# 117-s-558: FLOODS Act 117-s-558, FLOODS Act, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS); status became_law; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-01-05). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-s-558 - As of: 2026-01-05 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 117-s-558 - Congress: 117 - Title: FLOODS Act - Status: became_law - Introduced: 2021-03-03 - Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS) - Cosponsors: 3 - Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-01-05 ## Summary **Creates the National Integrated Flood Information System (NIFIS) at NOAA to centralize flood data and deliver timely, local-to-national flood forecasts and warnings.** NIFIS pulls together streamflow, precipitation, soil moisture, snow, land cover, and other observations to produce usable forecasts, assess flood severity and travel, and share information with Federal, State, local, Tribal, and public users. - Families and local communities get clearer, locality-specific flood forecasts and severity guidance, plus a national Precipitation Frequency Atlas covering all U.S. states and territories; the Atlas is authorized at $3.5 million per year through 2030. - Emergency managers, water operators, and infrastructure teams gain at least one Service Coordination Hydrologist at each River Forecast Center to coordinate impact-based decision support, explore forecast-informed reservoir operations, and improve public communication; NOAA must also review flash flood watch and warning practices and report within two years. - Scientists and the workforce benefit from a new hydrologic research fellowship program with up to two-year fellowships, hiring pathways into federal agencies, public flood data access, and required snow-data gap analysis reported within 180 days. ## Cosponsors (3) - Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI), 2021-03-03T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA), 2021-04-22T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2021-09-21T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Stronger national flood warnings and support: benefit, high. NOAA runs a new national system to give early flood warnings and local forecasts. It collects streamflow, reservoirs, rain, soil moisture, snow, land cover, and other data. NOAA posts flood data online, free or at only the cost to prepare the data. Every River Forecast Center has a Service Coordina… - Hydrology fellowships and direct federal hiring: benefit, medium. U.S. citizens in research-based graduate programs can get hydrologic fellowships for up to two years. The program gives preference to HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions. Fellows work on NOAA research priorities and get placed in executive branch roles. Starting in fiscal year 2022, agenc… - Federal teamwork on water and drought: benefit, medium. The government creates an interagency committee on water management and infrastructure, co-chaired by Interior and EPA. It meets at least six times a year. The committee aligns actions to boost water storage, reliability, and drought resilience; improve water quality and systems, including drinking… - New research and data to predict floods: benefit, medium. NOAA supports research to produce consistent, long-term outlooks for extreme weather and other trends. NIST defines what “long-term” means for this work. NOAA partners with colleges to test new observations, especially drones, and keeps using them if they help. Programs evaluate innovative sensors… - Required forecast coordinators for farms: benefit, low. The law now requires a forecast communication coordinator under the covered farm program section. This change from “may” to “shall” makes the coordinator mandatory. It helps covered farmers get timely weather and forecast information. - National rainfall frequency atlas updates: benefit, low. NOAA creates a national Precipitation Frequency Atlas for all states, D.C., territories, and the Freely Associated States. It reports heavy rain patterns, seasonality, and trends. NOAA posts estimates and methods online and updates them at least every 10 years, or more often if needed. Congress aut… ## Related bills - 117-s-3580: Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 - 117-sres-817: A resolution expressing support for the designation of October 2 through October 8, 2022, as "National 4-H Week". - 117-sres-748: A resolution honoring and celebrating the life and legacy of Representative Jackie Walorski. - 117-s-4587: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act - 117-sres-630: A resolution expressing the support for the designation of the week of May 1, 2022, through May 7, 2022, as "National Small Business Week" to celebrate the con… - 117-sres-621: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the late Senator Orrin G. Hatch. ## Sources - [117-s-558 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/558) ## Related - [117-s-3580: Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-s-3580) - [117-sres-817: A resolution expressing support for the designation of October 2 through Octobe…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-sres-817) - [117-sres-748: A resolution honoring and celebrating the life and legacy of Representative Jac…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-sres-748) - [117-s-4587: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-s-4587) - [117-sres-630: A resolution expressing the support for the designation of the week of May 1, 2…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-sres-630) - [117-sres-621: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the late Senator Orrin G. Hatch.](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-sres-621) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-s-558 (as of 2026-01-05).