H.R. 3809

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3809 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3809

To waive certain legal requirements to permit the Director of the 
National Weather Service to expeditiously hire for positions that are 
critical for public safety, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 6, 2025

Mr. Flood (for himself, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Sorensen, and Mr. 
Moskowitz) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To waive certain legal requirements to permit the Director of the 
National Weather Service to expeditiously hire for positions that are 
critical for public safety, 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 ``Weather Workforce Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) accurate and timely weather forecasting is of vital 
importance;
(2) employees of the National Weather Service, particularly 
employees responsible for the regular launching of weather 
balloons, are critical for public safety; and
(3) staffing positions relating to the regular launching of 
weather balloons should be prioritized and categorized as 
critical for public safety.

SEC. 3. STAFFING FOR POSITIONS OF PUBLIC SAFETY AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE.

(a) Direct Hire Authority.--The Director of the National Weather 
Service may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I 
of chapter 33 (other than sections 3303, 3307, and 3328 of such 
chapter) of title 5, United States Code, qualified candidates to any of 
the following positions to satisfy critical staffing needs and fill 
vacancies at the Service:
(1) Employees performing public safety mission functions, 
including the following:
(A) Meteorologists (classification series 1340).
(B) General physical scientists (classification 
series 1301).
(C) Hydrologists (classification series 1315).
(D) Computer specialists (classification series 
334).
(E) Electronic technicians (classification series 
856).
(2) Other positions for which primary responsibilities 
include equipment operations, maintenance, and analysis, 
information technology, or engineering.
(b) Sunset.--The authority under subsection (a) shall expire on the 
earlier of--
(1) the date that is 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act; or
(2) the date on which all positions to satisfy to critical 
staffing needs and vacancies have been filled.
(c) National Weather Service Public Safety Designation.--The 
Director of the Office of Personal Management shall designate the 
positions specified in subsection (a) as pertaining to public safety.
(d) National Weather Service Public Safety Priority; Workforce 
Assessment.--
(1) In general.--Title I of the Weather Research and 
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8511 et seq.), is 
amended--
(A) in section 101 (15 U.S.C. 8511), by adding at 
the end the following new sentence: ``The Under 
Secretary shall ensure the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration remains focused on providing 
accurate and timely weather forecasts that protect 
lives and property and enhance the national economy by 
disseminating to the public and core partners through 
nimble, flexible, and mobile methods critical weather 
information and impact-based decision support 
services.'';
(B) by redesignating section 110 (15 U.S.C. 8519), 
as section 111; and
(C) by inserting after section 109, the following 
new section:

``SEC. 110. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WORKFORCE ASSESSMENT.

``(a) Hiring Assessment.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the 
Director of the National Weather Service shall submit to the 
Under Secretary, the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an 
assessment of the milestones, timelines, and service level 
expectations required for the hiring and timely on-boarding of 
employees of the National Weather Service.
``(2) Elements.--Each assessment under paragraph (1) may 
include determinations of the number of employees of the 
National Weather Service required at each forecasting office to 
provide services to protect lives and property and enhance the 
national economy in the geographic region of responsibility.
``(b) Health and Morale Assessment.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the 
Director of the National Weather Service shall submit to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate an assessment of medical impacts, 
including stress and long-term health impacts, on employees of 
the National Weather Service, including such employees' morale, 
related to required rotating shift work.
``(2) Coordination.--The Director of the National Weather 
Service is authorized to enter into a contract with a private 
sector entity to conduct the assessment required under 
paragraph (1).
``(3) Elements.--Each assessment under paragraph (1) may 
include the following:
``(A) Options for mitigating the impacts on 
employees identified in each such assessment.
``(B) Recommendations for improving benefits 
related to required rotating shift work.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents in section 
1(b) of Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 
is amended by striking the item relating to section 110 and 
inserting the following new items:

``Sec. 110. National Weather Service workforce assessment.
``Sec. 111. Authorization of appropriations.''.
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