[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 881 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.881

                     One Hundred Sixteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday,
            the third day of January, two thousand and twenty


                                 An Act


 
 To improve understanding and forecasting of space weather events, 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 ``Promoting Research and Observations 
of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow Act'' or the 
``PROSWIFT Act''.
SEC. 2. SPACE WEATHER.
    (a) Policy.--It shall be the policy of the United States to prepare 
and protect against the social and economic impacts of space weather 
phenomena by supporting actions to improve space weather forecasts and 
predictions including: sustaining and enhancing critical observations, 
identifying research needs and promoting opportunities for research-to-
operations and operations-to-research collaborations both within and 
outside of the Federal Government, advancing space weather models, 
engaging with all sectors of the space weather community, including 
academia, the commercial sector, and international partners, and 
understanding the needs of space weather end users.
    (b) Amendment to Title 51, United States Code.--Subtitle VI of 
title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding after chapter 605 
the following:

                      ``CHAPTER 606--SPACE WEATHER

``Sec.
``60601. Space weather.
``60602. Integrated strategy.
``60603. Sustaining and advancing critical space weather observations.
``60604. Research activities.
``60605. Space weather data.
``60606. Space weather knowledge transfer and information exchange.
``60607. Pilot program for obtaining commercial sector space weather 
          data.
``60608. Space weather benchmarks.

``Sec. 60601. Space weather
    ``(a) Findings.--
        ``(1) Space weather.--Congress makes the following findings 
    with respect to space weather:
            ``(A) Space weather phenomena pose a significant threat to 
        ground-based and space-based critical infrastructure, modern 
        technological systems, and humans working in space.
            ``(B) The effects of severe space weather on the electric 
        power grid, satellites and satellite communications and 
        information, aviation operations, astronauts living and working 
        in space, and space-based position, navigation, and timing 
        systems could have significant societal, economic, national 
        security, and health impacts.
            ``(C) Space-based and ground-based observations provide 
        crucial data necessary to understand, forecast, and prepare for 
        space weather phenomena.
            ``(D) Clear roles and accountability of Federal departments 
        and agencies are critical for efficient and effective response 
        to threats posed by space weather.
            ``(E) Space weather observation and forecasting are 
        essential for the success of human and robotic space 
        exploration.
            ``(F) In October 2015, the National Science and Technology 
        Council published a National Space Weather Strategy and a 
        National Space Weather Action Plan seeking to integrate 
        national space weather efforts and add new capabilities to meet 
        increasing demand for space weather information.
            ``(G) In March 2019, the National Science and Technology 
        Council published an updated National Space Weather Strategy 
        and Action Plan to enhance the preparedness and resilience of 
        the United States to space weather.
        ``(2) Role of federal agencies.--Congress makes the following 
    findings with respect to the role of Federal agencies on space 
    weather:
            ``(A) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        provides operational space weather monitoring, forecasting, and 
        long-term data archiving and access for civil applications, 
        maintains ground-based and space-based assets to provide 
        observations needed for space weather forecasting, prediction, 
        and warnings, provides research to support operational 
        responsibilities, and develops requirements for space weather 
        forecasting technologies and science.
            ``(B) The Department of Defense provides operational space 
        weather research, monitoring, and forecasting for the 
        Department's unique missions and applications.
            ``(C) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
        provides increased understanding of the fundamental physics of 
        the Sun-Earth system through basic research, space-based 
        observations and modeling, developing new space-based 
        technologies and missions, and monitoring of space weather for 
        the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's space 
        missions.
            ``(D) The National Science Foundation provides increased 
        understanding of the Sun-Earth system through ground-based 
        measurements, technologies, and modeling.
            ``(E) The Department of the Interior collects, distributes, 
        and archives operational ground-based magnetometer data in the 
        United States and its territories, works with the international 
        community to improve global geophysical monitoring, and 
        develops crustal conductivity models to assess and mitigate 
        risks from space weather-induced electric ground currents.
            ``(F) The Federal Aviation Administration provides 
        operational requirements for space weather services in support 
        of aviation and for coordination of these requirements with the 
        International Civil Aviation Organization, and integrates space 
        weather data and products into the Next Generation Air 
        Transportation System.
    ``(b) Coordination by Office of Science and Technology Policy.--The 
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall--
        ``(1) coordinate the development and implementation of Federal 
    Government activities conducted with respect to space weather to 
    improve the ability of the United States to prepare for, avoid, 
    mitigate, respond to, and recover from potentially devastating 
    impacts of space weather; and
        ``(2) coordinate the activities of the interagency working 
    group on space weather established under subsection (c).
    ``(c) Space Weather Interagency Working Group.--Not later than 90 
days after the date of enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the National 
Science and Technology Council shall establish an interagency working 
group on space weather (in this chapter referred to as the `interagency 
working group') to coordinate executive branch actions that improve the 
understanding and prediction of and preparation for space weather 
phenomena, and coordinate Federal space weather activities.
        ``(1) Membership.--The following entities shall be members of 
    the interagency working group:
            ``(A) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
            ``(B) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
            ``(C) The National Science Foundation.
            ``(D) The Department of Defense.
            ``(E) The Department of the Interior.
            ``(F) Such other Federal agencies as the Director of the 
        Office of Science and Technology Policy deems appropriate.
        ``(2) Interagency agreements.--
            ``(A) The members of the interagency working group may 
        enter into one or more interagency agreements providing for 
        cooperation and collaboration in the development of space 
        weather spacecraft, instruments, technologies, and research to 
        operations and operations to research in accordance with this 
        chapter.
            ``(B) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 
        Space Administration and the Administrator of the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall enter into one or 
        more interagency agreements providing for cooperation and 
        collaboration in the development of space weather spacecraft, 
        instruments, and technologies in accordance with this chapter.
        ``(3) International, academic community, and commercial sector 
    collaboration.--Each Federal agency participating in the space 
    weather interagency working group established under this subsection 
    shall, to the extent practicable, increase engagement and 
    cooperation with the international community, academic community, 
    and commercial space weather sector on the observational 
    infrastructure, data, and scientific research necessary to advance 
    the monitoring, forecasting, and prediction of, preparation for, 
    and protection from, space weather phenomena.
    ``(d) Space Weather Advisory Group.--
        ``(1) In general.--
            ``(A) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date of the enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of 
        the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 
        consultation with other relevant Federal agencies, shall 
        establish a space weather advisory group (in this chapter 
        referred to as the `advisory group') for the purposes of 
        receiving advice from the academic community, the commercial 
        space weather sector, and space weather end users that informs 
        the interests and work of the interagency working group.
            ``(B) Composition.--The advisory group shall be composed of 
        not more than 15 members appointed by the interagency working 
        group, of whom--
                ``(i) 5 members shall be representatives of the 
            academic community;
                ``(ii) 5 members shall be representatives of the 
            commercial space weather sector; and
                ``(iii) 5 members shall be nongovernmental 
            representatives of the space weather end user community.
            ``(C) Chair.--Not later than 30 days after the date on 
        which the last member of the advisory group is appointed under 
        subparagraph (B), the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration shall appoint 1 member as the Chair 
        of the advisory group.
            ``(D) Terms.--The length of the term of each member of the 
        advisory group shall be 3 years beginning on the date on which 
        the member is appointed.
            ``(E) Term limits.--
                ``(i) In general.--A member of the advisory group may 
            not serve on the advisory group for more than 2 consecutive 
            terms.
                ``(ii) Chair.--A member of the advisory group may not 
            serve as the Chair of the advisory group for more than 2 
            terms, regardless of whether the terms are consecutive.
        ``(2) Duties.--The advisory group shall advise the interagency 
    working group on the following:
            ``(A) Facilitating advances in the space weather enterprise 
        of the United States.
            ``(B) Improving the ability of the United States to prepare 
        for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from space weather 
        phenomena.
            ``(C) Enabling the coordination and facilitation of 
        research to operations and operations to research, as described 
        in section 60604(d).
            ``(D) Developing and implementing the integrated strategy 
        under section 60602 including subsequent updates and 
        reevaluations.
        ``(3) User survey.--
            ``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        establishment of the advisory group, the advisory group shall 
        conduct a comprehensive survey of the needs of users of space 
        weather products to identify the space weather research, 
        observations, forecasting, prediction, and modeling advances 
        required to improve space weather products.
            ``(B) Survey considerations.--The survey conducted under 
        subparagraph (A) shall--
                ``(i) assess the adequacy of current Federal Government 
            goals for lead time, accuracy, coverage, timeliness, data 
            rate, and data quality for space weather observations and 
            forecasting;
                ``(ii) identify options and methods to, in consultation 
            with the academic community and the commercial space 
            weather sector, improve upon the advancement of the goals 
            described in clause (i);
                ``(iii) identify opportunities for collection of new 
            data to address the needs of the space weather user 
            community;
                ``(iv) identify methods to increase coordination of 
            space weather research to operations and operations to 
            research;
                ``(v) identify opportunities for new technologies, 
            research, and instrumentation to aid in research, 
            understanding, monitoring, modeling, prediction, 
            forecasting, and warning of space weather; and
                ``(vi) identify methods and technologies to improve 
            preparedness for potential space weather phenomena.
            ``(C) Coordination with agencies.--In carrying out the 
        requirements of this subsection, the advisory group shall 
        communicate and coordinate with the interagency working group 
        to ensure the needs of the governmental space weather user 
        community are adequately and appropriately identified by the 
        survey under subparagraph (A).
            ``(D) Briefing to congress.--Not later than 30 days after 
        the completion of the survey under subparagraph (A), the 
        advisory group shall provide to the Committee on Science, 
        Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
        Senate a briefing on the results of the survey under 
        subparagraph (A).
            ``(E) Publication.--Within 30 days of the briefing to 
        Congress, the advisory group shall make the results of the 
        survey under subparagraph (A) publicly available.
            ``(F) Reevaluation.--The advisory group shall review and 
        assess the survey under subparagraph (A) not less than every 3 
        years and update, resubmit, and republish the survey in 
        accordance with the requirements of subparagraphs (D) and (E).
        ``(4) Federal advisory committee act.--Section 14 of the 
    Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to 
    the advisory group.
``Sec. 60602. Integrated strategy
    ``(a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, in collaboration with the interagency working group 
and upon the advice of the advisory group, shall develop a strategy for 
coordinated observation of space weather among members of the 
interagency working group (in this chapter, referred to as the 
`integrated strategy'). The integrated strategy shall identify--
        ``(1) observations and measurements that must be sustained 
    beyond the lifetime of current ground-based and space-based assets, 
    as described under section 60603, that are essential for space 
    weather research, models, forecasting, and prediction;
        ``(2) new observations and measurements that may significantly 
    improve space weather forecasting and prediction; and
        ``(3) plans for follow-on space-based observations under 
    section 60603.
    ``(b) Considerations.--In developing the integrated strategy in 
subsection (a), the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
Policy shall consider, as appropriate, the following:
        ``(1) Potential contributions of commercial solutions, prize 
    authority, academic and international partnerships, 
    microsatellites, small satellite options, ground-based instruments, 
    and hosted payloads for observations identified in section 
    60602(a)(2).
        ``(2) Work conducted before the date of enactment of the 
    PROSWIFT Act by the National Science and Technology Council with 
    respect to space weather.
        ``(3) The survey under section 60601(d).
        ``(4) Any relevant recommendations from the most recent 
    National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Decadal 
    Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics).
    ``(c) Review of Integrated Strategy.--
        ``(1) Review.--The Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
    and Space Administration and the Administrator of the National 
    Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in consultation with 
    Federal agencies participating in the interagency working group, 
    shall enter into an agreement with the National Academies of 
    Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to review the integrated 
    strategy developed in this section.
        ``(2) Considerations.--The review from paragraph (1) shall also 
    consider the current state, capability, and feasibility of the 
    commercial space weather sector to provide new and supplemental 
    observations and measurements that may significantly improve space 
    weather forecasting and prediction.
        ``(3) Transmittal.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
    Technology Policy, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
    and Space Administration, and the Administrator of the National 
    Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall transmit the 
    integrated strategy and the results of the review required under 
    paragraph (1) to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
    the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
    Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later than 1 year 
    after the date of the completion of the survey under section 
    60601(d)(3). The integrated strategy and its review shall be made 
    publicly available within 30 days of submittal to Congress.
    ``(d) Implementation Plan.--Not later than 180 days after delivery 
of the review of the integrated strategy in subsection (c)(3), the 
interagency working group shall develop a plan to implement the 
integrated strategy, including an estimate of the cost and schedule 
required for implementation. Upon completion, the interagency working 
group shall submit the implementation plan to the Committees on 
Science, Space, and Technology and Armed Services of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and Armed Services of the Senate. The implementation 
plan shall be made publicly available within 30 days of submittal to 
Congress.
    ``(e) Reevaluation.--The Director, in collaboration with the 
interagency working group, shall update the integrated strategy not 
later than 1 year after the reevaluation of the user survey from 
section 60601(d)(3)(F) in accordance with the requirements of 
subsections (a) through (d).
``Sec. 60603. Sustaining and advancing critical space weather 
     observations
    ``(a) Policy.--It is the policy of the United States to--
        ``(1) establish and sustain a baseline capability for space 
    weather observations and to make such observations and data 
    publicly available; and
        ``(2) obtain enhanced space weather observations, as 
    practicable, to advance forecasting and prediction capability, as 
    informed by the integrated strategy in section 60602.
    ``(b) Sustaining Baseline Space-based Observational Capabilities.--
        ``(1) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
    Administration shall, in cooperation with the European Space Agency 
    and other international and interagency partners, maintain 
    operations of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Large Angle 
    and Spectrometric Coronagraph (referred to in this section as 
    `SOHO/LASCO') for as long as the satellite continues to deliver 
    quality observations.
        ``(2) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
    Administration shall prioritize the reception of SOHO/LASCO data.
        ``(3) The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
    Administration shall maintain, for as long as is practicable, 
    operations of current space-based observational assets, including 
    but not limited to the Geostationary Operational Environmental 
    Satellites system, and the Deep Space Climate Observatory.
    ``(c) Backup Space-based Observational Capability.--The 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall work with 
Federal and international partners in order to secure reliable backup 
baseline capability for near real-time coronal mass ejection imagery, 
solar wind, solar imaging, coronal imagery, and other relevant 
observations required to provide space weather forecasts.
    ``(d) SOHO/LASCO Operational Contingency Plan.--The Administrator 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall develop an 
operational contingency plan to provide continuous space weather 
forecasting in the event of an unexpected SOHO/LASCO failure, and prior 
to the implementation of the backup space-based baseline observational 
capability in section 60603(c).
    ``(e) Briefing.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall provide a briefing to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate on the plan to secure reliable backup 
baseline capability described in subsection (c) and the SOHO/LASCO 
operational contingency plan developed under subsection (d).
    ``(f) Sustaining Ground-based Observational Capability.--The 
Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the United 
States Geological Survey, the Secretary of the Air Force, and, as 
practicable in support of the Air Force, the Secretary of the Navy, 
shall each--
        ``(1) maintain and improve ground-based observations of the 
    Sun, as necessary and advisable, to help meet the needs identified 
    in the survey under section 60601(d)(3); and
        ``(2) continue to provide space weather data through ground-
    based facilities, including radars, lidars, magnetometers, neutron 
    monitors, radio receivers, aurora and airglow imagers, 
    spectrometers, interferometers, and solar observatories.
    ``(g) Considerations.--In implementing subsections (b), (c), and 
(d), the Administrators of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
the Directors of the National Science Foundation and United States 
Geological Survey, and the Secretaries of the Air Force and the Navy 
shall prioritize cost-effective and reliable solutions.
    ``(h) Ground-based Observational Data.--The Director of the 
National Science Foundation shall--
        ``(1) make available to the public key data streams from the 
    platforms and facilities described in subsection (d) for research 
    and to support space weather model development;
        ``(2) develop experimental models for scientific purposes; and
        ``(3) support the transition of the experimental models to 
    operations where appropriate.
    ``(i) Enhanced Space-based Observations.--The Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in coordination with 
the Secretary of Defense, should develop options to build and deploy 
space-based observational capabilities, beyond the baseline 
capabilities referenced in subsection (b), that may improve space 
weather measurements and observations. These supplemental observational 
capabilities could include commercial solutions, prize authority, 
academic partnerships, microsatellites, ground-based instruments, and 
opportunities to deploy the instrument or instruments as a secondary 
payload on an upcoming planned launch.
``Sec. 60604. Research activities
    ``(a) Basic Research.--The Director of the National Science 
Foundation, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration, and the Secretary of Defense, shall--
        ``(1) continue to carry out basic research on heliophysics, 
    geospace science, and space weather; and
        ``(2) support competitive, peer-reviewed proposals for 
    conducting research, advancing modeling, and monitoring of space 
    weather and its impacts, including the science goals outlined in 
    decadal surveys in solar and space physics conducted by the 
    National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
    ``(b) Multidisciplinary Research.--
        ``(1) Findings.--Congress finds that the multidisciplinary 
    nature of solar and space physics creates funding challenges that 
    require coordination across scientific disciplines and Federal 
    agencies.
        ``(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
    science centers could coordinate multidisciplinary solar and space 
    physics research. The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 
    Space Administration and Director of the National Science 
    Foundation should support competitively awarded grants for 
    multidisciplinary science centers that advance solar and space 
    physics research, including research-to-operations and operations-
    to-research processes.
        ``(3) Multidisciplinary research.--The Director of the National 
    Science Foundation, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
    Atmospheric Administration, and the Administrator of the National 
    Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall each pursue 
    multidisciplinary research in subjects that further the 
    understanding of solar physics, space physics, and space weather.
    ``(c) Science Missions.--The Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration should implement missions that 
meet the science objectives identified in solar and space physics 
decadal surveys conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine.
    ``(d) Research to Operations; Operations to Research.--The 
interagency working group shall, upon consideration of the advice of 
the advisory group, develop formal mechanisms to--
        ``(1) transition the space weather research findings, models, 
    and capabilities of the National Aeronautics and Space 
    Administration, the National Science Foundation, the United States 
    Geological Survey, and other relevant Federal agencies, as 
    appropriate, to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
    and the Department of Defense;
        ``(2) enhance coordination between research modeling centers 
    and forecasting centers; and
        ``(3) communicate the operational needs of space weather 
    forecasters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
    and Department of Defense, as appropriate, to the National 
    Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science 
    Foundation, and the United States Geological Survey.
``Sec. 60605. Space weather data
    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration and the Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall continue to--
        ``(1) make space weather-related data obtained for scientific 
    research purposes available to space weather forecasters and 
    operations centers; and
        ``(2) support model development and model applications to space 
    weather forecasting.
    ``(b) Research.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall make space weather-related data 
obtained from operational forecasting available for research.
``Sec. 60606. Space weather knowledge transfer and information exchange
    ``Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the 
PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, in collaboration with the Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Director of the National 
Science Foundation, shall enter into an arrangement with the National 
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to establish a Space 
Weather Government-Academic-Commercial Roundtable to facilitate 
communication and knowledge transfer among Government participants in 
the space weather interagency working group established under section 
60601(c), the academic community, and the commercial space weather 
sector to--
        ``(1) facilitate advances in space weather prediction and 
    forecasting;
        ``(2) increase coordination of space weather research to 
    operations and operations to research; and
        ``(3) improve preparedness for potential space weather 
    phenomena.
``Sec. 60607. Pilot program for obtaining commercial sector space 
     weather data
    ``(a) Establishment.--Not later than 12 months after the date of 
enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may establish a pilot program 
under which the Administrator will offer to enter into contracts with 
one or more entities in the commercial space weather sector for the 
provision to the Administrator of space weather data generated by such 
an entity that meets the standards and specifications published under 
subsection (b).
    ``(b) Data Standard and Specifications.--Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Defense, may publish standards and specifications 
for ground-based, ocean-based, air-based, and space-based commercial 
space weather data and metadata.
    ``(c) Contracts.--
        ``(1) In general.--Within 12 months after the date of 
    transmission of the review of the integrated strategy to Congress 
    under section 60602(c)(3) and taking into account the results of 
    the review, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
    Atmospheric Administration may offer to enter, through an open 
    competition, into at least one contract with one or more commercial 
    space weather sector entities capable of providing space weather 
    data that--
            ``(A) meets the standards and specifications established 
        for providing such data under subsection (b); and
            ``(B) is provided in a manner that allows the Administrator 
        of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to 
        calibrate and evaluate the data for use in space weather 
        research and forecasting models of the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Defense, or both.
        ``(2) Assessment.--If one or more contract is entered into 
    under paragraph (1), not later than 4 years after the date of 
    enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the National 
    Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall assess, and submit to 
    the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology and Armed Services 
    of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Commerce, 
    Science, and Transportation and Armed Services of the Senate, a 
    report on the extent to which the pilot program has demonstrated 
    data provided under contracts described in paragraph (1) meet the 
    standards and specifications established under subsection (b) and 
    the extent to which the pilot program has demonstrated--
            ``(A) the viability of assimilating the commercially 
        provided data into National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration space weather research and forecasting models;
            ``(B) whether, and by how much, the data so provided add 
        value to space weather forecasts of the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Defense; and
            ``(C) the accuracy, quality, timeliness, validity, 
        reliability, usability, information technology security, and 
        cost-effectiveness of obtaining commercial space weather data 
        from commercial sector providers.
``Sec. 60608. Space weather benchmarks
    ``The interagency working group established under section 60601(c) 
shall periodically review and update the benchmarks described in the 
report of the National Science and Technology Council entitled `Space 
Weather Phase 1 Benchmarks' and dated June 2018, as necessary, based 
on--
        ``(1) any significant new data or advances in scientific 
    understanding that become available; or
        ``(2) the evolving needs of entities impacted by space weather 
    phenomena.''.
    (c) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
        (1) The table of chapters of title 51, United States Code, is 
    amended by adding after the item relating to chapter 605 the 
    following:

``606. Space Weather............................................60601''.

        (2) Section 809 of the National Aeronautics and Space 
    Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18388) and the 
    item relating to that section in the table of contents under 
    section 1(b) of that Act (Public Law 111-267; 124 Stat. 2806) are 
    repealed.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.