# 119-hr-7813: NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act

119-hr-7813, NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36] (R-TX); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-15).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7813
- As of: 2026-07-15
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7813
- Congress: 119
- Title: NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-03-05
- Sponsor: Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-15

## Summary

**Modernize and expand NOAA Weather Radio**. This bill would create a nationwide, resilient NOAA Weather Radio network that broadcasts 24/7 and improves how emergency weather and geological hazard alerts reach the public. It would also set national warning standards and change staffing and hiring for forecast and warning operations. - Families and households: Better alerts where broadband, local systems, or satellite coverage are weak. The bill prioritizes added transmitters and coverage in high-risk, rapid-onset areas and on federal lands like National Parks. - Emergency managers and local officials: Gives tools to amplify non-weather emergency messages into the national alert system, enables partial-county notifications, and pushes improvements to risk communication and warning urgency. - NOAA workers and operations: Requires a 120-day assessment of staffing, a five-year staffing plan for forecasting and warnings, classifies certain positions as protective service, and authorizes direct-hire for key technical and public-safety roles to fill gaps faster. *Authorizes $20 million per year for operations for fiscal years 2026–2031 and $100 million for modernization in 2026, totaling $220 million in authorized funding, which increases federal spending.*

## Cosponsors (5)

- Rep. Flood, Mike [R-NE-1] (R-NE), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17] (D-IL), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5] (R-OK), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Amo, Gabe [D-RI-1] (D-RI), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Speed hiring for weather staff: benefit, medium. This bill would require NOAA to report critical staffing needs within 120 days and to send a five-year staffing plan to Congress within 180 days. It would give the Weather Service direct-hire authority for key safety and operations jobs until identified vacancies are filled. NOAA would also coordin…
- Standards for flash flood alerts: benefit, medium. This bill would allow the standards agency to support development of national standards for flash flood emergency alert systems covering a 100-year floodplain. Any supported standards would have to meet the needs of communities without broadband, local warning systems, or satellite coverage. If sta…
- Upgrade and expand NOAA radio: benefit, medium. This bill would require NOAA to run and modernize a 24/7 NOAA Weather Radio network that broadcasts weather and other hazards. It would fund a modernization initiative and buy more transmitters to reach high-risk and underserved places, including some federal lands. The bill would add satellite and…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1993: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act
- 119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-7813 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7813)

## Related
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9250)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [119-hr-1993: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1993)
- [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-7813 (as of 2026-07-15).