 7a7 ,short-,term management of environmental observations 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration shall take immediate action to manage the expense of environmental observations-- 7,a7 by improving the procurement practices of the ,administration with respect to polar and geostationary satellites2 and 7,b7 by assessing the operational viability of alternate observation platforms1 such as microsatellite constellations and ocean observing systems4 7#b7 ,procurement and acquisition of polar and geostationary satellites 7,a7 ,use of established competitive processes 7i7 ,in general ,except as provided in clause 7ii7 and notwithstanding any other provision of law1 the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration and the ,administrator of the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration shall use the process established under section #ccjf of title #da1 ,united ,states ,code1 to acquire all the polar and geostationary weather satellites for use by the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration in a program phase via a single procurement action4 7ii7 ,applicability ,clause 7i7 shall apply to procurement and acquisition occurring in program phases beginning after the date of enactment of this ,act4 7iii7 ,definition of program phase ,in this subparagraph1 the term program phase means the planned acquisition of a series of satellites sharing a common architecture4 7,b7 ,assessment of procurement and acquisition opportunities 7i7 ,in general ,the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration shall ensure that in procuring or acquiring polar and geostationary weather satellites that the ,administrator only procures or acquires such satellites in a manner that secures the best value for each polar and geostationary program of the ,administration4 7ii7 ,best value ,in determining whether a procurement or acquisition secures the best value for a program1 the ,administrator shall consider-- 7,i7 integration with current ground systems for receiving1 processing1 and disseminating data2 7,,ii7 integration of spacecraft and sensing instruments2 7,,iii7 capacity to respond to changes in requirements and credibility of risk management2 and 7,,iv7 continuity and consistency of capability4 7#c7 ,microsatellite constellations 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall complete and operationalize the radio occultation program of record in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this ,act-- 7i7 by deploying constellations of microsatellites in both the equatorial and polar orbits2 7ii7 by integrating the resulting data and research into all national operational weather forecast models2 and 7iii7 by ensuring that the resulting data is free and open to all communities4 7,b7 ,annual reports ,not less frequently than once each year until the ,administrator has completed and operationalized the program described in subparagraph 7,a7 pursuant to such subparagraph1 the ,administrator shall submit to ,congress a report on the status of the efforts of the ,administrator to carry out such subparagraph4 7#d7 ,integration of data and research from ,integrated ,ocean ,observing ,system into operational forecast models ,as soon as practicable1 the ,administrator shall integrate data and research from the ,integrated ,ocean ,observing ,system 7,,ioos7 of the ,administration into such operational forecast models as the ,administrator considers appropriate4 7#e7 ,limitation on procurement of additional polar orbiting satellites 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator may not procure any future program phase of the ,joint ,polar ,satellite ,system program of record if the aggregate cost for such future program phase that would be incurred by the ,administration exceeds the aggregate cost that was incurred by the ,administration in procuring the ,joint ,polar ,satellite ,system #a and #b4 7,b7 ,adjustment for inflation ,in determining aggregate costs under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,administrator may adjust the aggregate costs for inflation4 7#f7 ,specifications for new satellite systems determined by operational needs ,in developing specifications for any satellite systems of the ,administration to follow after the ,joint ,polar ,satellite ,system1 ,geostationary ,operational ,environmental ,satellites1 and any other satellites of the ,administration in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall ensure the specifications are determined to the extent practicable by the recommendations of the reports under subsection 7b7 of this section and section #f7;d74 7b7 ,independent study on future of ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration satellite systems 7#a7 ,agreement 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall enter into an agreement with the ,national ,academy of ,sciences to perform the services covered by this subsection4 7,b7 ,timing ,the ,administrator shall enter into the agreement described in subparagraph 7,a7 before ,september #cj1 #bjah4 7#b7 ,study 7,a7 ,in general ,under an agreement between the ,administrator and the ,national ,academy of ,sciences under this subsection1 the ,national ,academy of ,sciences shall conduct a study on matters concerning the future of the satellite systems of the ,administration4 7,b7 ,elements ,in conducting the study under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,national ,academy of ,sciences shall-- 7i7 review the report of the ,weather ,commission described in section #f7;d71 and the #bjag update to the #bjjg report by the ,national ,research ,council entitled ,earth ,science and ,applications ,from ,space2 7ii7 develop recommendations on how to make the satellite portfolio of the ,administration more robust and cost-effective2 7iii7 assess the costs and benefits of moving toward a constellation of many small satellites1 standardizing satellite bus design1 relying more on the purchasing of data1 or acquiring data from other sources or methods2 7iv7 identify the environmental observations that are essential to the performance of weather models1 based on an assessment of ,federal1 academic1 and private sector weather research1 and the cost of obtaining the environmental data2 7v7 identify environmental observations that improve the quality of weather forecasts1 but are not essential for the generation of weather models in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this ,act2 and 7vi7 develop recommendations on a portfolio of environmental observations that balances essential and quality-improving data1 private and nonprivate sources1 and space- and ,earth-based instruments4 7,c7 ,deadline and report ,in carrying out the study under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,national ,academy of ,sciences shall complete and transmit to the ,administrator a report containing the findings of the ,national ,academy of ,sciences with respect to the study not later than #b years after the date on which the ,administrator enters into an agreement with the ,national ,academy of ,sciences under paragraph 7#a77;,a74 7,d7 ,coordination of efforts ,in order to avoid duplication1 the ,national ,academy of ,sciences may coordinate its efforts to draft the report under subparagraph 7,c7 with the preparation of the #bjag study entitled ,earth ,science and ,applications from ,space4 7#c7 ,alternate contract organization 7,a7 ,in general ,if the ,administrator is unable before the date prescribed in paragraph 7#a77;,b7 to enter into an agreement described in paragraph 7#a77;,a7 with the ,national ,academy of ,sciences on terms acceptable to the ,administrator1 the ,administrator shall seek to enter into such an agreement with another appropriate organization that-- 7i7 is not part of the ,government2 7ii7 operates as a not-for-profit entity2 and 7iii7 has expertise and objectivity comparable to that of the ,national ,academy of ,sciences4 7,b7 ,treatment ,if the ,administrator enters into an agreement with another organization as described in subparagraph 7,a71 any reference in this section to the ,national ,academy of ,sciences shall be treated as a reference to the other organization4 7#d7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to carry out this subsection #a1jjj1jjj for the period of fiscal years #bjag through #bjai4 #e4 ,designation of ,federal ,coordinator for ,meteorology ,the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy shall designate a ,federal ,coordinator for ,meteorology4 #f4 ,establishment of ,weather ,commission 7a7 ,establishment 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,federal ,coordinator for ,meteorology1 designated under section #e1 shall establish1 and the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration acting through the ,united ,states ,weather ,research ,program of the ,administration shall support1 a commission-- 7,a7 to assess the weather forecasts and forecast products provided by the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration2 and 7,b7 to provide advice to ,congress on matters relating to the highest priority weather forecast needs of the community of users of the forecasts and products described in subparagraph 7,a74 7#b7 ,designation ,the commission established under paragraph 7#a7 shall be known as the ,weather ,commission 7in this section referred to as the ,commission74 7b7 ,membership 7#a7 ,composition 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,commission shall be composed of individuals selected by the ,federal ,coordinator from among leading experts and innovators from each relevant stakeholder group described in clauses 7i7 through 7vii7 of subparagraph 7,b74 7,b7 ,number ,the ,commission shall be composed of no fewer than #ad members1 including-- 7i7 #b representatives from ,state emergency management agencies2 7ii7 #b representatives from ,state agriculture agencies2 7iii7 #a representative from the ,native ,american1 ,alaskan ,native1 or ,native ,hawaiian community2 7iv7 #b representatives from the private aerospace industry2 7v7 #b representatives from the operational forecasting community2 7vi7 #b representatives from the academic community2 7vii7 #a representative from a professional society that focuses on meteorology2 7viii7 the chair of the ,science ,advisory ,board of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration2 7ix7 the chair of the ,national ,science ,board2 7x7 the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy1 ex officio2 and 7xi7 the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 ex officio4 7#b7 ,co-chair ,the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy and the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration shall serve as co-chairs of the ,commission4 7c7 ,duties ,the duties of the ,commission are as follows3 7#a7 ,to assess the weather forecasts and forecast products of the ,administration as described in subsection 7a74 7#b7 ,to provide advice to ,congress as described in subsection 7a74 7#c7 ,to obtain public comment on the weather forecasts and products of the ,administration that the ,administrator determines are the highest priority for users of such forecasts and products4 7d7 ,report 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission shall submit to ,congress and make available to the public on an ,internet website a report on matters relating to the activities of the ,commission4 7#b7 ,contents ,the report submitted under paragraph 7#a7 shall include the following3 7,a7 ,the findings of the ,commission with respect to the review conducted under paragraph 7#c7 of subsection 7c74 7,b7 ,the findings of the ,commission with respect to the public comments obtained under paragraph 7#d7 of such subsection4 7,c7 ,the recommendations developed under paragraph 7#e7 of such subsection4 7e7 ,exemption from ,,faca ,the ,commission shall not be subject to the requirements of the ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act 7#e ,u4,s4,c4 ,app474 7f7 ,termination ,the ,commission shall terminate on the date that is #d years after the date of enactment of this ,act4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to carry out this section #a1jjj1jjj for the period of fiscal years #bjae through #bjai4