A Republican bill with 2 Democratic cosponsors · See all 9 cosponsors
Last activity — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 88.
Cleared committee, waiting for its first floor vote
A committee approved it and it is on the calendar of the chamber it started in.
This is further than most bills get, and still no promise of a vote: the calendar is a queue, and the majority leadership decides what is called. A bill can sit here until the Congress ends.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
The TORNADO Act aims to improve the forecasting and understanding of tornadoes and other hazardous weather and water events. It directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to improve how weather risks are communicated to the public to prevent loss of life and property. The bill establishes a hazard risk communication office to simplify and improve the form and methods of weather warnings. It also mandates a strategic plan for high-resolution probabilistic forecasts and requires an evaluation of the current tornado severity rating system. Additionally, the act maintains the VORTEX-USA program to advance research in weather sciences. Finally, it calls for post-storm surveys to better understand community impacts and improve future responses.
Yes· 3 of 13
- Scored +6
Does this put more money into scientific research?
The bill maintains and expands research programs like VORTEX-USA and pilot programs for hazard communication.
- Scored +5
Does this make mental health care easier to get?
The bill provides professional counseling to support the mental health of employees conducting post-storm surveys.
- Scored +4
Would Black Americans be better off under this?
The bill prioritizes research grants for historically Black colleges and universities.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Safety Through Better Communication: The bill directs the Under Secretary to improve how hazardous weather risks are communicated to encourage people to take action to prevent loss of life or property (Section 3(a)).
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Clearer Weather Information: A new hazard risk communication office will work to eliminate unnecessary or confusing terms, making weather warnings easier for the public to understand and act upon (Section 3(b)(2)).
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Enhanced Research for Specific Needs: The bill creates a pilot program for tornado hazard communication and allows for research grants that can be prioritized for minority-serving institutions to improve life-saving information (Section 3(c) and Section 7(a)(1)(ii)).
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Updated Accuracy for Tornadoes: The Under Secretary is required to evaluate and, if necessary, update the system used to rate how severe a tornado is to ensure ratings are accurate (Section 5).
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Improved Post-Storm Learning: By conducting post-storm surveys and assessments, the government can better understand community impacts, evaluate the accuracy of prior risk evaluations, and gather survivability statistics (Section 6).
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Employee Support: The bill ensures that employees who conduct post-storm surveys and assessments receive training, resources, and professional counseling to support their mental health and well-being (Section 6(e)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would Black Americans be better off under this? — The bill prioritizes research grants for historically Black colleges and universities. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — The bill includes provisions to prioritize grants for Hispanic-serving institutions. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — The bill prioritizes research and coordination involving Indian Tribes and Native American-serving institutions. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill specifically targets research and communication needs for vulnerable populations and areas of persistent poverty. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — Improved risk communication helps ensure that vulnerable populations can better respond to weather threats. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Improved forecasting and communication benefits all geographic regions, including rural areas prone to severe weather.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into scientific research? — The bill maintains and expands research programs like VORTEX-USA and pilot programs for hazard communication.
- Healthcare
- Does this make mental health care easier to get? — The bill provides professional counseling to support the mental health of employees conducting post-storm surveys.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill prioritizes research grants for minority-serving institutions and historically Black colleges. Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Better weather warnings can help protect individuals living in areas of persistent poverty from extreme weather events.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill requires post-storm data to be made available to the public as soon as practicable.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The bill enhances the understanding and monitoring of hazardous weather and water events.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to grow the economy? — Improved weather forecasting and risk communication can help mitigate economic losses from property and life destruction.
- 6/2/2025
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with amendments. With written report No. 119-26.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 88.
- 2/5/2025
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
- 1/30/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/27/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 8 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Marsha BlackburnRepublican · Tennessee
Ted CruzRepublican · Texas
Chuck GrassleyRepublican · Iowa
Cindy Hyde-SmithRepublican · Mississippi
Jerry MoranRepublican · Kansas
Gary PetersDemocrat · Michigan
Tim SheehyRepublican · Montana
Raphael WarnockDemocrat · Georgia
Todd YoungRepublican · Indiana