FLOODS Act
Bill: S.558 | Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. (R-MS)
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act or the FLOODS Act
This act addresses forecasting and the communication of flood, tornado, and hurricane events by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
For example, the act directs NOAA to establish a National Integrated Flood Information System to inform and provide for timely decisions to reduce flood-related effects and costs.
NOAA must also establish partnerships with institutions of higher education and federal agencies to improve total water predictions. In addition, NOAA must (1) evaluate and improve flash flood watches and warnings, (2) estimate and communicate the frequency of precipitation, and (3) identify gaps in the availability of snow-related data to assess and predict floods and flood impacts.
Further, NOAA must ensure that the tornado warning improvement and extension program periodically examines the value of incorporating innovative observations, such as acoustic or infrasonic measurements, observations from phased array radars, and observations from mesonets (i.e., a network of certain weather observing stations).
In addition, the National Weather Service must designate a service coordination hydrologist at each of its River Forecast Centers to increase impact-based decision support services at the state and local level.
Finally, the act establishes an Interagency Committee on Water Management and Infrastructure to ensure that federal agencies that engage in water-related matters work together where such agencies have joint or overlapping responsibilities.

[117th Congress Public Law 316]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 4405]]

                  FLOOD LEVEL OBSERVATION, OPERATIONS,

                        AND DECISION SUPPORT ACT

[[Page 136 STAT. 4406]]

Public Law 117-316
117th Congress

                                 An Act


 
 To establish a national integrated flood information system within the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other 
             purposes. <<NOTE: Dec. 27, 2022 -  [S. 558]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Flood Level 
Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act.>> 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) <<NOTE: 15 USC 9701 note.>>  Short Title.--This Act may be cited 
as the ``Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act'' 
or the ``FLOODS Act''.

    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. National Integrated Flood Information System.
Sec. 4. Observations and modeling for total water prediction.
Sec. 5. Service coordination hydrologists at River Forecast Centers of 
           the National Weather Service.
Sec. 6. Improving National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
           communication of future flood risks and hazardous flash flood 
           events.
Sec. 7. Freshwater monitoring along the coast.
Sec. 8. Tornado warning improvement.
Sec. 9. Hurricane forecast improvement program.
Sec. 10. Weather and water research and development planning.
Sec. 11. Forecast communication coordinators.
Sec. 12. Estimates of precipitation frequency in the United States.
Sec. 13. Interagency Committee on Water Management and Infrastructure.
Sec. 14. National Weather Service hydrologic research fellowship 
           program.
Sec. 15. Identification and support of consistent, Federal set of 
           forward-looking, long-term meteorological information.
Sec. 16. Gap analysis on availability of snow-related data to assess and 
           predict flood and flood impacts.
Sec. 17. Availability to the public of flood-related data.

SEC. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9701.>>  2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration.
            (2) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United 
        States, and any other territory or possession of the United 
        States.
SEC. 3. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9702.>>  NATIONAL INTEGRATED FLOOD 
                    INFORMATION SYSTEM.

    (a) <<NOTE: Establishment.>>  In General.--The Administrator shall 
establish a system, to be known as the ``National Integrated Flood 
Information System'',

[[Page 136 STAT. 4407]]

to better inform and provide for more timely decision making to reduce 
flood-related effects and costs.

    (b) System Functions.--The Administrator, through the National 
Integrated Flood Information System, shall--
            (1) provide an effective flood early warning system that--
                    (A) collects and integrates information on the key 
                indicators of floods and flood impacts, including 
                streamflow, reservoir release and diversion, 
                precipitation, soil moisture, snow water equivalent, 
                land cover, and evaporative demand;
                    (B) makes usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of 
                floods;
                    (C) <<NOTE: Assessment.>>  assesses the severity of 
                flood conditions and effects;
                    (D) provides information described in subparagraph 
                (A), forecasts described in subparagraph (B), and 
                assessments described in subparagraph (C) at the 
                national, regional, and local levels, as appropriate; 
                and
                    (E) communicates flood forecasts, flood conditions, 
                and flood impacts to appropriate entities engaged in 
                flood planning, preparedness, and response and post-
                event flood extent, including--
                          (i) decision makers at the Federal, State, 
                      local, and Tribal levels of government; and
                          (ii) the public;
            (2) <<NOTE: Data.>>  provide timely data, information, and 
        products that reflect differences in flood conditions among 
        localities, regions, watersheds, and States;
            (3) <<NOTE: Coordination.>>  coordinate and integrate, 
        through interagency agreements as practicable, Federal research 
        and monitoring in support of the flood early warning information 
        system provided under paragraph (1);
            (4) use existing forecasting and assessment programs and 
        partnerships;
            (5) make improvements in seasonal precipitation and 
        temperature, subseasonal precipitation and temperature, and 
        flood water prediction; and
            (6) continue ongoing research and monitoring activities 
        relating to floods, including research activities relating to--
                    (A) the prediction, length, severity, and impacts of 
                floods and improvement of the accuracy, timing, and 
                specificity of flash flood warnings;
                    (B) the role of extreme weather events and climate 
                variability in floods; and
                    (C) how water travels over and through surfaces.

    (c) Partnerships.--The Administrator, through the National 
Integrated Flood Information System, may--
            (1) <<NOTE: Determination.>>  engage with the private sector 
        to improve flood monitoring, forecasts, land and topography 
        data, and communication, if the Administrator determines that 
        such engagement is appropriate, cost effective, and beneficial 
        to the public and decision makers described in subsection 
        (b)(1)(E)(i);
            (2) facilitate the development of 1 or more academic 
        cooperative partnerships to assist in carrying out the functions 
        of the National Integrated Flood Information System described in 
        subsection (b);

[[Page 136 STAT. 4408]]

            (3) use and support monitoring by citizen scientists, 
        including by developing best practices to facilitate maximum 
        data integration, as the Administrator considers appropriate;
            (4) engage with, and leverage the resources of, entities 
        within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 
        existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act, such as 
        the National Weather Service with respect to forecast and 
        warning functions, the National Integrated Drought Information 
        System, the Regional Climate Center, and the National Mesonet 
        Program, to improve coordination of water monitoring, 
        forecasting, and management; and
            (5) engage with and support water monitoring by the United 
        States Geological Survey--
                    (A) to improve the availability and continuity of 
                streamflow data at critical locations through the 
                deployment of rapid deployment gages and the flood-
                hardening of at-risk streamflow gauges; and
                    (B) to increase storm surge monitoring data through 
                the deployment of additional storm surge sensors.

    (d) Consultation.--In developing and maintaining the National 
Integrated Flood Information System, the Administrator shall consult 
with relevant Federal, State, local, and Tribal government agencies, 
research institutions, and the private sector.
    (e) Cooperation From Other Federal Agencies.--Each Federal agency 
shall cooperate as appropriate with the Administrator in carrying out 
this section.
SEC. 4. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9703.>>  OBSERVATIONS AND MODELING FOR 
                    TOTAL WATER PREDICTION.

    (a) <<NOTE: Evaluations.>>  Partnerships.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish 
        partnerships with 1 or more institutions of higher education (as 
        defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001)) to evaluate observations that would improve total 
        water prediction.
            (2) Priority observations.--In establishing partnerships 
        under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall prioritize 
        partnerships to evaluate observations from uncrewed aerial 
        systems.

    (b) Maintained Observations.--If the Administrator determines that 
incorporating additional observations improves total water prediction, 
the Administrator shall, to the extent practicable, continue 
incorporating those observations.
    (c) Modeling Improvements.--The Administrator shall advance 
geographic coverage, resolution, skill, and efficiency of coastal 
oceanographic modeling, including efforts that improve the coupling of 
and interoperability between hydrological models and coastal ocean 
models.
SEC. 5. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9704.>> SERVICE COORDINATION HYDROLOGISTS 
                    AT RIVER FORECAST CENTERS OF THE NATIONAL 
                    WEATHER SERVICE.

    (a) Designation of Service Coordination Hydrologists.--
            (1) In general.--The Director of the National Weather 
        Service (in this section referred to as the ``Director'') shall 
        designate at least 1 service coordination hydrologist at each 
        River Forecast Center of the National Weather Service.
            (2) Performance by other employees.--Performance of the 
        responsibilities outlined in this section is not limited to the 
        service coordination hydrologist position.

[[Page 136 STAT. 4409]]

    (b) Primary Role of Service Coordination Hydrologists.--The primary 
role of the service coordination hydrologist shall be to carry out the 
responsibilities required by this section.
    (c) Responsibilities.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), consistent with 
        the analysis described in section 409 of the Weather Research 
        and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-25; 131 
        Stat. 112), and in order to increase impact-based decision 
        support services, each service coordination hydrologist 
        designated under subsection (a) shall, with respect to 
        hydrology--
                    (A) be responsible for providing service to the 
                geographic area of responsibility covered by the River 
                Forecast Center at which the service coordination 
                hydrologist is employed to help ensure that users of 
                products and services of the National Weather Service 
                can respond effectively to improve outcomes from flood 
                events;
                    (B) liaise with users of products and services of 
                the National Weather Service, such as the public, 
                academia, media outlets, users in the hydropower, 
                transportation, recreation, and agricultural 
                communities, and forestry, land, fisheries, and water 
                management interests, to evaluate the adequacy and 
                usefulness of the products and services of the National 
                Weather Service;
                    (C) collaborate with such River Forecast Centers and 
                Weather Forecast Offices and Federal, State, local, and 
                Tribal government agencies as the Director considers 
                appropriate in developing, proposing, and implementing 
                plans to develop, modify, or tailor products and 
                services of the National Weather Service to improve the 
                usefulness of such products and services;
                    (D) engage in interagency partnerships with Federal, 
                State, local, and Tribal government agencies to explore 
                the use of forecast-informed reservoir operations to 
                reduce flood risk;
                    (E) ensure the maintenance and accuracy of flooding 
                call lists, appropriate office flooding policy or 
                procedures, and other flooding information or 
                dissemination methodologies or strategies; and
                    (F) work closely with Federal, State, local, and 
                Tribal emergency and floodplain management agencies, and 
                other agencies relating to disaster management, to 
                ensure a planned, coordinated, and effective 
                preparedness and response effort.
            (2) Other staff.--The Director may assign a responsibility 
        set forth in paragraph (1) to such other staff as the Director 
        considers appropriate to carry out such responsibility.

    (d) Additional Responsibilities.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), a service 
        coordination hydrologist designated under subsection (a) may, 
        with respect to hydrology--
                    (A) work with a State agency to develop plans for 
                promoting more effective use of products and services of 
                the National Weather Service throughout the State;
                    (B) identify priority community preparedness 
                objectives;
                    (C) develop plans to meet the objectives identified 
                under subparagraph (B); and

[[Page 136 STAT. 4410]]

                    (D) conduct flooding event preparedness planning and 
                citizen education efforts with and through various 
                State, local, and Tribal government agencies and other 
                disaster management-related organizations.
            (2) Other staff.--The Director may assign a responsibility 
        set forth in paragraph (1) to such other staff as the Director 
        considers appropriate to carry out such responsibility.
SEC. 6. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9705.>> IMPROVING NATIONAL OCEANIC AND 
                    ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION COMMUNICATION OF 
                    FUTURE FLOOD RISKS AND HAZARDOUS FLASH FLOOD 
                    EVENTS.

    (a) Assessment of Flash Flood Watches and Warnings.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall--
                    (A) conduct an assessment of--
                          (i) the flash flood watches and warnings of 
                      the National Weather Service; and
                          (ii) the information delivery to support 
                      preparation and responses to floods; and
                    (B) <<NOTE: Reports.>>  submit to Congress a report 
                on the findings of the Administrator with respect to the 
                assessment required by subparagraph (A).
            (2) Elements.--The assessment required by paragraph (1)(A) 
        shall include the following:
                    (A) <<NOTE: Evaluations.>> An evaluation of whether 
                the watches, warnings, and information described in 
                paragraph (1)(A) effectively--
                          (i) communicate risk to the general public;
                          (ii) inform action to prevent loss of life and 
                      property;
                          (iii) inform action to support flood 
                      preparation and response; and
                          (iv) deliver information in a manner designed 
                      to lead to appropriate action.
                    (B) <<NOTE: Recommenda- tions.>>  Subject to 
                subsection (b)(2), such recommendations as the 
                Administrator may have for--
                          (i) legislative and administrative action to 
                      improve the watches and warnings described in 
                      paragraph (1)(A)(i); and
                          (ii) such research as the Administrator 
                      considers necessary to address the focus areas 
                      described in paragraph (3).
            (3) Focus areas.--The assessment required by paragraph 
        (1)(A) shall focus on the following areas:
                    (A) Ways to communicate the risks posed by hazardous 
                flash flood events to the public that are most likely to 
                result in informed decision making regarding the 
                mitigation of those risks.
                    (B) Ways to provide actionable geographic 
                information to the recipient of a watch or warning for a 
                flash flood, including partnering with emergency 
                response agencies, as appropriate.
                    (C) <<NOTE: Evaluation.>> Evaluation of information 
                delivery to support the preparation for and response to 
                floods.
            (4) Consultation.--In conducting the assessment required by 
        paragraph (1)(A), the Administrator shall consult with--
                    (A) individuals in the academic sector, including 
                individuals in the field of social and behavioral 
                sciences;

[[Page 136 STAT. 4411]]

                    (B) other weather services;
                    (C) media outlets and other entities that distribute 
                the watches and warnings described in paragraph 
                (1)(A)(i);
                    (D) floodplain managers and emergency planners and 
                responders, including State, local, and Tribal emergency 
                management agencies;
                    (E) other government users of the watches and 
                warnings described in paragraph (1)(A)(i), including the 
                Federal Highway Administration; and
                    (F) such other Federal agencies as the Administrator 
                determines rely on watches and warnings regarding flash 
                floods for operational decisions.
            (5) <<NOTE: Contracts. Review.>> National academy of 
        sciences.--The Administrator shall engage with the National 
        Academy of Sciences, as the Administrator considers necessary 
        and practicable, including by contracting with the National 
        Research Council to review the scientific and technical 
        soundness of the assessment required by paragraph (1)(A), 
        including the recommendations under paragraph (2)(B).
            (6) Methodologies.--In conducting the assessment required by 
        paragraph (1)(A), the Administrator shall use such methodologies 
        as the Administrator considers are generally accepted by the 
        weather enterprise, including social and behavioral sciences.

    (b) Improvements to Flash Flood Watches and Warnings.--
            (1) In general.--Based on the assessment required by 
        subsection (a)(1)(A), the Administrator shall make such 
        improvements to the watches and warnings described in that 
        subsection as the Administrator considers necessary--
                    (A) to improve the communication of the risks posed 
                by hazardous flash flood events; and
                    (B) to provide actionable geographic information to 
                the recipient of a watch or warning for a flash flood.
            (2) Requirements regarding recommendations.--In conducting 
        the assessment required by subsection (a)(1)(A), the 
        Administrator shall ensure that any recommendation under 
        subsection (a)(2)(B) that the Administrator considers a major 
        change--
                    (A) is validated by social and behavioral science 
                using a generalizable sample;
                    (B) accounts for the needs of various demographics, 
                vulnerable populations, and geographic regions;
                    (C) responds to the needs of Federal, State, local, 
                and Tribal government partners and media partners; and
                    (D) accounts for necessary changes to federally 
                operated watch and warning propagation and dissemination 
                infrastructure and protocols.

    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Watch; warning.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph 
                (B), the terms ``watch'' and ``warning'', with respect 
                to a hazardous flash flood event, mean products issued 
                by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
                intended for use by the general public--
                          (i) to alert the general public to the 
                      potential for or presence of the event; and

[[Page 136 STAT. 4412]]

                          (ii) to inform action to prevent loss of life 
                      and property.
                    (B) Exclusion.--The terms ``watch'' and ``warning'' 
                do not include technical or specialized meteorological 
                and hydrological forecasts, outlooks, or model guidance 
                products.
            (2) Weather enterprise.--The term ``weather enterprise'' has 
        the meaning given that term in section 2 of the Weather Research 
        and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8501).
SEC. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9706.>> 7. FRESHWATER MONITORING ALONG THE 
                    COAST.

    (a) Data Availability Assessment.--The Administrator shall assess 
the availability of short- and long-term data on large-scale freshwater 
flooding into oceans, bays, and estuaries, including data on--
            (1) flow rate, including discharge;
            (2) conductivity;
            (3) oxygen concentration;
            (4) nutrient load;
            (5) water temperature; and
            (6) sediment load.

    (b) Data Needs Assessment.--The Administrator shall assess the need 
for additional data to assess and predict the effect of the flooding and 
freshwater discharge described in subsection (a).
    (c) Inventory of Data Needs.--Based on the assessments required by 
subsections (a) and (b), the Administrator shall create an inventory of 
data needs with respect to the flooding and freshwater discharge 
described in subsections (a) and (b).
    (d) Planning.--In planning for the collection of additional data 
necessary for ecosystem-based modeling of the effect of the flooding and 
freshwater discharge described in subsections (a) and (b), the 
Administrator shall use the inventory created under subsection (c).
SEC. 8. TORNADO WARNING IMPROVEMENT.

    Section 103 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act 
of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8513) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
        (d) and (e), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:

    ``(c) <<NOTE: Examination.>> Innovative Observations.--The Under 
Secretary shall ensure that the program periodically examines the value 
of incorporating innovative observations, such as acoustic or infrasonic 
measurements, observations from phased array radars, and observations 
from mesonets, with respect to the improvement of tornado forecasts, 
predictions, and warnings.''.
SEC. 9. HURRICANE FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

    Section 104(b) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation 
Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8514(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:

[[Page 136 STAT. 4413]]

            ``(4) evaluating and incorporating, as appropriate, 
        innovative observations, including acoustic or infrasonic 
        measurements.''.
SEC. 10. WEATHER AND WATER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.

    Section 105(2) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation 
Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8515(2)) is amended by inserting ``and flood-
event'' after ``operational weather''.
SEC. 11. FORECAST COMMUNICATION COORDINATORS.

    Section 1762(f)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (15 U.S.C. 
8521(f)(1)) is amended, in the second sentence, by striking ``may'' and 
inserting ``shall''.
SEC. 12. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9707.>>  ESTIMATES OF PRECIPITATION 
                      FREQUENCY IN THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Freely associated states.--The term ``Freely Associated 
        States'' means the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the 
        Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia, which 
        have each entered into a Compact of Free Association with the 
        United States.
            (2) United states.--The term ``United States'' means the 50 
        States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 
        Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, 
        Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands, and the Freely Associated States.

    (b) In General.--The Administrator shall establish a program, to be 
known as the ``NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the United 
States'', to compile, estimate, analyze, and communicate the frequency 
of precipitation in the United States.
    (c) Functions.--The NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the United 
States--
            (1) shall better inform the public and provide information 
        on--
                    (A) temporal and spatial distribution of heavy 
                precipitation;
                    (B) analyses of seasonality in precipitation; and
                    (C) trends in annual maximum series data; and
            (2) may serve as the official source of the Federal 
        Government on estimates of precipitation frequency and 
        associated information with respect to the United States.

    (d) <<NOTE: Estimates.>>  Requirements.--
            (1) Coverage.--The NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the 
        United States shall include such estimates of the frequency of 
        precipitation in the United States as the Administrator 
        determines appropriate.
            (2) Frequency.--Such estimates--
                    (A) <<NOTE: Time period.>>  shall be conducted not 
                less frequently than once every 10 years; and
                    (B) may be conducted more frequently if determined 
                appropriate by the Administrator.
            (3) Publication.--Such estimates and methodologies used to 
        conduct such estimates shall be--
                    (A) <<NOTE: Determination.>> subject to an 
                appropriate, scientific process, as determined by the 
                Administrator; and

[[Page 136 STAT. 4414]]

                    (B) <<NOTE: Public information. Web posting.>>  
                published on a publicly accessible website of the 
                National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    (e) Partnerships.--The Administrator may partner with other Federal 
agencies, members of the private sector, academic cooperative 
partnerships, or nongovernment associations to assist in carrying out 
the functions described in subsection (c).
    (f) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Administrator 
may consult with relevant Federal, State, local, Tribal, and Territorial 
government agencies, research institutions, and the private sector, as 
the Administrator determines necessary.
    (g) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the Administrator 
may coordinate with other Federal agencies.
    (h) <<NOTE: Time period.>>  Authorization of Appropriations.--There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, from 
amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 
carry out this Act, $3,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 
2030.
SEC. 13. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9708.>>  INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON WATER 
                      MANAGEMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a committee, to be known as 
the ``Interagency Committee on Water Management and Infrastructure'' (in 
this section referred to as the ``Water Policy Committee'').
    (b) Membership.--The Water Policy Committee shall be composed of the 
following members:
            (1) The Administrator.
            (2) The Secretary of the Interior.
            (3) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency.
            (4) The Secretary of Agriculture.
            (5) The Secretary of Commerce.
            (6) The Secretary of Energy.
            (7) The Secretary of the Army.
            (8) The heads of such other agencies as the co-chairs 
        consider appropriate.

    (c) Co-Chairs.--The Water Policy Committee shall be co-chaired by 
the Secretary of the Interior and the Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency.
    (d) <<NOTE: Time period.>> Meetings.--The Water Policy Committee 
shall meet not less frequently than 6 times each year, at the call of 
the co-chairs.

    (e) General Purpose and Duties.--The Water Policy Committee shall 
ensure that agencies and departments across the Federal Government that 
engage in water-related matters, including water storage and supplies, 
water quality and restoration activities, water infrastructure, 
transportation on United States rivers and inland waterways, and water 
forecasting, work together where such agencies and departments have 
joint or overlapping responsibilities to--
            (1) improve interagency coordination among Federal agencies 
        and departments on water resource management and water 
        infrastructure issues;
            (2) coordinate existing water-related Federal task forces, 
        working groups, and other formal cross-agency initiatives, as 
        appropriate;

[[Page 136 STAT. 4415]]

            (3) prioritize managing the water resources of the United 
        States and promoting resilience of the water-related 
        infrastructure of the United States, including--
                    (A) increasing water storage, water supply 
                reliability, and drought resiliency;
                    (B) improving water quality, source water 
                protection, and nutrient management;
                    (C) promoting restoration activities;
                    (D) improving water systems, including with respect 
                to drinking water, desalination, water reuse, 
                wastewater, and flood control; and
                    (E) improving water data management, research, 
                modeling, and forecasting;
            (4) improve interagency coordination of data management, 
        access, modeling, and visualization with respect to water-
        related matters;
            (5) promote integrated planning for Federal investments in 
        water-related infrastructure to enhance coordination and protect 
        taxpayer investment; and
            (6) support workforce development and efforts to recruit, 
        train, and retain professionals to operate and maintain 
        essential drinking water, wastewater, flood control, hydropower, 
        water delivery, and water storage facilities in the United 
        States.

    (f) <<NOTE: Deadline. List.>> Cross-Agency Priority Research 
Needs.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Water Policy Committee shall develop and submit to Congress a 
list of research needs that includes needs for cross-agency research and 
coordination.
SEC. 14. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9709.>>  NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 
                      HYDROLOGIC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Assistant administrator.--The term ``Assistant 
        Administrator'' means the Assistant Administrator for Weather 
        Services of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
            (2) Decision support services.--The term ``decision support 
        services'' means information, including data and refined 
        products, that supports water resources-related decision-making 
        processes.
            (3) Institution of higher education.--The term ``institution 
        of higher education'' has the meaning given that term in section 
        101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
            (4) NOAA line offices.--The term ``NOAA line offices'' means 
        the following offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration:
                    (A) The National Ocean Service.
                    (B) The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and 
                Information Service.
                    (C) The National Marine Fisheries Service.
                    (D) The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.
                    (E) The Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.

    (b) Hydrologic Research Fellowship Program.--
            (1) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish a 
        hydrologic research fellowship program (in this section referred 
        to as the ``program'') for qualified individuals.

[[Page 136 STAT. 4416]]

            (2) Qualified individual.--For purposes of this section, a 
        qualified individual is an individual who is--
                    (A) a citizen of the United States; and
                    (B) enrolled in a research-based graduate program, 
                at an institution of higher education, in a field that 
                advances the research priorities developed by the 
                Assistant Administrator under paragraph (7), such as--
                          (i) hydrology;
                          (ii) earth sciences;
                          (iii) atmospheric sciences;
                          (iv) computer sciences;
                          (v) engineering;
                          (vi) environmental sciences;
                          (vii) geosciences;
                          (viii) urban planning; or
                          (ix) related social sciences.
            (3) Award guidelines.--Fellowships under the program shall 
        be awarded pursuant to guidelines established by the Assistant 
        Administrator.
            (4) Selection preference.--In selecting qualified 
        individuals for participation in the program, the Assistant 
        Administrator shall give preference to applicants from 
        historically Black colleges and universities and minority-
        serving institutions.
            (5) Placement.--The program shall support the placement of 
        qualified individuals in positions within the executive branch 
        of the Federal Government where such individuals can address and 
        advance the research priorities developed by the Assistant 
        Administrator under paragraph (7).
            (6) <<NOTE: Time period.>> Fellowship term.--A fellowship 
        under the program shall be for a period of up to 2 years.
            (7) <<NOTE: Publication.>> Fellowship research priorities.--
        The Assistant Administrator, in consultation with 
        representatives from the NOAA line offices, the United States 
        Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and 
        the Army Corps of Engineers, as appropriate, shall develop and 
        publish priorities for the conduct of research by fellows, which 
        may include the following:
                    (A) Advance the collaborative development of a 
                flexible community-based water resources modeling 
                system.
                    (B) Apply artificial intelligence and machine 
                learning capabilities to advance existing hydrologic 
                modeling capabilities.
                    (C) Support the evolution and integration of 
                hydrologic modeling within an Earth Systems Modeling 
                Framework.
                    (D) Improve visualizations of hydrologic model 
                outputs.
                    (E) Advance the state of coupled freshwater and salt 
                water modeling and forecasting capabilities.
                    (F) Advance understanding and process representation 
                of water quality parameters.
                    (G) Advance the assimilation of in-situ and remotely 
                sensed observations and data.
                    (H) Support the integration of social science to 
                advance decision support services.
                    (I) Develop methods to study groundwater 
                sustainability and estimate the efficiency of recharge 
                management.

    (c) Direct Hiring.--

[[Page 136 STAT. 4417]]

            (1) Authority.--During fiscal year 2022 and any fiscal year 
        thereafter, the head of any Federal agency may appoint, without 
        regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 
        5, United States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that 
        title, to a position with the Federal agency a recipient of a 
        fellowship under the program who--
                    (A) earned a degree from a program described in 
                subsection (b)(2)(B);
                    (B) successfully fulfilled the requirements of the 
                fellowship within the executive branch of the Federal 
                Government; and
                    (C) meets qualification standards established by the 
                Office of Personnel Management.
            (2) <<NOTE: Deadline.>> Exercise of authority.--The direct 
        hire authority provided by this subsection shall be exercised 
        with respect to an individual described in paragraph (1) not 
        later than 2 years after the date on which the individual 
        completed the fellowship under the program.
SEC. 15. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9710.>>  IDENTIFICATION AND SUPPORT OF 
                      CONSISTENT, FEDERAL SET OF FORWARD-LOOKING, 
                      LONG-TERM METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Extreme weather.--The term ``extreme weather'' includes 
        observed or anticipated severe and unseasonable atmospheric 
        conditions, including drought, heavy precipitation, hurricanes, 
        tornadoes and other windstorms (including derechos), large hail, 
        extreme heat, extreme cold, flooding, sustained temperatures or 
        precipitation that deviate substantially from historical 
        averages, and any other weather event that the Administrator 
        determines qualifies as extreme weather.
            (2) Long-term.--The term ``long-term'' shall have such 
        meaning as the Director of the National Institute of Standards 
        and Technology, in consultation with the Administrator, 
        considers appropriate for purposes of this section.
            (3) Other environmental trends.--The term ``other 
        environmental trends'' means wildfires, coastal flooding, inland 
        flooding, land subsidence, rising sea levels, and any other 
        challenges relating to changes in environmental systems over 
        time that the Administrator determines qualify as environmental 
        challenges other than extreme weather.

    (b) Identification and Support of Consistent, Federal Set of 
Forward-looking, Long-term Meteorological Information.--The 
Administrator shall identify, and support research that enables, a 
consistent, Federal set of forward-looking, long-term meteorological 
information that models future extreme weather events, other 
environmental trends, projections, and up-to-date observations, 
including mesoscale information as determined appropriate by the 
Administrator.
SEC. 16. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9711.>>  GAP ANALYSIS ON AVAILABILITY OF 
                      SNOW-RELATED DATA TO ASSESS AND PREDICT 
                      FLOOD AND FLOOD IMPACTS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator, in consultation with the 
Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, and the Army 
Corps of Engineers, shall conduct an analysis of gaps in the 
availability of snow-related data to assess and predict floods and flood 
impacts, including data on the following:
            (1) Snow water equivalent.

[[Page 136 STAT. 4418]]

            (2) Snow depth.
            (3) Snowpack temperature.
            (4) Snow and mixed-phase precipitation.
            (5) Snow melt.
            (6) Rain-snow line.

    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report 
on--
            (1) the findings of the gap analysis required by subsection 
        (a); and
            (2) opportunities for additional collaboration among Federal 
        agencies to collect snow-related data to better assess and 
        predict floods and flood impacts.
SEC. 17. <<NOTE: 15 USC 9712.>>  AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC OF 
                      FLOOD-RELATED DATA.

    (a) <<NOTE: Web posting.>>  In General.--The Administrator shall 
make flood-related data available to the public on the website of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    (b) Cost.--The Administrator may make the data under subsection (a) 
freely accessible or available at a cost that does not exceed the cost 
of preparing the data.

    Approved December 27, 2022.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 558:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
                                                        Vol. 167 (2021):
                                    Sept. 30, considered and passed 
                                        Senate.
                                                        Vol. 168 (2022):
                                    Dec. 12, considered in House.
                                    Dec. 14, prior proceedings vacated; 
                                        considered and passed House.

                                  <all>