Recognizing the 150th anniversary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 839 Recognizing the 150th anniversary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 7, 2020 Ms. SHERRILL (for herself and Mr. MARSHALL) submitted the following reso- lution; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech- nology RESOLUTION Recognizing the 150th anniversary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service. Whereas, on February 9, 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a Joint Resolution of Congress requiring the Sec- retary of War to ‘‘provide for taking meteorological ob- servations at the military stations in the interior of the continent, and at other points in the States and Terri- tories . . . and for giving notice on the northern lakes and on the seacoast, by magnetic telegraph and marine sig- nals, of the approach and force of storms’’ thereby cre- ating the United States Army Signal Service’s Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce; Whereas, on October 1, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed Senate Bill S. 1454, transferring the meteorolog- VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR839.IH HR839 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 839 IH ical responsibilities of the Signal Service to the Depart- ment of Agriculture, and is thus known as the Weather Service’s first organic Act; Whereas the Weather Bureau began operations on July 1, 1891; Whereas in response to the important role the Weather Bu- reau played in the burgeoning aviation and commercial community, President Franklin D. Roosevelt transferred the Weather Bureau to the Department of Commerce in 1940; Whereas with the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Weather Bureau was renamed the Na- tional Weather Service and made a component of the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on October 5, 1970; Whereas with the enactment of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, and its partial reau- thorization in 2019, Congress reaffirmed and emboldened the critical mission of NOAA’s National Weather Service, including the provision of impact-based decision support services to core partners; and Whereas, in 2020, the National Weather Service celebrates 150 years protecting lives and property and enhancing the Nation’s economy, an enduring mission it retains to this day: Now, therefore be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) recognizes that the National Oceanic and 2 Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National 3 Weather Service and its predecessor agencies have 4 been indispensable to the quality of life in the 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR839.IH HR839 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 839 IH United States, from the local to the Federal level, 1 for 150 years and continues to build a Weather- 2 Ready Nation, where society is ready, responsive, 3 and resilient to extreme weather, water, and climate 4 events; 5 (2) honors the vital role NOAA’s National 6 Weather Service has played in the United States 7 throughout 150 years of science and service; 8 (3) remembers the deep and lasting impact the 9 National Weather Service and its predecessor agency 10 employees have made protecting lives and property 11 throughout its 150-year history in the United 12 States; and 13 (4) celebrates the continued position of NOAA’s 14 National Weather Service as the Nation’s official 15 Government source for providing weather, water, 16 and climate data, forecasts and warnings for the 17 protection of life and property and enhancement of 18 the national economy. 19 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR839.IH HR839 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS