Measuring the Cost of Disasters Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- S. 2775
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-09-11: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-09T22:33:15Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose The legislation directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create and keep publicly available a database and webpage that tracks billion-dollar disasters occurring each year in the United States, along with related information.
Key Provisions
- The NOAA Administrator must establish and maintain a public database and webpage containing details on each billion-dollar disaster.
- The database must be updated at least twice a year as new information becomes available.
- Required information for each disaster includes estimated cost, type of disaster, location, date or dates, and any other details the Administrator deems appropriate.
- The database must include visual graphs and mapping features showing disaster trends over time and distribution across the United States, similar to features previously available on the National Centers for Environmental Information website until May 2025.
- The Administrator may include disasters below the billion-dollar threshold if determined appropriate.
- NOAA must continue maintaining and updating the previously existing disaster database for archiving and research purposes.
- Data may come from sources available to NOAA, and collaboration with federal and non-federal partners is permitted.
Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill creates a new statutory requirement for NOAA to maintain this specific public database and webpage. It formalizes and continues a similar tracking system that had previously been operated by the National Centers for Environmental Information but was no longer updated online after May 2025.
Potential Impacts
- On government agencies: Requires ongoing resources from NOAA to collect, update, and present the data.
- On citizens: Provides public access to standardized information on disaster costs and patterns.
- No direct effects on international relations are specified in the legislation.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- NOAA and its National Centers for Environmental Information.
- The general public, researchers, and analysts seeking disaster cost data.
- Federal, state, and local emergency management and planning entities that may use the information.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The legislation imposes an administrative duty on a federal agency without creating new regulatory authority or penalties. It contains no provisions that alter constitutional powers or raise apparent legal conflicts.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (13)
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA], Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD], Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD], Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR], Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT], Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI], Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI], Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO], Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ], Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN], Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT], Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR], Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
Recent Actions
- 2025-09-11: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 2025-09-11: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Measuring the Cost of Disasters Act of 2025 — issued 2025-09-11 — PDF (4 pages)