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Sen. Moran tries to protect NWS meteorologists from federal hiring freezes
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas congressman on Friday introduced legislation to exempt National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists from federal hiring freezes.
U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) – both members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies – introduced the Federal Operational Resilience in Emergency Conditions and Storm Tracking (FORECAST) Act.
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If passed, it would exempt certain NWS employees from any executive order or memorandum imposing a hiring freeze.
Click to read the full legislation.
The roles included in the exemption include positions responsible for issuing weather and flood warnings, maintaining critical observational equipment and protecting life and property. Additionally, this legislation requires the Secretary of Commerce to submit a report after one year of enactment on staffing levels at the NWS for those covered positions.
'Staffing National Weather Service offices, particularly in rural parts of the country, is a constant challenge, and recent staffing shortages have led to some offices, including in Kansas, being unable to provide 24/7 weather forecasting,' Sen. Moran said in a news release.
'As we work to install new technology and modernize the National Weather Service, it is important the NWS is able to continuously fill critical public safety roles as they become vacant to make certain communities across the country receive timely, accurate weather data.'
Sen. Peters said the bill would help protect 24/7 weather monitoring in the Upper Peninsula and ensure communities are kept informed and protected.
'We know that in the Upper Peninsula, weather can change on a dime,' Peters said. 'That's why we need a team of full-time meteorologists working around the clock to notify the public when extreme weather impacts the region.'
Sen. Moran said he recently secured a national exemption from the federal hiring freeze to enable the NWS to hire meteorologists and weather forecasters.
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