[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7848 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7848

 To establish the National Weather Safety Board to investigate certain 
                major disasters, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 2026

 Mr. Sorensen introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish the National Weather Safety Board to investigate certain 
                major disasters, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Weather Safety Board Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL WEATHER SAFETY BOARD.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, there shall be established as an independent 
entity a safety board to be known as the ``National Weather Safety 
Board'' (in this section referred to as the ``Safety Board'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Appointment.--The Safety Board shall be composed of not 
        fewer than 7 members appointed by the President, by and with 
        the advice and consent of the Senate. Not more than 4 members 
        may be appointed from the same political party.
            (2) Candidate list.--The Administrator of the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Secretary of 
        Homeland Security shall jointly submit to the President a list 
        of candidates for consideration for appointment to the Safety 
        Board under paragraph (1). Such candidates shall have 
        professional backgrounds in any of the following:
                    (A) Atmospheric and hydrological sciences.
                    (B) Commercial meteorological sciences.
                    (C) Social sciences.
                    (D) Academia.
                    (E) Emergency management administration and 
                operations.
            (3) Terms.--
                    (A) In general.--The term of office of each member 
                of the Safety Board shall be 5 years.
                    (B) Vacancies.--Any member appointed to fill a 
                vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for 
                which the member's predecessor was appointed shall be 
                appointed only for the remainder of that term. A member 
                may serve after the expiration of that member's term 
                until a successor is appointed in accordance with this 
                subsection.
                    (C) Removal.--The President may only remove a 
                member for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.
            (4) Quorum.--Five members of the Safety Board shall 
        constitute a quorum.
    (c) Offices.--The Safety Board shall establish offices as necessary 
to carry out investigations under subsection (d).
    (d) Investigation of Covered Major Disasters.--
            (1) System development.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the 
                establishment of the Safety Board, the Safety Board 
                shall develop a system, in coordination with the Chief 
                of Engineers, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
                Federal Communications Commission, the Administrator of 
                the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
                and the Director of National Weather Service, to 
                provide information described in subparagraph (B) to 
                members of the Safety Board regarding a covered major 
                disaster before a vote is held pursuant to paragraph 
                (2).
                    (B) Information described.--The information 
                described in this subparagraph is the following:
                            (i) The number of people impacted by a 
                        covered major disaster referred to in 
                        subparagraph (A).
                            (ii) The severity of such disaster.
                            (iii) The economic impact of such disaster.
            (2) Procedure.--Not later than 14 days after the date on 
        which a severe weather event is declared to be a covered major 
        disaster, the Safety Board shall conduct a vote to determine 
        whether to investigate such disaster. Such vote shall be based 
        on the information provided pursuant to paragraph (1). The 
        Safety Board may so investigate such a disaster only if a 
        quorum of the members present and voting vote in the 
        affirmative.
            (3) Entities investigated.--
                    (A) In general.--If the Safety Board votes in the 
                affirmative to investigate a covered major disaster 
                pursuant to paragraph (2), the Safety Board shall carry 
                out the following:
                            (i) Investigate, with respect to such 
                        disaster, the preparedness for and response to 
                        such disaster of the entities specified in 
                        subparagraph (C), as the Safety Board 
                        determines relevant.
                            (ii) Review, with respect to such disaster, 
                        the following:
                                    (I) Any determinations made by such 
                                entities as a result of weather 
                                forecasts or warnings to protect life 
                                and property.
                                    (II) Whether such determinations 
                                were sufficient.
                    (B) Compliance.--Upon request of the Safety Board, 
                an entity specified in subparagraph (C) subject to an 
                investigation conducted pursuant to this subsection, 
                shall provide to the Safety Board any data or 
                information the Safety Board determines necessary to 
                aid in such investigation.
                    (C) Entities specified.--An entity specified in 
                this subparagraph is any of the following, as the 
                Safety Board determines relevant:
                            (i) The Army Corps of Engineers.
                            (ii) The Department of Homeland Security, 
                        including the Federal Emergency Management 
                        Agency.
                            (iii) The Federal Communications 
                        Commission.
                            (iv) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration.
                            (v) The National Weather Service.
            (4) Subpoena authority.--The Safety Board may issue a 
        subpoena, enforceable in a Federal district court, to obtain 
        testimony or evidence related to an investigation conducted 
        pursuant to this subsection.
    (e) Reports.--
            (1) Preliminary report.--Not later than 90 days after the 
        conclusion of a covered major disaster, the Safety Board shall 
        submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, 
        Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and, 
        upon request, the President, a preliminary report relating to 
        an investigation conducted pursuant to subsection (d) regarding 
        such disaster.
            (2) Final report.--Not later than 20 months after the date 
        on which the Safety Board begins an investigation under 
        subsection (d), the Safety Board shall submit to the Committee 
        on Commerce, Science, Transportation of the Senate and the 
        Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
        Representatives, and, upon request, the President, a report 
        that includes the following:
                    (A) A summary of the findings of such 
                investigation.
                    (B) Based on such findings, any recommendations for 
                each entity specified in subsection (d)(3)(C) 
                investigated in accordance with such investigation to 
                improve preparedness for and response to covered major 
                disasters.
    (f) Public Availability.--The Safety Board shall develop, update, 
and make publicly available on a website of the Safety Board the 
following information:
            (1) The recommendations included in a report submitted 
        under subsection (e)(2)(B).
            (2) The entity specified in subsection (d)(3)(C) with 
        respect to which each such recommendation was made.
            (3) Whether each such entity has implemented each such 
        recommendation.
    (g) Termination.--The Safety Board shall terminate on the date that 
is 5 years after the date on which the final member of the Safety Board 
is confirmed by the Senate.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered major disaster.--The term ``covered major 
        disaster'' means any of the following:
                    (A) A severe weather event that is declared under 
                section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
                and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) to be a 
                major disaster.
                    (B) A severe weather event that results in any of 
                the following:
                            (i) At least 10 fatalities.
                            (ii) At least 100 injuries.
                            (iii) Rapid-onset mass-casualties, as 
                        determined by the Safety Board.
            (2) Severe weather event.--The term ``severe weather 
        event'' means a hurricane, tropical storm, flood, tornado, 
        winter weather event, extreme cold event, or tsunami.
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