HR 5002
Protect Americans from Climate Disasters Act
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Bill overview
This bill, the Protect Americans from Climate Disasters Act, aims to restore staffing and programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to better prepare communities for extreme weather events. It addresses concerns about recent cuts to NOAA that have reduced forecasting capabilities and data availability, potentially endangering public safety. The bill seeks to reinstate former employees, continue existing programs, and restore key NOAA databases and products that track the economic impact of climate disasters.
Key provisions
- Ensures NOAA, including the National Weather Service, is fully staffed.
- Reinstates individuals involuntarily removed from NOAA employment prior to the bill's enactment.
- Continues existing programs that support state and local extreme weather preparedness efforts.
- Restores the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product.
- Reinstates the NOAA Marine Environmental Buoy Database.
- Reinstates the NOAA Global Ocean Currents Database.
- Appropriates $6,756,300,000 to NOAA for fiscal year 2026.
Who is affected
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Weather Service
- State and Local Governments
- American Public
- Coastal Communities
Notable changes
- Reinstates previously removed NOAA staff.
- Restores discontinued data products, such as the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] Norton
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 5002
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To reinstate all employees and programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that help communities prepare for and mitigate damage from extreme weather events.
This Act may be cited as the Protect Americans from Climate Disasters Act
.
Congress finds the following:
The Fifth United States National Climate Assessment reported that human-caused climate variability such as extended droughts, longer wildfire seasons, heavy rainfall, and sea level rise affects the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, from 2020 to 2024 alone, weather and climate disasters cost the United States over $746,700,000,000 and led to 2,520 deaths.
Americans rely on weather information provided by NOAA every day for emergency disaster alerts, forecasting, data collection, and more.
The 5 former living National Weather Service leaders wrote an open letter expressing their deep concern that the staff and program cuts at NOAA may result in the loss of life.
In this Act, the term NOAA
means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, using funds previously appropriated for such purposes, the Secretary of Commerce shall—
take such actions as are necessary to ensure that NOAA, including the National Weather Service, is fully staffed to ensure timely and accurate data, forecasts, weather alerts, and resiliency resources are available to prepare for extreme weather events; and
reinstate any individuals who—
were involuntarily removed or otherwise terminated from employment with NOAA during the period beginning on January 20, 2025, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act; and
elect to be reinstated.
shall continue to carry out any programs for which funds have been appropriated that support State and local efforts to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events; and
may not make any changes to existing congressionally mandated programs that will reduce access to extreme weather resources.
In carrying out subsection (a)—
There is appropriated to the Department of Commerce, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2026, $6,756,300,000 for the necessary expenses of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.