Weather Mitigation Research and Development Policy Authorization Act of 2009
Latest action · Jul 28, 2009 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Hearings held.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 16, 2009
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Weather Mitigation Research and Development Policy Authorization Act of 2009 - (Sec. 5) Establishes in the Geosciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) the Weather Mitigation Research Office to establish and coordinate the national research and development program on weather mitigation described in this Act. Requires the Program to be headed by a Director, who shall be appointed by the Director of the Geosciences Directorate. Instructs the Director of the NSF to coordinate the work of the Program with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
Authorizes the Director of the Program to: (1) fund studies, obtain information, and hold workshops necessary to carry out this Act; (2) cooperate with public or private agencies to promote the purposes of this Act; and (3) enter into cooperative agreements with the head of a U.S. department or agency, an appropriate official of a state or political subdivision of a state, or an appropriate official of a private or public agency or organization to conduct research and development (R&D) pertaining to weather mitigation.
Creates a Working Group to advise the Program and to make recommendations to the Program concerning administration, research, and other matters.
(Sec. 6) Requires the Director of the Program, in consultation with the Working Group, to submit an implementation plan to Congress for the establishment and coordination of the Program.
Permits the inclusion in the Program of specified activities related to weather mitigation, including: (1) interdisciplinary R&D and coordination of R&D and activities to improve the understanding of processes relating to planned and inadvertent weather mitigation; (2) coordination with relevant organizations; (3) development, through partnerships among federal agencies, state agencies, and academic institutions, of new technologies and approaches for weather mitigation; and (4) establishment of scholarships and educational opportunities that encourage an interdisciplinary approach to weather mitigation.
Requires the Program to promote and fund R&D, studies, and investigations with respect to: (1) improved forecast and decisionmaking technologies for weather mitigation operations; and (2) adaptation and scaling experiments in the efficacy of weather mitigation.
Authorizes the Director of the NSF to establish a grant program for the awarding of grants to eligible entities (state agencies, institutions of higher education, and nonprofits that have expertise in the field of weather mitigation and experience working with state agencies) for R&D projects that pertain to weather mitigation.
(Sec. 7) Requires the Director to submit biennial reports containing certain information to the President and specified congressional committees.
(Sec. 8) Instructs the head of any U.S. department or agency and the head of any other public or private institution receiving research funds from the United States to cooperate with the Director of the Program.
(Sec. 9) Directs the OSTP, in support of the implementation plan, to: (1) address relevant programs and activities of the federal agencies and departments that would contribute to the Program; (2) consider and use, as appropriate, reports and studies of federal agencies and departments, weather modification organizations, and other expert scientific bodies, including a specified National Research Council report; and (3) make recommendations for the coordination of Program activities with weather mitigation activities of other national and international organizations.
Requires OSTP, in the support of the biennial reports required from the Director under section 7, to provide specified information.
(Sec. 10) Authorizes appropriations. Allows for the acceptance, use, and disposal of gifts or donations of services or property under the Program.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jul 30, 2009.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-WV | John D. Rockefeller IV | Jul 30, 2009 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Mar 16, 2009Markup May 20, 2009Reported Jul 22, 2009Hearings Jul 28, 2009 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 28, 2009Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Hearings held.
- Jul 22, 2009Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Rockefeller with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 111-57.
- Jul 22, 2009Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 122.
- May 20, 2009Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Mar 16, 2009Introduced in Senate
- Mar 16, 2009Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Jun 2, 2009S. 601, Weather Mitigation Research and Development Policy Authorization Act of 2009<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on May 20, 2009</p>
- Jun 2, 2009S. 601, Weather Mitigation Research and Development Policy Authorization Act of 2009Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on May 20, 2009
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to establish the Weather Mitigation Research Office, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Weather Mitigation Research and Development Policy Authorization Act of 2009
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Weather Mitigation Research and Development Policy Authorization Act of 2009
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 22, 2009Reported to Senate
- Mar 16, 2009Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
