Full title | To reauthorize the National Integrated Drought Information System. |
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Introduced in | 113th United States Congress |
Introduced on | June 19, 2013 |
Sponsored by | Rep. Ralph M. Hall (R, TX-4) |
Number of co-sponsors | 2 |
Effects and codifications | |
Act(s) affected | National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006 |
U.S.C. section(s) affected | 15 U.S.C. § 313d |
Agencies affected | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
Authorizations of appropriations | $67,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 |
Legislative history | |
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The National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 2431) is a bill that would reauthorize the National Integrated Drought Information System, a program that examines the impact of droughts and tries to respond to them on a federal level. The bill would extend the program until 2018.
The National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2013 was introduced into the 113th United States Congress. A similar measure, the Drought Information Act of 2013 (S. 376; 113th Congress), was introduced into and passed the United States Senate. President Barack Obama signed the National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2013 into law as Pub.L. 113–86 on March 6, 2014.<refll name="2431allactions"/>
The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Act was signed into law in 2006 (Public Law 109-430). The Western Governors' Association described the need for NIDIS in a 2004 report, Creating a Drought Early Warning System for the 21st Century: The National Integrated Drought Information System. The NIDIS Act calls for an interagency, multi-partner approach to drought monitoring, forecasting, and early warning, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The law also created the U.S. Drought Portal. NIDIS is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Climate Program Office.
At the time that this legislation was being consider in committee, there were serious on-going water shortages in the United States. A drought that started in 2012 caused "some of the Great Lakes to drop to record lows," hurt farms, and effected shipping on the Mississippi River.