Seasonal Forecasting Improvement Act
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 455.
Seasonal Forecasting Improvement Act
(Sec. 2) The Department of Commerce, through the National Weather Service (NWS) and other appropriate programs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shall:
collect and utilize information in order to make usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of seasonal temperature and precipitation in agriculture;
leverage existing research and models from the academic sector to improve such forecasts;
determine and provide information on how such forecasted conditions may impact the number and severity of droughts, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, heat waves, coastal inundation, winter storms, high impact weather, or other relevant disasters, snowpack, and sea ice conditions;
provide these forecasts and information on national and regional levels; and
develop an Internet clearinghouse.
Commerce shall provide forecasts and information on their impacts to the public.
Commerce shall build upon existing forecasting and assessment programs and partnerships, including by:
designating research and monitoring activities related to seasonal forecasts as a priority in one or more Cooperative Institute solicitations,
contributing to the interagency Earth System Prediction Capability, and
consulting with the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to determine the highest priority seasonal forecast needs to enhance national security.
Commerce shall make grants of up to $100,000 each to states and territories to appoint a forecast communication coordinator to receive and disseminate forecasts and information.
Commerce shall provide funds to each state requesting assistance to support an individual to:
serve as a liaison among NOAA, other federal departments and agencies, the academic sector, the state, and relevant interests within that state; and
receive and disseminate the forecasts and information throughout the state, including county and tribal governments.
Commerce shall also require matching funds from the state, a university, a non-governmental organization, trade association, or the private sector.
The bill reauthorizes the weather and climate information in agriculture program through FY2020.
(Sec. 3) The U.S. Weather Research Program shall: (1) report annually to Congress about on-going research projects and the five NOAA projects related to observations, weather, or seasonal-scale forecasts closest to operationalization; (2) establish teams with staff from the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the NWS to oversee the operationalization of research projects; and (3) facilitate visiting scholars.
The summary continues for 41 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate with amendment(s)" stage on May 9, 2016. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 9, 2016: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 455.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
John Thune (R-SD) introduced it on May 13, 2015, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 13, 2015, 4138 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3776 days ago, on May 9, 2016.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers