# 119-hr-2296: National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act

119-hr-2296, National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4] (R-IA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2296
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2296
- Congress: 119
- Title: National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-24
- Sponsor: Rep. Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4] (R-IA)
- Cosponsors: 22
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Move the National Weather Service's instant messaging system to a cloud-hosted commercial platform.** The bill would require the National Weather Service (NWS) to replace NWSChat with a commercial off-the-shelf messaging solution hosted in the public cloud that meets growth, usability, and performance criteria by October 1, 2027. - NWS staff and partner users would switch to a cloud-hosted, commercial messaging tool designed to handle more users and be easier to use. - Funding would come from NWS Operations, Research, and Facilities accounts with up to $3.0 million available each year in fiscal years 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029. - Procurement would favor commercial off-the-shelf public cloud products that match criteria set by the NWS Director, encouraging use of systems similar to those already in commercial use. *Would provide up to $3.0 million per year from existing NWS appropriations for FY2026–FY2029 to pay for the upgrade.*

## Cosponsors (22)

- Rep. Hinson, Ashley [R-IA-2] (R-IA), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17] (D-IL), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6] (R-MO), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Haridopolos, Mike [R-FL-8] (R-FL), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX-2] (R-TX), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large] (D-DE), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Radewagen, Aumua Amata Coleman [R-AS-At Large] (R-AS), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1] (R-IA), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large] (R-GU), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6] (D-MD), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23] (D-FL), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crawford, Eric A. "Rick" [R-AR-1] (R-AR), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7] (D-CO), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2025-04-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2025-05-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-09-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4] (D-NY), 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. LaLota, Nick [R-NY-1] (R-NY), 2025-11-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Cloud upgrade for weather service messages: benefit, medium. The bill would require the National Weather Service to replace its NWSChat messaging with a commercial cloud system by October 1, 2027. The new system would need to handle more users, be easy to use, and be similar to common commercial tools. To fund the change, the agency could use up to $3 millio…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-2296 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2296)

## Related
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-452)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2296 (as of 2026-04-21).