H. R. 353—22 
SEC. 408. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE WEATHER FORECASTING ACTIVI-
TIES. 
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Represent-
atives a report analyzing the impacts of the proposed Air Force 
divestiture in the United States Weather Research and Forecasting 
Model, including— 
(1) the impact on— 
(A) the United States weather forecasting capabilities; 
(B) the accuracy of civilian regional forecasts; 
(C) the civilian readiness for traditional weather and 
extreme weather events in the United States; and 
(D) the research necessary to develop the United States 
Weather Research and Forecasting Model; and 
(2) such other analysis relating to the divestiture as the 
Under Secretary considers appropriate. 
SEC. 
409. 
NATIONAL 
WEATHER 
SERVICE; 
OPERATIONS 
AND 
WORKFORCE ANALYSIS. 
The Under Secretary shall contract or continue to partner 
with an external organization to conduct a baseline analysis of 
National Weather Service operations and workforce. 
SEC. 410. REPORT ON CONTRACT POSITIONS AT NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE. 
(a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit 
to Congress a report on the use of contractors at the National 
Weather Service for the most recently completed fiscal year. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report required by subsection (a) shall 
include, with respect to the most recently completed fiscal year, 
the following: 
(1) The total number of full-time equivalent employees 
at the National Weather Service, disaggregated by each equiva-
lent level of the General Schedule. 
(2) The total number of full-time equivalent contractors 
at the National Weather Service, disaggregated by each equiva-
lent level of the General Schedule that most closely approxi-
mates their duties. 
(3) The total number of vacant positions at the National 
Weather Service on the day before the date of enactment of 
this Act, disaggregated by each equivalent level of the General 
Schedule. 
(4) The five most common positions filled by full-time 
equivalent contractors at the National Weather Service and 
the equivalent level of the General Schedule that most closely 
approximates the duties of such positions. 
(5) Of the positions identified under paragraph (4), the 
percentage of full-time equivalent contractors in those positions 
that have held a prior position at the National Weather Service 
or another entity in National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration. 
(6) The average full-time equivalent salary for Federal 
employees at the National Weather Service for each equivalent 
level of the General Schedule.
H. R. 353—23 
(7) The average salary for full-time equivalent contractors 
performing at each equivalent level of the General Schedule 
at the National Weather Service. 
(8) A description of any actions taken by the Under Sec-
retary to respond to the issues raised by the Inspector General 
of the Department of Commerce regarding the hiring of former 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees 
as contractors at the National Weather Service such as the 
issues raised in the Investigative Report dated June 2, 2015 
(OIG–12–0447). 
(c) ANNUAL PUBLICATION.—For each fiscal year after the fiscal 
year covered by the report required by subsection (a), the Under 
Secretary shall, not later than 180 days after the completion of 
the fiscal year, publish on a publicly accessible Internet website 
the information described in paragraphs (1) through (8) of sub-
section (b) for such fiscal year. 
SEC. 411. WEATHER IMPACTS TO COMMUNITIES AND INFRASTRUC-
TURE. 
(a) REVIEW.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National Weather 
Service shall review existing research, products, and services 
that meet the specific needs of the urban environment, given 
its unique physical characteristics and forecasting challenges. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The review required by paragraph (1) shall 
include research, products, and services with the potential to 
improve modeling and forecasting capabilities, taking into 
account factors including varying building heights, impermeable 
surfaces, lack of tree canopy, traffic, pollution, and inter- 
building wind effects. 
(b) REPORT AND ASSESSMENT.—Upon completion of the review 
required by subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report on the research, products, and services of the 
National Weather Service, including an assessment of such 
research, products, and services that is based on the review, public 
comment, and recent publications by the National Academy of 
Sciences. 
SEC. 412. WEATHER ENTERPRISE OUTREACH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary may establish mecha-
nisms for outreach to the weather enterprise— 
(1) to assess the weather forecasts and forecast products 
provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion; and 
(2) to determine the highest priority weather forecast needs 
of the community described in subsection (b). 
(b) OUTREACH COMMUNITY.—In conducting outreach under sub-
section (a), the Under Secretary shall contact leading experts and 
innovators from relevant stakeholders, including the representatives 
from the following: 
(1) State or local emergency management agencies. 
(2) State agriculture agencies. 
(3) Indian tribes (as defined in section 4 of the Indian 
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
5304)) and Native Hawaiians (as defined in section 6207 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7517)). 
(4) The private aerospace industry.
H. R. 353—24 
(5) The private earth observing industry. 
(6) The operational forecasting community. 
(7) The academic community. 
(8) Professional societies that focus on meteorology. 
(9) Such other stakeholder groups as the Under Secretary 
considers appropriate. 
SEC. 413. HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT. 
(a) BACKUP CAPABILITY.—The Under Secretary shall acquire 
backup for the capabilities of the WP–3D Orion and G–IV hurricane 
aircraft of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
that is sufficient to prevent a single point of failure. 
(b) AUTHORITY TO ENTER AGREEMENTS.—In order to carry out 
subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall negotiate and enter into 
1 or more agreements or contracts, to the extent practicable and 
necessary, with governmental and non-governmental entities. 
(c) FUTURE TECHNOLOGY.—The Under Secretary shall continue 
the development of Airborne Phased Array Radar under the United 
States Weather Research Program. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For each of fiscal 
years 2017 through 2020, support for implementing subsections 
(a) and (b) is authorized out of funds appropriated to the Office 
of Marine and Aviation Operations. 
SEC. 414. STUDY ON GAPS IN NEXRAD COVERAGE AND RECOMMENDA-
TIONS TO ADDRESS SUCH GAPS. 
(a) STUDY ON GAPS IN NEXRAD COVERAGE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall 
complete a study on gaps in the coverage of the Next Generation 
Weather Radar of the National Weather Service (‘‘NEXRAD’’). 
(2) ELEMENTS.—In conducting the study required under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 
(A) identify areas in the United States where limited 
or no NEXRAD coverage has resulted in— 
(i) instances in which no or insufficient warnings 
were given for hazardous weather events, including 
tornadoes; or 
(ii) degraded forecasts for hazardous weather 
events that resulted in fatalities, significant injuries, 
or substantial property damage; and 
(B) for the areas identified under subparagraph (A)— 
(i) identify the key weather effects for which pre-
diction would improve with improved radar detection; 
(ii) identify additional sources of observations for 
high impact weather that were available and oper-
ational for such areas on the day before the date of 
the enactment of this Act, including dense networks 
of x-band radars, Terminal Doppler Weather Radar 
(commonly known as ‘‘TDWR’’), air surveillance radars 
of the Federal Aviation Administration, and coopera-
tive network observers; 
(iii) assess the feasibility and advisability of efforts 
to integrate and upgrade Federal radar capabilities 
that are not owned or controlled by the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration, including radar 
capabilities of the Federal Aviation Administration and 
the Department of Defense;
H. R. 353—25 
(iv) assess the feasibility and advisability of incor-
porating State-operated and other non-Federal radars 
into the operations of the National Weather Service; 
(v) identify options to improve hazardous weather 
detection and forecasting coverage; and 
(vi) provide the estimated cost of, and timeline 
for, each of the options identified under clause (v). 
(3) REPORT.—Upon the completion of the study required 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives a report that includes the findings 
of the Secretary with respect to the study. 
(b) RECOMMENDATIONS
TO IMPROVE RADAR COVERAGE.—Not 
later than 90 days after the completion of the study under sub-
section (a)(1), the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to the 
congressional committees referred to in subsection (a)(3) rec-
ommendations for improving hazardous weather detection and fore-
casting coverage in the areas identified under subsection (a)(2)(A) 
by integrating additional observation solutions to the extent prac-
ticable and meteorologically justified and necessary to protect public 
safety. 
(c) THIRD-PARTY CONSULTATION REGARDING RECOMMENDATIONS 
TO IMPROVE RADAR COVERAGE.—The Secretary of Commerce may 
seek reviews by, or consult with, appropriate third parties regarding 
the scientific methodology relating to, and the feasibility and advis-
ability of implementing, the recommendations submitted under sub-
section (b), including the extent to which warning and forecast 
services of the National Weather Service would be improved by 
additional observations. 
TITLE 
V—TSUNAMI 
WARNING, 
EDU-
CATION, AND RESEARCH ACT OF 2017 
SEC. 501. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Tsunami Warning, Education, 
and Research Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 502. REFERENCES TO THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDUCATION 
ACT. 
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this title 
an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment 
to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall 
be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the 
Tsunami Warning and Education Act enacted as title VIII of the 
Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery 
Conservation 
and 
Management 
Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109–479; 33 U.S.C. 3201 
et seq.). 
SEC. 503. EXPANSION OF PURPOSES OF TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDU-
CATION ACT. 
Section 803 (33 U.S.C. 3202) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘research,’’ after 
‘‘warnings,’’; 
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows: