Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2025
Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2025 **What It Does** This bill would extend federal funding and support for the U.S. tsunami warning and research program through 2030. It would expand the current system—run by the National Weather Service under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—to improve how quickly and accurately tsunamis are detected and forecast.
Key improvements include using satellite navigation technology for better predictions, better coordination between government agencies on earthquake warnings, and updating maps that show which coastal areas are at risk from tsunamis. **Who It Affects** The bill primarily affects coastal communities and residents in tsunami-prone areas (particularly along the Pacific coast and in states like Oregon, where the sponsor is from). It also involves the National Weather Service, NOAA, state and local emergency management agencies, and international partners who share tsunami warning data. Indirectly, it affects taxpayers funding the program. **Current Status** The bill was introduced in the 119th Congress and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full House of Representatives.
CRS Official Summary
Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2025This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 the federal tsunami program and expands its activities relating to warnings, hazard mitigation, and research. A tsunami is a series of waves created by a large and sudden displacement of the ocean.The bill reauthorizes the tsunami program that is generally administered by the National Weather Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in collaboration with public and certain private entities across the U.S. and internationally. Also, the bill expands federal tsunami forecast and warning activities to include integration of global navigation satellite system information into forecasting,broader interagency coordination on earthquake assessments and warnings, updates to tsunami inundation maps to support mitigation and recovery, outreach from regional and local weather forecast offices to help prepare coastal communities,provision of a Tsunami Warning Coordinator by tsunami warning centers to coordinate with partners and stakeholders, and tsunami alerts through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.In addition, the bill expands authorized federal tsunami hazard mitigation activities by specifying that regional risk assessments may include digital elevation models for at-risk coastline and evaluation of the impacts of tsunami debris and sediment. The bill also requires the program's tsunami research component to develop a data portal, decision support tools, and, every three years, a research and development plan to improve detection and forecasting.
Latest Action
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.