Title: Strengthening the Cooperative Observer Program Act of 2018
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Strengthening the Cooperative Observer Program Act of 2018
This bill directs the National Weather Service (NWS) to make improvements to the Cooperative Observer Program, including by:
The NWS must coordinate with state and regional offices regarding the status of program stations at least every 180 days.
The NWS shall also coordinate with other federal agencies, including the Forest Service, the Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Geological Survey, in leveraging opportunities to expand the program and to more effectively use its existing infrastructure, weather stations, and staff.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2941 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2941

  To improve the Cooperative Observer Program of the National Weather 
                    Service, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 23, 2018

   Mr. Thune introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To improve the Cooperative Observer Program of the National Weather 
                    Service, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Strengthening the Cooperative 
Observer Program Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO COOPERATIVE OBSERVER PROGRAM OF NATIONAL 
              WEATHER SERVICE.

    (a) In General.--The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and 
Atmosphere, acting through the National Weather Service, shall improve 
the Cooperative Observer Program by--
            (1) providing support to--
                    (A) State-coordinated programs relating to the 
                Program; and
                    (B) States and regions where observations provided 
                through the Program are scarce;
            (2) working with State weather service headquarters to 
        increase participation in the Program and to add stations in 
        States and regions described in paragraph (1)(B);
            (3) where feasible, ensuring that data streams from 
        stations that have been contributing data to the Program for 
        more than 50 years are maintained and continually staffed by 
        volunteers;
            (4) prioritizing the recruitment of new volunteers for the 
        Program;
            (5) ensuring that opportunities exist for automated 
        reporting to lessen the burden on volunteers to collect and 
        report data by hand; and
            (6) ensuring that integrated reporting is available for 
        qualitative observations that cannot be automated, such as snow 
        observations and hazardous weather events, to ensure that 
        volunteers in the Program can report and upload observations 
        quickly and easily.
    (b) Coordination With States and Regions.--Not less frequently than 
every 180 days, the National Weather Service shall coordinate with 
State and regional offices with respect to the status of Cooperative 
Observer Program stations.
    (c) Coordination With Federal Agencies.--The National Weather 
Service shall coordinate with other Federal agencies, including the 
Forest Service, the Department of Agriculture, and the United States 
Geological Survey, to leverage opportunities to grow the Cooperative 
Observer Program network and to more effectively use existing 
infrastructure, weather stations, and staff of the Program.
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