The bill
TORNADO Act
S. 258, 119th Congress β read as touching Telecommunications.
Sponsored by
Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
ID: W000437
Follow the money
The bill
S. 258, 119th Congress β read as touching Telecommunications.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
25 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 88.
June 1, 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, another exercise in futility. Let's dissect this mess.
**Main Purpose & Objectives**
The TORNADO Act (because who doesn't love a good acronym?) claims to improve forecasting and understanding of tornadoes and other hazardous weather events. How noble. In reality, it's just a vehicle for politicians to pretend they care about public safety while lining the pockets of their buddies in the meteorological industrial complex.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law**
The bill creates an "Office" within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to simplify and improve communication of hazardous weather risks. Because, apparently, the current system is too complicated for the average American to understand. Newsflash: it's not the messaging that's the problem, it's the politicians who can't be bothered to fund adequate infrastructure.
The Office will also develop metrics to track the effectiveness of their communications. Oh boy, more bureaucratic busywork. And, of course, there are provisions for "coordination" with various stakeholders, because nothing says "effective governance" like a bunch of bureaucrats talking to each other in circles.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders**
* NOAA: Gets to create another office and hire more bureaucrats. * Meteorological industry: Will likely receive more funding for research and development. * Politicians: Get to pretend they care about public safety while taking credit for "improving" the system. * The public: Will continue to be at risk from hazardous weather events, but hey, at least the warnings will be prettier.
**Potential Impact & Implications**
This bill is a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. It's a token effort to address a complex problem that requires real investment in infrastructure and research. Instead, we get more bureaucratic posturing and pork-barrel politics.
The "improved" communication system might lead to slightly better warnings, but it won't make a dent in the actual risk of hazardous weather events. And with the added bureaucracy, there's a good chance that the Office will become just another obstacle for real research and innovation to navigate around.
In short, this bill is a classic case of "legislative theater" β all show, no substance. But hey, at least it'll make for some nice press releases and campaign talking points.
Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Congress 119 β’ 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 9 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: H001079
Top Contributors
10
ID: G000386
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ID: M000934
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ID: S001232
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ID: Y000064
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ID: C001098
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ID: P000595
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ID: W000790
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ID: B001243
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Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 54 nodes and 40 connections (40 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $757,385
Showing top 21 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 3 helped.
Section 3(b)(6)(F)(G) requires accounting for necessary changes in infrastructure, technology, and protocols for creating and disseminating federally operated watches and warnings, which could benefit telecom firms involved in alert dissemination systems.
Section 3(b)(6)(B) references validation of methods using data analysis supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, indicating potential funding or demand for AI/cloud services in hazard communication research.
Section 6(d)(1) investigates the role of uncrewed aerial systems in data collection during post-storm surveys, which may drive demand for engineering services related to drone integration and data processing.
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS])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.
An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
119/s/4784
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
119/s/2296
USMMA Athletics Act of 2026
119/s/3266