{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cramer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/cramer-science-committee-approves-weather-and-drought-bills", "Cramer: Science Committee Approves Weather and Drought Bills", "2013-12-06", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "ND", "Kevin Cramer", "C001096", "cramer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today Congressman Kevin Cramer announced the Science, Space, and Technology Committee approved legislation to strengthen weather research, and a bill to reauthorize a drought monitoring program which assists local governments, farmers, and ranchers.\nThe Weather Forecasting Improvement Act expands weather research activities at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), directing the agency to make the development of more advanced warnings and forecasts for dangerous weather events a priority. Included is the creation of a Tornado Warning Extension Program, with the goal of reducing loss of life and property by extending tornado warnings beyond one hour.\nThe bill also expands public-private forecasting partnerships by giving NOAA specific authority to obtain weather data through commercial providers and requiring the agency to report on opportunities for obtaining weather observations through the private sector. Current research at the University of North Dakota John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences includes radar meteorology and severe storms, key areas in the field of weather detection.\n\u201cThe research performed in our higher education institutions including UND fits these priorities well and could provide new openings in the field,\u201d said Congressman Cramer. \u201cFocusing our weather research around saving human lives is the right thing to do, and will ensure our resources are being put to good use.\u201d\n\u201cAiding in the ability to provide the community with as much warning as possible is a key goal for many weather researchers.\u00a0 This is all done to save property and lives, and the support from Congressman Cramer on the Weather Forecasting Improvement Act will help in these research efforts,\u201d said Christopher Theisen, Research Meteorologist with the UND Department of Atmospheric Sciences.\nThe National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2013 extends a critical drought monitoring program through 2018. The National Integrated Drought Information System includes the U.S. Drought Portal, located at www.drought.gov, and offers resources including climate observations, early warnings of possible drought, and impact assessment. The portal is a collaborative resource between federal, state, and academic partners, and is administered within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).\n\u201cNorth Dakota farmers and landowners are no strangers to drought, and this resource is an efficient way to leverage the research capabilities of our academic institutions and local governments to provide timely information to the public,\u201d Cramer said.\nTodd Sando, President of the Association of Western State Engineers, recently released a statement of support\u00a0which was submitted into the record at the Science committee hearing. It reads, in part,\u00a0\"Congress should reauthorize and fund\u00a0full implementation of the NIDIS implementation plan to enable the National Oceanic\u00a0and Atmospheric Administration to provide better information to decision makers at\u00a0every level of government.\"\nCongressman Cramer serves on the Natural Resources and Science, Space and Technology Committees. Within these committees, he serves on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources,\u00a0the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulations, and the Subcommittee on Energy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://cramer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/cramer-science-committee-approves-weather-and-drought-bills"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.514964271336794, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}