TORNADO Act

Summary

Tornado Observations Research and Notification Assessment for Development of Operations Act or the TORNADO Act This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to evaluate and improve its communications about hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, and other hazardous weather events. Specifically, NOAA must establish a Risk Communication Office to evaluate the effectiveness of NOAA's communications and to identify ways to provide simpler and clearer information to the public about hazardous weather events. NOAA must also (1) establish a research program to modernize its communication systems, and (2) establish a pilot program to implement the research with respect to communications about tornadoes. Additionally, the bill requires NOAA to develop a strategic plan for implementing the Warn-on-Forecast System, which aims to provide more advanced warnings of thunderstorm-related events (e.g., tornadoes). The bill also requires NOAA to evaluate its tornado rating system and to conduct post-storm assessments of significant events. The bill also provides statutory authority for NOAA's Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (known as VORTEX-USA), a collaborative project between meteorologists and social scientists to study the conditions that contribute to dangerous tornadoes in the Southeast and the best ways to communicate these events to the public. Finally, the Government Accountability Office must report on the National Weather Service's communication technology, particularly with respect to timely notices of hazardous weather events.

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Timeline

1. 27 January 2025

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 27 January 2025

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 5 February 2025

   Reported

   Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.

   Source: Committee

4. 2 June 2025

   Calendars

   Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 88.

   Source: Calendars

5. 2 June 2025

   Reported

   Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with amendments. With written report No. 119-26.

   Source: Committee

6. 2 June 2025

   Reported

   Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with amendments. With written report No. 119-26.

   Source: Committee

Votes

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Versions

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Documents

3 official files

• Reported to Senate

  Reported to Senate · EN · 2 June 2025

  DownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 27 January 2025

  DownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 27 January 2025

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] · R · Cosponsor
• · sscm00 · Standing

Related records

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