15 U.S.C. § 312 — Employees

Page 714 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 312 I recommend that the Congress allow the accom- panying reorganization plan to become effective. LYNDON B. JOHNSON. THE WHITE HOUSE, May 13, 1965. § 312. Employees The National Weather Service shall consist of such civilian employees as Congress may annu- ally provide for and as may be necessary to properly perform the duties devolving on said Service by law. (Oct. 1, 1890, ch. 1266, § 4, 26 Stat. 653; July 8, 1898, No. 57, 30 Stat. 752; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. July 13, 1965, 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318; 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 4, eff. Oct. 3, 1970, 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries REPEALS Joint Res. July 8, 1898, provided: ‘‘That the laws au- thorizing the detail and assignment of the officers of the Army to duty in the Weather Bureau be, and are hereby, repealed.’’ Executive Documents TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS Office of Chief of Weather Bureau abolished and Weather Bureau consolidated with Coast and Geodetic Survey to form new agency in Department of Com- merce known as Environmental Science Services Ad- ministration by Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1965, eff. July 13, 1965, 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318, set out as a note under section 311 of this title. The Reorg. Plan also trans- ferred to Secretary of Commerce functions of Bureau and Chief of Bureau. Subsequently, Environmental Science Services Administration abolished and Na- tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estab- lished. By Department Organization Order 25–5A, Sec- retary delegated to NOAA his functions under this chapter of the Code. By order of Acting Associate Ad- ministrator of NOAA, organizational name of Weather Bureau changed to National Weather Service. For fur- ther details, see Codification note set out under section 311 of this title. § 313. Duties of Secretary of Commerce The Secretary of Commerce shall have charge of the forecasting of weather, the issue of storm warnings, the display of weather and flood sig- nals for the benefit of agriculture, commerce, and navigation, the gauging and reporting of rivers, the maintenance and operation of sea- coast telegraph lines and the collection and transmission of marine intelligence for the ben- efit of commerce and navigation, the reporting of temperature and rain-fall conditions for the cotton interests, the display of frost and cold- wave signals, the distribution of meteorological information in the interests of agriculture and commerce, and the taking of such meteorolog- ical observations as may be necessary to estab- lish and record the climatic conditions of the United States, or as are essential for the proper execution of the foregoing duties. (Oct. 1, 1890, ch. 1266, § 3, 26 Stat. 653; May 20, 1926, ch. 344, § 5 (e), 44 Stat. 571; June 23, 1938, ch. 601, title XI, § 1107(k), 52 Stat. 1029; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. IV, § 8, eff. June 30, 1940, 5 F.R. 2421, 54 Stat. 1236; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, §§ 1, 2, eff. July 13, 1965, 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 1938—Act June 23, 1938, repealed second paragraph re- lating to duties as to air navigation. 1926—Act May 20, 1926, inserted second paragraph re- lating to duties as to air navigation. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries REPEALS Pub. L. 85–726, title XIV, § 1401(b), Aug. 23, 1958, 72 Stat. 806, repealed act June 23, 1938, ch. 601, title XI, § 1107(k), 52 Stat. 1029, cited to the credit of this sec- tion. CONDUCT OF WEATHER RECONNAISSANCE IN THE UNITED STATES Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title X, § 1090, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 420, provided that: ‘‘(a) CONDUCT OF RECONNAISSANCE.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap- propriations, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the Air Force Reserve Command and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos- pheric Administration may use aircraft, personnel, and equipment necessary to meet the mission re- quirements of— ‘‘(A) the National Hurricane Operations Plan; and ‘‘(B) the National Winter Seasons Operation plan, as long as aircraft are able to fully meet needs for hurricane monitoring response. ‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—If the 53rd Weather Reconnais- sance Squadron of the Air Force Reserve Command exercises the authority under paragraph (1), such Squadron, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion and appropriate line offices of the National Oce- anic and Atmospheric Administration, shall use such authority to— ‘‘(A) improve the accuracy and timeliness of ob- servations of storms that result in large amounts of precipitation, such as tropical cyclones and atmos- pheric rivers, to support the forecast and warning services of the National Weather Service of the United States; ‘‘(B) collect data in data-sparse regions where conventional observations are lacking; ‘‘(C) support water management decision-making and flood forecasting through the execution of tar- geted in-situ measurements, airborne dropsondes, buoys, autonomous platform observations, satellite observations, remote sensing observations, and other observation platforms as appropriate, includ- ing enhanced assimilation of the data from those observations over the eastern, central, and western north Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the western Atlantic Ocean to improve forecasts of large storms for civil authorities and military deci- sion makers; ‘‘(D) participate in the research and operations partnership that guides flight planning and uses re- search methods to improve and expand the capabili- ties and effectiveness of weather reconnaissance over time; and ‘‘(E) undertake such other additional activities as the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration, in collaboration with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, con- siders appropriate to further prediction of dan- gerous weather events. ‘‘(b) REPORTS.— ‘‘(1) AIR FORCE.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 2023], the Secretary of the Air Force, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos- pheric Administration, shall perform a resources review of mission capabilities needed for observa-