# 119-hr-7848: National Weather Safety Board Act

119-hr-7848, National Weather Safety Board Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17] (D-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7848
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7848
- Congress: 119
- Title: National Weather Safety Board Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-05
- Sponsor: Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Emergency Management
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**National Weather Safety Board** would create an independent federal board to investigate major severe‑weather disasters and publish public recommendations to improve preparedness and response. - Families and communities hit by extreme storms would get formal investigations when events are declared major disasters or cause at least 10 fatalities or 100 injuries. The Board would review whether forecasts, warnings, and responses protected lives and property. - Federal agencies and emergency managers such as FEMA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Communications Commission could be investigated and required to provide data. The Board may issue subpoenas enforceable in Federal district court and must vote within 14 days after a disaster is declared on whether to investigate. - Governance would include at least 7 presidentially appointed members with no more than 4 from one party, 5‑year terms, and limited removal rules. The Board must produce preliminary reports within 90 days after a disaster concludes and final reports within 20 months, and it would sunset 5 years after the final member is confirmed.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Board power to investigate disasters: benefit, medium. This bill would require the Board to build an information system within 120 days of its start that shows people impacted, severity, and economic effects for a covered major disaster. Within 14 days after a severe weather event is declared a covered major disaster, the Board would vote on whether to…
- New national weather safety board: benefit, medium. This bill would create a National Weather Safety Board within 180 days of enactment. The President would appoint at least seven members with Senate confirmation, and no more than four could be from the same party. NOAA and DHS would jointly send candidate lists and candidates must come from specifi…
- Public reports and recommendations after disasters: benefit, medium. This bill would require a preliminary report within 90 days after the conclusion of a covered major disaster to two congressional committees and to the President on request. It would also require a final report within 20 months after the Board begins an investigation with findings and recommendatio…
- Board ends five years after confirmation: cost, medium. This bill would terminate the Safety Board five years after the final Board member is confirmed by the Senate. That means the Board's investigatory and reporting powers would stop on that date, reducing the duration of federal oversight created by the bill.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-6976: Duty Status Reform Act
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-7848 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7848)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3816)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-6976: Duty Status Reform Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6976)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7848 (as of 2026-09-21).