I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9219 

To establish the Federal Commission on Weather Risk Data and Modeling, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 30, 2024 

Mr. MILLER of Ohio (for himself and Mr. LUCAS) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To establish the Federal Commission on Weather Risk Data 

and Modeling, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Weather Data Tax5 payer Protection Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FEDERAL COMMISSION ON WEATHER RISK DATA 

7 AND MODELING. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

10 Commerce shall establish in the Department of Commerce 


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1 a commission to be known as the ‘‘Federal Commission 

2 on Weather Risk Data and Modeling’’ (in this section re3 ferred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 

4 (b) DUTIES.—The duties of the Commission are the 

5 following: 

6 (1) To establish data, metadata, and service 

7 standards and specifications required for the valida8 tion of weather risk data and models under sub9 section (c). 

10 (2) To identify the quality, reliability, usability, 

11 timeliness, and accuracy of key data inputs and pa12 rameters provided by the private sector and used in 

13 weather risk data and models, including the fol14 lowing: 

15 (A) Data related to frequency and severity 

16 of natural hazards. 

17 (B) Data related to natural hazards expo18 sures, vulnerability, adaptation, and mitigation 

19 in built environments, including infrastructure, 

20 economic activity, and human population. 

21 (C) Data related to the relationship and 

22 scientific connections between subparagraphs 

23 (A) and (B), including types of natural hazards 

24 and the specific damages such natural hazards 

25 cause. 


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1 (3) To develop standardized methodologies and 

2 protocols for the collection, validation, and analysis 

3 of such key private sector data inputs and param4 eters utilized or purchased by Federal departments 

5 and agencies. 

6 (4) To facilitate the sharing and dissemination 

7 of weather risk data and models among the fol8 lowing: 

9 (A) State, local, and Tribal governments. 

10 (B) Federal departments and agencies. 

11 (C) Appropriate representatives of the in12 surance industry. 

13 (D) Appropriate representatives of the 

14 banking industry. 

15 (E) Appropriate representatives of the 

16 weather industry. 

17 (F) Any other relevant stakeholders as de18 termined by the Commission. 

19 (5) To coordinate data collection, analysis, and 

20 modeling activities for weather risk data and models 

21 with the following: 

22 (A) The National Oceanic and Atmos23 pheric Administration. 

24 (B) The National Institute of Standards 

25 and Technology. 


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1 (C) The National Aeronautics and Space 

2 Administration. 

3 (D) The Department of Energy. 

4 (E) The Environmental Protection Agency. 

5 (F) The Office of Science and Technology 

6 Policy. 

7 (G) Any other relevant Federal depart8 ments and agencies as determined by the Com9 mission. 

10 (6) To make recommendations to Federal de11 partments and agencies on improving the quality, 

12 accuracy, consistency, and transparency of weather 

13 risk data models. 

14 (c) WEATHER RISK DATA AND MODEL VALIDA15 TION.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall imple17 ment validation standards and specifications that en18 sure the accuracy and reliability of weather risk data 

19 and models utilized or purchased from the private 

20 sector by Federal departments and agencies. 

21 (2) CRITERIA.—In carrying out this subsection, 

22 the Commission shall engage with Federal depart23 ments and agencies, and external partners and pro24 viders, to develop and test validation standards and 

25 specifications in order to evaluate all sources and 


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1 types of weather risk data and models for use by the 

2 Federal Government. Not later than one year after 

3 such development of such standards and specifica4 tions, such standards and specifications shall be 

5 used to evaluate current federally used weather risk 

6 data and models. 

7 (3) PILOT CONTRACTS.—The Commission shall 

8 seek, through an open competition, to enter into con9 tracts with private sector entities capable of pro10 viding weather risk data and models that can be 

11 evaluated to satisfy the standards and specifications 

12 implemented pursuant to paragraph (1). Not later 

13 than six months after entering into any such con14 tract, the Commission, to the maximum extent prac15 ticable, shall seek to recommend submission of an 

16 application under paragraph (4) after determining if 

17 such data and models satisfy such standards and 

18 specifications. 

19 (4) APPLICATIONS.—Not later than one year 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act and on 

21 a continuous basis thereafter, the Commission shall 

22 consider applications for review of weather risk data 

23 and models for the purpose of validating such model 

24 for use by Federal departments and agencies. In 

25 order to have weather risk data or models reviewed 


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1 by the Commission, the owner of such data or model 

2 shall submit to the Commission an application at 

3 such time, in such manner, and containing such in4 formation as the Commission may require. 

5 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

6 (1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Com7 mission shall be co-chaired by the Administrator of 

8 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra9 tion and the Director of the National Institute of 

10 Standards and Technology, and be composed of 

11 members who are qualified to provide advice regard12 ing weather risk data and models, including, to the 

13 maximum extent practicable, from the following enti14 ties: 

15 (A) One representative of a State or local 

16 government that has experience with responding 

17 to natural hazards. 

18 (B) One representative of a State regu19 latory entity that utilizes or purchases weather 

20 risk data or models. 

21 (C) One representative of the Federal 

22 Emergency Management Agency. 

23 (D) One representative of the United 

24 States Forest Service who has experience with 

25 wildfire modeling. 


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1 (E) One representative of a Federal de2 partment or agency that utilizes or purchases 

3 weather risk data or models. 

4 (F) One representative of an organization 

5 representing rural communities that has experi6 ence with community planning. 

7 (G) One representative of an organization 

8 representing urban communities that has expe9 rience with community planning. 

10 (H) One representative of the insurance in11 dustry who has experience with weather risk 

12 data or modeling. 

13 (I) One representative of the banking in14 dustry who has experience with weather risk 

15 data or modeling. 

16 (J) One representative of a non-govern17 mental organization that has experience with 

18 weather risk data or modeling. 

19 (K) One representative of the engineering 

20 industry who has experience with structural en21 gineering related to natural hazards. 

22 (L) One representative of an institution of 

23 higher education that has experience with con24 ducting research on weather risk data or mod25 els. 


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1 (M) One representative of an institution of 

2 higher education that has experience with using 

3 artificial intelligence to improve weather risk 

4 data or modeling. 

5 (2) TERM.—Each member of the Commission 

6 shall be appointed for a term of four years, not to 

7 exceed a total of eight non-consecutive years, except 

8 that the term of six of the members who are initially 

9 appointed to membership on the Commission shall 

10 be two years. To the maximum extent practicable, 

11 the co-chairs of the Commission shall ensure stag12 gered terms of members to avoid complete turnovers 

13 of the Commission membership. 

14 (3) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Commission 

15 shall be filled in the same manner in which the origi16 nal appointment was made. 

17 (4) BASIC PAY.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

19 subparagraph (B), members of the Commission 

20 shall be paid at a rate equal to the daily equiva21 lent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed 

22 for level IV of the Executive Schedule under 

23 section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for 

24 each day (including travel time) during which 


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1 such member is engaged in the actual perform2 ance of duties vested in the Commission. 

3 (B) PROHIBITION OF COMPENSATION OF

4 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Members of the Com5 mission who are full-time officers or employees 

6 of the United States may not receive additional 

7 pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of their 

8 service on the Commission. 

9 (d) STAFF OF COMMISSION.— 

10 (1) PERSONNEL.—Upon request of the Com11 mission, the Administrator of the National Oceanic 

12 and Atmospheric Administration and the Director of 

13 the National Institute of Standards and Technology 

14 may assign any of the personnel of their respective 

15 agencies to the Commission to assist the Commis16 sion in carrying out the duties described in sub17 section (b). 

18 (2) OTHER FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND

19 AGENCIES.—Upon request of the Commission the 

20 head of any Federal department or agency may de21 tail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel 

22 of such department or agency to the Commission to 

23 assist the Commission in carrying out the duties de24 scribed in subsection (b). 


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1 (3) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—The Com2 mission may procure temporary and intermittent 

3 services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 

4 States Code, at rates for individuals that do not ex5 ceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic 

6 pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule 

7 under section 5315 of that title. 

8 (e) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

9 of the establishment of the Commission, the Commission 

10 shall submit to the President and Congress a report that 

11 includes the following: 

12 (1) An analysis of the quality, reliability, 

13 usability, timeliness, and accuracy of weather risk 

14 models and data. 

15 (2) An assessment of the extent to which Fed16 eral departments and agencies utilize or purchase 

17 weather risk data or models produced by the private 

18 sector. 

19 (3) A list of the key weather risk data and 

20 model inputs and parameters that are needed to in21 tegrate long-term climate models and short-term ca22 tastrophe models into weather risk data and models. 

23 (f) PROHIBITION OF NON-APPROVED WEATHER

24 RISK DATA AND MODELS.—Not later than two years after 

25 the date of the enactment of this Act, notwithstanding any 


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1 other provision of law, the head of each Federal depart2 ment or agency shall ensure such department or agency, 

3 as the case may be, does not utilize or purchase any 

4 weather risk data or model that does not meet the valida5 tion standards and specifications implemented by the 

6 Commission pursuant to subsection (c)(1). 

7 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—The term ‘‘ar9 tificial intelligence’’ has the meaning given such 

10 term in section 5002(3) of the National Artificial In11 telligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401(3); 

12 enacted as division E of the William M. (Mac) 

13 Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for 

14 Fiscal Year 2021; Public Law 116–283). 

15 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

16 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

17 meaning given such term in section 101 of the High18 er Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

19 (3) NATURAL HAZARDS.—The term ‘‘natural 

20 hazards’’ means extreme weather or water events 

21 and other natural phenomena, including wildfire, 

22 drought, flooding, damaging winds, tornadoes, and 

23 precipitation, that have a high risk of loss of life or 

24 property. 

Æ 


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