Senator Peters Helps Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Modernize Weather Radio Emergency Alerts

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) helped reintroduce bipartisan legislation to modernize weather radio equipment to enhance the reliability of emergency communications during severe weather and bolster nationwide accessibility of these critical warnings. The NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act would expand emergency communications systems for areas with poor or no cellular service, amplify non-weather emergency messages, and provide additional transmitters for areas with weak or nonexistent cell service and broadband coverage. Additionally, the NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop standards for flash flood emergency alert systems within the 100-year floodplain, which includes parts of Michigan. The bill aims to enhance emergency preparedness for communities in Michigan and across the country without mobile broadband access, state and local emergency warning systems, or satellite coverage.

Similar to the FORECAST Act that Peters introduced earlier this year, the NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act would also ensure that the National Weather Service remains adequately staffed by classifying certain positions that are critical to ensuring public safety as essential and exempt from hiring freezes.

"In our state, weather can change on a dime. That's why we must have modernized and accessible emergency alert systems, as well as a team of full-time meteorologists working around the clock to notify the public as quickly as possible," said Senator Peters. "This bill would help protect 24/7 weather monitoring and ensure we can keep our communities informed and protected when severe weather hits."

Peters reintroduced this bipartisan legislation with U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Jerry Moran (R-KS). Earlier this year, Peters and Moran introduced the Federal Operational Resilience in Emergency Conditions and Storm Tracking (FORECAST) Act to exempt critical National Weather Service (NWS) positions from any executive orders imposing a hiring freeze, allowing the agency to adequately staff positions that are essential to notifying the public of extreme weather events that could be detrimental to people or property. Peters' FORECAST Act was introduced in response to the Trump Administration's self-inflicted staffing shortages, which have left numerous NWS forecasting offices with too few employees to ensure around-the-clock operation.

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