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quired under law as in effect before the effective date of this 
Act. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall maintain with-
in the Administration the National Weather Service. 
(b) MISSION.—The mission of the National Weather 
Service is to provide weather, water, climate, tsunami, and 
space weather forecasts and warnings for the United States, 
its territories, adjacent waters, and ocean areas for the pro-
tection of life and property and the enhancement of the na-
tional economy. In carrying out the mission of the National 
Weather Service, the Administrator shall ensure that the 
National Weather Service— 
(1) provides timely and accurate weather, water, 
climate, tsunami, and space weather forecasts; and 
(2) provides timely and accurate warnings of 
natural hazards related to weather, water, climate, 
and tsunamis, and of space weather hazards. 
(c) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the National Weath-
er Service shall include— 
(1) maintaining a network of local weather fore-
cast offices; 
(2) maintaining a network of observation sys-
tems to collect weather and climate data; 
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(3) operating national centers to deliver guid-
ance, forecasts, warnings, and analysis about weather, 
water, climate, tsunami, and space weather phe-
nomena for the Administration and the public; 
(4) providing information to Federal agencies 
and other organizations responsible for emergency 
preparedness and response as required by law; 
(5) conducting and supporting applied research 
to facilitate the rapid incorporation of weather and 
climate science advances into operational tools; and 
(6) other functions to serve the mission of the 
National Weather Service described in subsection (b). 
SEC. 6. OPERATIONS AND SERVICES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall maintain with-
in the Administration programs to support efforts, on a 
continuing basis, to collect data and provide information 
and products regarding satellites, observations, and coastal, 
ocean and Great Lakes information. 
(b) FUNCTIONS.—To accomplish the mission described 
in section 3(b), and in addition to the functions described 
in section 3(c), the operations and service aspects of the Ad-
ministration shall include— 
(1) acquiring, managing, and operating coastal, 
ocean, and Great Lakes observing systems; 
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(2) contributing to the operation of a global 
Earth-observing system; 
(3) integrating Administration remote sensing 
and in situ assets that provide critical data needed 
to support the mission of the Administration, and 
providing that data to decisionmakers and the public; 
(4) developing, acquiring, and managing oper-
ational environmental satellite programs and associ-
ated ground control and data acquisition and deliv-
ery facilities to support the mission of the Adminis-
tration; 
(5) managing and distributing atmospheric, geo-
physical, and marine data and data products for the 
Administration through national environmental data 
centers; 
(6) providing for long-term stewardship of envi-
ronmental data, products, and information via data 
processing, storage, reanalysis, reprocessing, and ar-
chive facilities; 
(7) issuing licenses for private remote sensing 
space systems under the Land Remote Sensing Policy 
Act of 1992; 
(8) administering a national water level observa-
tion network, which shall include monitoring of the 
Great Lakes; 
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(9) providing charts and other information for 
safe navigation of the oceans and inland waters, as 
provided by law; 
(10) maintaining a fleet of ships and aircraft to 
support the mission of the Administration; and 
(11) such other operations and services functions 
to serve the mission of the Administration as the Ad-
ministrator may prescribe. 
SEC. 7. RESEARCH AND EDUCATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall maintain with-
in the Administration programs to conduct and support re-
search and education and the development of technologies 
relating to weather, climate, and the coasts, oceans, and 
Great Lakes. 
(b) FUNCTIONS.—To accomplish the mission described 
in section 3(b), and in addition to the functions described 
in section 3(c), the research and education aspects of the 
Administration shall include— 
(1) conducting and supporting research and de-
velopment to improve the Administration’s capabili-
ties to collect, through observation and otherwise, 
communicate, analyze, process, and disseminate com-
prehensive scientific data and information about 
weather, climate, and the coasts, oceans, and Great 
Lakes; 
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(2) improving ecological prediction and manage-
ment capabilities through ecosystem-based research 
and development; 
(3) contributing information on the Earth’s cli-
mate and related systems, obtained through research 
and observation, that addresses questions confronting 
policymakers, resources managers, and other users; 
(4) reducing uncertainty in projections of how 
the Earth’s climate and related systems may change 
in the future; 
(5) fostering the public’s ability to understand 
and integrate scientific information into consider-
ations of national environmental issues through edu-
cation and public outreach activities; 
(6) administering the National Sea Grant Col-
lege Program Act; 
(7) conducting and supporting research and de-
velopment of technology for exploration of the oceans; 
(8) maintaining a system of laboratories to per-
form the functions described in this subsection; 
(9) supporting extramural peer-reviewed com-
petitive grant programs to assist the Administration 
in performing the functions described in this sub-
section; and 
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(10) such other research, development, education, 
and outreach functions to serve the mission of the Ad-
ministration as the Administrator may prescribe. 
SEC. 8. SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be within the Adminis-
tration a Science Advisory Board, which shall provide such 
scientific advice as may be requested by the Administrator, 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate, or the Committee on Science or on Resources 
of the House of Representatives. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Science Advisory 
Board is to advise the Administrator and Congress on long- 
range and short-range strategies for research, education, 
and the application of science to resource management and 
environmental assessment and prediction. 
(c) MEMBERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Science Advisory Board 
shall be composed of at least 15 members appointed 
by the Administrator. Each member of the Board 
shall be qualified by education, training, and experi-
ence to evaluate scientific and technical information 
on matters referred to the Board under this section. 
(2) TERMS OF SERVICE.—Members shall be ap-
pointed for 3-year terms, renewable once, and shall 
serve at the discretion of the Administrator. An indi-
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vidual serving a term as a member of the Science Ad-
visory Board on the date of enactment of this Act 
may complete that term, and may be reappointed 
once for another term of 3 years unless the term being 
served on such date of enactment is the second term 
served by that individual. Vacancy appointments 
shall be for the remainder of the unexpired term of the 
vacancy, and an individual so appointed may subse-
quently be appointed for 2 full 3-year terms if the re-
mainder of the unexpired term is less than one year. 
(3) CHAIRPERSON.—The Administrator shall 
designate a chairperson from among the members of 
the Board. 
(4) APPOINTMENT.—Members of the Science Ad-
visory Board shall be appointed as special Govern-
ment employees, within the meaning given such term 
in section 202(a) of title 18, United States Code. 
(d) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 
(1) REPORTING.—The Science Advisory Board 
shall report to the Administrator and the appropriate 
requesting party. 
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE
SUPPORT.—The Adminis-
trator shall provide administrative support to the 
Science Advisory Board. 
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(3) MEETINGS.—The Science Advisory Board 
shall meet at least twice each year, and at other times 
at the call of the Administrator or the Chairperson. 
(4) COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES.—A member 
of the Science Advisory Board shall not be com-
pensated for service on such board, but may be al-
lowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
subsistence, in accordance with subchapter I of chap-
ter 57 of title 5, United States Code. 
(5) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Science Advisory 
Board may establish such subcommittees of its mem-
bers as may be necessary. The Science Advisory 
Board may establish task forces and working groups 
consisting of Board members and outside experts as 
may be necessary. 
(e) EXPIRATION.—Section 14 of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 
Science Advisory Board. 
SEC. 9. REPORTS. 
(a) REPORT ON DATA MANAGEMENT, ARCHIVAL, AND 
DISTRIBUTION.— 
(1) CONTENTS.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and once every 5 years 
thereafter, the Administrator shall do the following: 
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(A) Enter into an arrangement with the 
National Academy of Sciences to review the envi-
ronmental data and information systems of the 
Administration and to provide recommendations 
to address any inadequacies identified by the re-
view. The review shall assess the adequacy of the 
environmental data and information systems of 
the Administration to— 
(i) provide adequate capacity to man-
age, archive and disseminate environmental 
information collected and processed, or ex-
pected to be collected and processed, by the 
Administration, including data gathered by 
other agencies that is processed or stored by 
the Administration; 
(ii) establish, develop, and maintain 
information 
bases, 
including 
necessary 
management systems, which will provide for 
consistent, efficient, and compatible transfer 
and use of data; 
(iii) develop effective interfaces among 
the environmental data and information 
systems of the Administration and other ap-
propriate departments and agencies; 
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(iv) develop and use nationally accept-
ed formats and standards for data collected 
by various national and international 
sources; 
(v) integrate and interpret data from 
different sources to produce information 
that can be used by decisionmakers in devel-
oping policies that effectively respond to na-
tional and global environmental concerns; 
and 
(vi) 
reanalyze 
and 
reprocess 
the 
archived data as better science is developed 
to integrate diverse data sources. 
(B) Develop a strategic plan, with respect to 
the environmental data and information systems 
of the Administration, to— 
(i) respond to each of the recommenda-
tions in the review conducted under sub-
paragraph (A); 
(ii) set forth modernization and im-
provement objectives for an integrated na-
tional environmental data access and ar-
chive system for the 10-year period begin-
ning with the year in which the plan is 
transmitted, including facility requirements 
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and critical new technology components 
that would be necessary to meet the objec-
tives set forth; 
(iii) propose specific Administration 
programs and activities for implementing 
the plan; 
(iv) identify the data and information 
management, reanalysis, reprocessing, ar-
chival, and distribution responsibilities of 
the Administration with respect to other 
Federal departments and agencies and 
international organizations; and 
(v) provide an implementation sched-
ule and estimate funding levels necessary to 
achieve modernization and improvement ob-
jectives. 
(2) TRANSMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
and the Committee on Science of the House of Rep-
resentatives the initial review and strategic plan de-
veloped under paragraph (1). Subsequent reviews and 
strategic plans developed under paragraph (1) shall 
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also be transmitted to those committees upon comple-
tion. 
(b) STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOP-
MENT.— 
(1) CONTENTS.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and once every 5 years 
thereafter, the Administrator shall develop a strategic 
plan for research and development at the Administra-
tion. The plan shall include— 
(A) an assessment of the science and tech-
nology needs of the Administration based on the 
Administration’s operational requirements and 
on input provided by external stakeholders at the 
national, regional, State, and local levels; and 
(B) a strategic plan that assigns specific 
programs within the administration the respon-
sibility to meet each need identified under sub-
paragraph (A) and that describes the extent to 
which each need identified in subparagraph (A) 
will be addressed through— 
(i) intramural research; 
(ii) extramural, peer-reviewed, com-
petitive grant programs; and 
(iii) work done in cooperation with 
other Federal agencies. 
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