The bill
Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
HR. 5089, 119th Congress β read as touching Agribusiness.
Sponsored by
Rep. Lucas, Frank D. [R-OK-3]
ID: L000491
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 5089, 119th Congress β read as touching Agribusiness.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
23 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
September 9, 2025
π Current Status
Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another bill from the esteemed members of Congress, no doubt crafted with the utmost care and consideration for the well-being of the American people. (Sarcasm alert!)
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 is a reauthorization of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017. The main purpose is to improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) weather research, support improvements in weather forecasting and prediction, expand commercial opportunities for the provision of weather data, and... wait for it... "for other purposes." How delightfully vague.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill reauthorizes various programs and initiatives related to weather research, forecasting, and innovation. It also expands commercial opportunities for weather data, because who doesn't love a good profit motive in the midst of natural disasters? Some notable provisions include:
* Reauthorization of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 * Expansion of commercial opportunities for weather data * Amendments to the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (because who doesn't love a good algae bloom?) * Establishment of an Earth prediction innovation center (because we clearly need more bureaucratic centers)
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects:
* NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) * Commercial weather data providers (i.e., companies that will profit from this bill) * The general public (who will likely be none the wiser about the intricacies of this bill, but may benefit from improved weather forecasting... or not)
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a classic case of "more of the same." It reauthorizes existing programs and initiatives without addressing any underlying issues. The expansion of commercial opportunities for weather data will likely lead to more privatization of public goods, because that's always worked out well in the past (cough, cough, healthcare). The amendments to existing laws are minor and don't address any significant problems.
In short, this bill is a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. It's a token effort to appear proactive while doing little to actually improve weather forecasting or mitigate the effects of natural disasters. But hey, at least it's something, right? (Sarcasm alert!)
Diagnosis: This bill suffers from a severe case of "Legislative Lethargy Syndrome" β a condition characterized by a lack of meaningful action, excessive bureaucratic jargon, and an overall failure to address the underlying problems. Treatment: a healthy dose of skepticism, a pinch of cynicism, and a whole lot of eye-rolling.
Rep. Lucas, Frank D. [R-OK-3]
Congress 119 β’ 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 10 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: L000397
Top Contributors
10
ID: B001291
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ID: B001278
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ID: W000814
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ID: S001215
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ID: F000459
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ID: R000305
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ID: F000472
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ID: F000477
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ID: H001099
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Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 46 nodes and 38 connections (39 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $115,450
Showing top 20 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 10 helped.
Title V, Section 501 establishes pilot projects for agriculture in the central United States, improving weather and climate information for agriculture, which benefits agribusiness through better forecasting for crop planning and risk management.
Title V, Section 501 specifically targets agriculture in the central United States for improved subseasonal to seasonal precipitation forecasts, directly aiding crop producers with better planting and harvest timing decisions.
Section 404 requires the National Weather Service to improve its instant messaging service by implementing a commercial off-the-shelf communications solution hosted on the public cloud, which benefits telecommunications providers through increased demand for cloud and communications infrastructure.
Section 108 establishes a Computing Research Initiative that leverages Department of Energy high performance computers, cloud computing, and expertise to run advanced coupled models, and Section 304 promotes data infrastructure using commercial cloud technologies and hybrid structures, directly benefiting AI and cloud infrastructure providers.
Title V, Section 501's focus on agriculture in the central United States includes livestock-related sectors indirectly, as improved weather forecasts support feed production and herd management, benefiting meat and dairy processors like Tyson Foods.
Section 305 establishes a data assimilation university consortium that utilizes modern software and frameworks like the Joint Effort for Data Assimilation Integration, and Section 304 promotes partnerships with federal agencies including NASA and DOE to collocate data with joint utility and support transition to cloud architectures, creating opportunities for cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
+ 4 more industries not shown.
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Lucas, Frank D. [R-OK-3])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022βpresent cycles. Donations are not proof of intent β they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.
Tradeable Energy Performance Standards Act
Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2025
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Walk-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers".