,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #beh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,january #bg1 #bjbe,mr4 ,wicker 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith1 ,mr4 ,grassley1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,mr4 ,sheehy1 ,mr4 ,young1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 ,mr4 ,peters1 and ,mr4 ,warnock7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to improve forecasting and understanding of tornadoes and other hazardous weather1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,tornado ,observations ,research and ,notification ,assessment for ,development of ,operations ,act or the ,,tornado ,act4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,hazardous weather and water events ,the term hazardous weather and water events means weather and water events that have a high risk of loss of life or property1 including-- 7,a7 severe storms1 such as hurricanes and short-fused1 small-scale hazardous weather or hydrologic events produced by thunderstorms1 including large hail1 damaging winds1 tornadoes1 and flash floods2 7,b7 winter storms1 such as freezing or frozen precipitation 7including freezing rain1 sleet1 and snow71 or combined effects of freezing or frozen precipitation and strong winds2 and 7,c7 other weather hazards1 such as extreme heat or cold1 wildfire1 drought1 dense fog1 high winds1 river flooding1 and lakeshore flooding4 7#b7 ,historically ,black college or university ,the term historically ,black college or university has the meaning given the term part ,b institution in section #cbb of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajfa74 7#c7 ,indian ,tribe ,the term ,indian ,tribe has the meaning given the term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#d7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a774 7#e7 ,national laboratory ,the term ,national ,laboratory has the meaning given the term in section #b of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aehja74 7#f7 ,under ,secretary ,the term ,under ,secretary means the ,under ,secretary of ,commerce for ,oceans and ,atmosphere4 #c4 ,hazardous weather and water event risk communication 7a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary shall maintain and improve the system of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration by which the risks of hazardous weather and water events are communicated to the general public1 with the goal of informing action and encouraging response to prevent loss of life and property4 7b7 ,hazard risk communication improvement and simplification 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary shall maintain a hazard risk communication office 7in this subsection referred to as the ,office71 for the purposes of simplifying and improving the communication of hazardous weather and water event risks4 7#b7 ,terminology ,the ,office shall identify1 eliminate1 or modify unnecessary1 redundant1 or confusing terms for hazardous weather and water event communications and add new terminology1 as appropriate4 7#c7 ,communications improvement ,the ,office shall improve the form1 content1 and methods of hazardous weather and water event communications to more clearly inform action and increase the likelihood that the public takes such action to prevent the loss of life or property4 7#d7 ,evaluations ,the ,office shall1 in coordination with the performance branch of the ,national ,weather ,service1 develop metrics for that branch to track and evaluate the degree to which hazardous weather and water event communications inform action and encourage response4 7#e7 ,support plan 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,office shall develop a plan for the purpose of supporting the activities described in paragraph 7#c74 7,b7 ,periodic update and elements ,the plan developed under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be periodically updated and informed by internal and extramural research and the results of the evaluation of hazardous weather and water event communications conducted under paragraph 7#d74 7#f7 ,methods ,in carrying out this subsection1 the ,office shall develop and implement recommendations that-- 7,a7 are based on the best and most recent understanding from social1 behavioral1 risk1 and communication science research2 7,b7 are validated by social1 behavioral1 risk1 and communication science1 taking into account the importance of methods that support reproduction and replication of scientific studies1 use of rigorous statistical analyses1 and1 as applicable1 data analysis supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies2 7,c7 account for the needs of various demographics1 vulnerable populations1 and geographic regions2 7,d7 account for the differences between various types of weather and water hazards2 7,e7 respond to the needs of ,federal1 ,state1 and local government partners and media partners2 and 7,f7 account for necessary changes in the infrastructure1 technology1 and protocols for creating and disseminating federally operated watches and warnings4 7#g7 ,coordination ,in implementing this subsection1 the ,office shall coordinate with-- 7,a7 ,federal partners1 including ,national ,laboratories1 ,cooperative ,institutes1 and regional integrated sciences and assessments programs2 7,b7 ,state and local government partners2 7,c7 ,indian ,tribes2 7,d7 institutions of higher education2 and 7,e7 media partners4 7#h7 ,timeliness and consistency ,the ,office shall develop best practices and guidance for ensuring timely and consistent communication across public facing platforms that disseminate hazardous weather and water event information4 7c7 ,hazard communication research and engagement 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary shall establish or maintain a research program-- 7,a7 to modernize the creation and communication of risk-based1 statistically reliable1 probabilistic hazard information1 with the goal of informing effective actions and encouraging responses to hazardous weather and water events2 and 7,b7 to improve the fundamental social1 behavioral1 risk1 and communication science regarding hazardous weather and water event communication4 7#b7 ,coordination ,in carrying out the research program required by paragraph 7#a71 the ,under ,secretary shall coordinate and communicate with ,states1 ,indian ,tribes1 localities1 and emergency managers on research priorities and results4 7#c7 ,pilot program for tornado hazard communication required 7,a7 ,in general ,to further research into hazard communication1 the ,under ,secretary1 in collaboration with one or more eligible institutions1 shall establish a pilot program for tornado hazard communication to test the effectiveness of implementing the research conducted under this subsection with respect to tornadoes4 7,b7 ,eligible institution defined ,in this paragraph1 the term eligible institution means any of the following3 7i7 ,a historically ,black college or university located in an area of persistent poverty that is subjected to frequent severe weather1 such as tornadoes1 hurricanes1 and floods4 7ii7 ,an institution of higher education in close proximity to a ,weather ,forecast ,office of the ,national ,weather ,service4 7d7 ,data management ,the ,under ,secretary shall establish1 maintain1 and improve a central repository system for the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration for social1 behavioral1 risk1 and economic data related to the communication of hazardous weather and water events1 including data developed or received pursuant to paragraphs 7#c71 7#d71 and 7#e7 of subsection 7b74 7e7 ,digital watermarking ,the ,under ,secretary shall develop methods to reduce the likelihood of unauthorized tampering with online hazardous weather and water event risk communication1 such as developing digital watermarks4 #d4 ,warn-on-forecast strategic plan 7a7 ,in general ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,under ,secretary shall prepare and submit to ,congress a strategic plan for developing and prioritizing the implementation of high-resolution probabilistic forecast guidance for hazardous weather and water events using a next-generation weather forecast and warning framework4 7b7 ,plan elements ,the strategic plan required by subsection 7a7 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,a discussion of-- 7,a7 the priorities and needs of vulnerable populations and ,national ,weather ,service partners2 and 7,b7 high-performance computing1 visualization1 and dissemination needs4 7#b7 ,a timeline and guidance for implementation of-- 7,a7 high-resolution numerical weather prediction models2 7,b7 methods for meeting the high-performance computing1 visualization1 and dissemination needs discussed under paragraph 7#a77;,b72 7,c7 real-time high-resolution probabilistic forecasts2 7,d7 improved observations1 including through radars1 satellites1 and uncrewed aerial systems2 7,e7 a flexible framework to communicate clear and simple hazardous weather and water event information to the public2 and 7,f7 social1 behavioral1 risk1 and communication research to improve the forecaster operational environment and societal information reception and response4 #e4 ,tornado rating system 7a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary shall1 in collaboration with such stakeholders as the ,under ,secretary considers appropriate-- 7#a7 evaluate the system used as of the date of the enactment of this ,act to rate the severity of tornadoes2 and 7#b7 determine whether updates to that system are required to ensure that the ratings accurately reflect the severity of tornadoes4 7b7 ,update required ,if the ,under ,secretary determines under subsection 7a7 that updates to the tornado rating system are necessary1 the ,under ,secretary shall update the system4 #f4 ,post-storm surveys and assessments 7a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary shall perform one or more post-storm surveys and assessments following each hazardous weather or water event determined by the ,under ,secretary to be of sufficient societal importance to warrant a post-event survey and assessment4 7b7 ,coordination ,the ,under ,secretary shall coordinate with ,federal1 ,state1 and local governments1 ,indian ,tribes1 private entities1 and relevant institutions of higher education when conducting post-storm surveys and assessments under subsection 7a7 in order to optimize data collection1 sharing1 and integration4 7c7 ,data availability ,the ,under ,secretary shall make the data obtained from each post-storm survey and assessment conducted under subsection 7a7 available to the public as soon as practicable after conducting the survey and assessment4 7d7 ,improvement ,the ,under ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 investigate the role of uncrewed aerial systems in data collection during post-storm surveys and assessments conducted under subsection 7a72 7#b7 identify gaps in and update tactics and procedures to enhance the efficiency and reliability of data obtained from post-storm surveys and assessments2 and 7#c7 increase the number of post-storm community impact studies1 including by-- 7,a7 surveying individual responses2 7,b7 conducting review of the accuracy of prior risk evaluations2 7,c7 evaluating the efficacy of prior mitigation activity2 and 7,d7 gathering survivability statistics4 7e7 ,support for employees ,the ,under ,secretary shall provide training1 resources1 and access to professional counseling to support the emotional and mental health and well-being of employees conducting post-storm surveys and assessments under subsection 7a74 #g4 ,,vortex-,,usa program 7a7 ,in general ,section #ajc of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #heac7 is amended-- 7#a7 in the section heading1 by striking ,tornado warning improvement and extension and inserting ,,vortex-,,usa2 7#b7 in subsection 7a71 by striking establish a tornado warning improvement and extension program and inserting maintain a program for rapidly improving tornado forecast and warnings2 7#c7 by redesignating subsections 7d7 and 7e7 as subsections 7f7 and 7g71 respectively2 7#d7 by inserting after subsection 7c7 the following3 7d7 ,warnings ,the program required by subsection 7a7 shall-- 7#a7 continue the research necessary to develop and deploy probabilistic weather forecast guidance technology for tornadoes2 and 7#b7 incorporate1 as appropriate1 hazard communication research4 7e7 ,research 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary shall1 through the program required by subsection 7a71 award grants for research that focuses on improving-- 7,a7 the social1 behavioral1 risk1 communication1 and economic sciences related to vulnerabilities1 risk communication1 and delivery of information critical for saving lives and property related to tornadoes2 and 7,b7 the physical sciences1 engineering1 and technology related to tornado formation1 the interactions of tornadoes with the built and natural environment1 and the interaction of tornadoes and hurricanes4 7#b7 ,priority institutions 7,a7 ,in general ,in awarding grants under paragraph 7#a71 the ,under ,secretary may prioritize awarding grants to minority-serving institutions4 7,b7 ,definition of minority-serving institution ,in this paragraph1 the term minority-serving institution means-- 7i7 a part ,b institution 7as defined in section #cbb of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajfa772 7ii7 a ,hispanic-serving institution 7as defined in section #ejb7;a7 of that ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja;a7a7772 7iii7 a ,tribal ,college or ,university 7as defined in section #caf7;b7 of that ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajei;c7b7772 7iv7 an ,alaska ,native-serving institution 7as defined in section #cag7;b7 of that ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajei;d7b7772 7v7 a ,native ,hawaiian-serving institution 7as defined in section #cag7;b7 of that ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajei;d7b7772 7vi7 a ,predominantly ,black ,institution 7as defined in section #cah7;b7 of that ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajei;e7b7772 7vii7 an ,asian ,american and ,native ,american ,pacific ,islander-serving institution 7as defined in section #cbj7;b7 of that ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajei;g7b7772 or 7viii7 a ,native ,american-serving1 nontribal institution 7as defined in section #cai7;b7 of that ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajei;f7b7774 2 and 7#e7 by adding at the end the following3 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,under ,secretary to carry out this section #aa1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbe through #bjcb1 of which not less than #b1jjj1jjj each fiscal year shall be used for grants awarded under subsection 7e74 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents in section #a7;b7 of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7,public ,law #aae-be2 #aca ,stat4 #ia7 is amended by striking the item relating to section #ajc and inserting the following3 ,sec4 #ajc4 ,,vortex-,,usa program4 4 #h4 ,government ,accountability ,office report on hazardous weather and water alert dissemination 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #edj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit 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 report that examines the information technology infrastructure of the ,national ,weather ,service of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 specifically regarding the system for timely public notification of hazardous weather and water event alerts and updates4 7b7 ,elements ,the report required by subsection 7a7 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,an analysis of the information technology infrastructure of the ,national ,weather ,service1 including software and hardware capabilities and limitations1 including an examination of server and data storage methods1 broadband1 data management1 and data sharing4 7#b7 ,an identification of secondary and tertiary fail-safes for the timely distribution of hazardous weather and water event alerts to the public4 7#c7 ,a determination of the extent to which public notifications are delayed and an identification of corrective measures that do not add additional notification time4 7#d7 ,an assessment of whether collaboration with other ,federal ,government offices1 ,states1 or private entities could reduce delays in notifications to the public4 7#e7 ,a description of actions being undertaken to better identify critical steps in the hazards notification process that may be vulnerable to disruption or failure in the event of communication1 technologic1 or computational failure4 #i4 ,elimination of certain report requirements 7a7 ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7#a7 ,in general ,section #djc of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #hedc7 is amended by striking subsection 7d74 7#b7 ,technical amendment ,section #djc7;a7 of such ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #hedc7;a77 is amended by inserting the after ,director of4 7b7 ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration ,authorization ,act of #aiib ,section #ajf of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration ,authorization ,act of #aiib 7,public ,law #ajb-efg2 #ajf ,stat4 #dbgd7 is amended by striking subsection 7c7 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #aecg74