S. 1626 — what changed
National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
From Introduced in Senate to Reported in Senate. 1 section amended and 2 added between Introduced in Senate and Reported in Senate.
Sec. 3 Reauthorization of National Landslide Preparedness Act
Definitions— Section 2 of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3101) is amended—
by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (11) as paragraphs (7), (8), (10), (11), (13), (14), (15), and (16), respectively;
by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
“(4) Atmospheric river—The term atmospheric river has the meaning given the term in section 12(a) of the Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act (15 U.S.C. 9707(a)).
“(5) Atmospheric river flooding event—The term atmospheric river flooding event has the meaning given the term in section 12(a) of the Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act (15 U.S.C. 9707(a)).
“(6) Extreme precipitation event—The term extreme precipitation event has the meaning given the term in section 12(a) of the Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act (15 U.S.C. 9707(a)).”
changed
by inserting after paragraph (8), as (8) (as so redesignated, redesignated) the following:
“(9) Institution of higher education—The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).”
changed
by inserting after paragraph (11), as (11) (as so redesignated, redesignated) the following:
changed
“(12) Native Hawaiian organization—The Organization—The term Native Hawaiian organization has the meaning given the term in section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517), except that the term includes the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.”
by adding at the end the following:
“(17) Tribal organization—The term Tribal organization has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).”
National landslide hazards reduction program—
Establishment— Section 3(a)(3) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(a)(3)) is amended by striking “protect” and inserting “contribute to protecting”.
Program activities— Section 3(b)(1)(C)(ii) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(1)(C)(ii)) is amended by striking “implement” and inserting “disseminate”.
National strategy— Section 3(b)(2) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(2)) is amended—
by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (C) as clauses (i) through (iii), respectively, and indenting appropriately;
in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so redesignated), by striking “Not later than” and inserting the following:
“(A) In general—Not later than”
by adding at the end the following:
“(B) Assessment—For purposes of the first national strategy published after the date of enactment of the National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, shall include an assessment of the risks that atmospheric river flooding events and extreme precipitation events pose to the safety of life and property in the United States with respect to landslide hazards.”
National landslide hazards database— Section 3(b)(3) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(3)) is amended—
by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively; and
by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
“(C) the identification of areas in need of additional hazard risk assessment, including areas that may be at risk due to—
“(i) hydrology or changes in hydrology that may include erosion, drought, or other characteristics that could impact landslide risk;
“(ii) atmospheric river flooding events and extreme precipitation events, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary;
“(iii) geologic activity, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or tsunamis; or
“(iv) data-poor areas or hazards with poor monitoring that could contribute to increased landslide risk;”
Landslide hazard and risk preparedness for communities— Section 3(b)(4) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(4)) is amended—
in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting “Native Hawaiian organizations and other stakeholders, as appropriate,” before “and Indian tribes”;
in subparagraph (A)—
in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking “local, and Tribal governments and decisionmakers” and inserting “and local governments, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and other decisionmakers”;
by striking clause (iii) and inserting the following:
“(iii) health and safety with respect to landslides;”
by redesignating clause (iv) as clause (v); and
by inserting after clause (iii) the following:
“(iv) reducing losses from landslides, including the threats caused by atmospheric rivers and other extreme precipitation events; and”
in subparagraph (B)—
in clause (i), by striking “local, and Tribal officials” and inserting “and local officials, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations”; and
in clause (ii), by striking “local, and Tribal emergency managers” and inserting “and local emergency managers and emergency managers of Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations”.
Debris flow early warning system— Section 3(b)(5) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(5)) is amended—
in subparagraph (B), by striking “State, territorial, local, and Tribal governments” and inserting “State, territorial, and local governments, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations”;
by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (C) as clauses (i) through (iii), respectively, and indenting appropriately;
in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so redesignated), by striking “In carrying out” and inserting the following:
“(A) In general—In carrying out”
by adding at the end the following:
“(B) Consultation—In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary may consult with an institution of higher education described in subsection (d)(2)(B)(iv) and other stakeholders to establish and support emergency response procedures, as appropriate.”
Emergency response activities— Section 3(b)(6) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(6)) is amended—
by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (C) as clauses (i) through (iii), respectively, and indenting appropriately;
in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so redesignated), by striking “In carrying” and inserting the following:
“(A) In general—In carrying”
in subparagraph (A) (as so designated)—
in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so redesignated), by inserting “Native Hawaiian organizations,” before “and Indian tribes”;
in clause (ii) (as so redesignated), by striking “and” at the end;
in clause (iii) (as so redesignated), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(iv) to improve real-time risk management during landslide events, including with respect to landslide events caused by—
“(I) hydrology or changes in hydrology that may include erosion, drought, or other characteristics that could impact landslide risk;
“(II) atmospheric river flooding events and extreme precipitation events, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary;
“(III) geologic activity, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or tsunamis;
“(IV) data-poor areas or hazards with poor monitoring that could contribute to increased landslide risk; or
“(V) thawing permafrost and glacial retreat causing destabilization of slopes.”
by adding at the end the following:
“(B) Consultation—In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary may consult with an institution of higher education described in subsection (d)(2)(B)(iv) and the private sector.”
removed
Interagency Coordinating Committee on Landslide Hazards— Section 3(c)(2) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(c)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
removed
“(J) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.”
renumbered
was (3)(10)
Advisory committee— Section 3(d)(2)(B) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(d)(2)(B)) is amended—
renumbered
was (3)(10)(3)
in clause (iii), by striking “geological”; and
renumbered
was (3)(10)(4)
in clause (vi), by striking “local, and Tribal emergency management agencies” and inserting “and local emergency management agencies and emergency management agencies of Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations”.
renumbered
was (3)(11)
Regional partnerships— Section 3 of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended—
renumbered
was (3)(11)(3)
by redesignating subsections (e) through (i) as subsections (f) through (j), respectively; and
renumbered
was (3)(11)(4)
by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
“(e) Regional partnerships
added “(1) In general—As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of the National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act of 2025, the Secretary shall establish in each region in which the Secretary determines that there is a high landslide hazard a regional partnership with an eligible partner described in paragraph (2).
removed
“(1) In general—As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of the National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act of 2025, the Secretary shall establish in the State of Alaska and other regions, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, a regional partnership with an eligible partner described in paragraph (2).
“(2) Eligible partners—An organization or institution of higher education with expertise in landslide mapping, research, and monitoring shall be eligible for a regional partnership under paragraph (1).
“(3) Purposes and duties—A regional partnership established under paragraph (1) shall—
“(A) allow the Secretary to leverage applicable expertise in regional organizations;
“(B) coordinate long-term landslide research specific to the applicable region; and
“(C) align interagency landslide monitoring efforts.”
added
Grant programs— Section 3 of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended, in paragraph (1) of subsection (f) (as redesignated by paragraph (9)(A))—
removed
Grant programs— Section 3 of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended, in paragraph (1) of subsection (f) (as so redesignated)—
renumbered
was (3)(12)(3)
in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking “local, and Tribal governments to research, map, assess” and inserting “and local governments, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to research, map, assess, monitor”;
renumbered
was (3)(12)(4)
in subparagraph (B)—
renumbered
was (3)(12)(4)(2)
in clause (i), by inserting “institutions of higher education described in subsection (d)(2)(B)(iv),” before “and Indian tribes”; and
renumbered
was (3)(12)(4)(3)
in clause (ii)—
renumbered
was (3)(12)(4)(3)(2)
by redesignating subclauses (II) through (IV) as subclauses (III) through (V), respectively; and
renumbered
was (3)(12)(4)(3)(3)
by inserting after subclause (I) the following:
“(II) in regions that have recently experienced loss of life due to landslides;”
renumbered
was (3)(12)(5)
in subparagraph (C)—
renumbered
was (3)(12)(5)(2)
in clause (i), by inserting “awarded” after “grants”; and
renumbered
was (3)(12)(5)(3)
in clause (ii), by striking “made” and inserting “or other accomplishments resulting”.
renumbered
was (3)(13)
Significant events— Section 3 of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended, in subsection (h)(3) (as so redesignated), by striking “local, and Tribal partners” and inserting “and local partners, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations”.
added
Funding— Section 3 of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended, in subsection (i) (as redesignated by paragraph (9)(A))—
removed
Funding— Section 3 of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended, in subsection (i) (as so redesignated)—
renumbered
was (3)(14)(3)
in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “2024” and inserting “2030”; and
added
in paragraph (1), by striking “$25,000,000 to carry out this section” and inserting “$35,000,000 to carry out this section, of which not less than $10,000,000 shall be made available for the purchase, deployment, and repair of landslide early warning systems in high risk areas”.
removed
in paragraph (1), by striking “there is authorized to be appropriated to the United States Geological Survey, $25,000,000 to carry out this section” and inserting “from amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the United States Geological Survey, $35,000,000 shall be used to carry out this section, of which not less than $10,000,000 shall be used for the purchase, deployment, and repair of landslide early warning systems in high risk areas”.
3D elevation program—
Establishment— Section 5(a) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3104(a)) is amended—
in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting “and derivative” after “3D elevation”; and
in paragraph (2)(B)(i), by inserting “, process, and integrate” after “acquire”.
3D Elevation Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee— Section 5(b)(3) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3104(b)(3)) is amended—
by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as subparagraphs (E) and (F), respectively; and
by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following:
“(D) the 3D Hydrography Program Working Group;”
Grants and cooperative agreements— Section 5(d)(3) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3104(d)(3)) is amended by striking “publically” and inserting “publicly”.
changed
Funding— Section 5(e) of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3104(e)) is amended by striking “2024” and inserting “2030”.“2034”.
Sec. 4 Next Generation Water Observing System
addedadded The Act of December 24, 1942 (56 Stat. 1086, chapter 822; 43 U.S.C. 36b), is amended—
added
in the first section, by striking “That the Secretary of the Interior” and inserting the following:
added “1. Gaging streams and underground water resources
added “The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this Act as the Secretary)”
added
in section 1 (as so designated)—
added
in the second sentence, by striking “of the Interior”; and
added
in the proviso—
added
by striking “this Act” each place it appears and inserting “this section”; and
added
by striking “of the Interior”; and
added
by adding at the end the following:
added “2. Next Generation Water Observing System
added “(a) Establishment—The Secretary shall establish within the United States Geological Survey a system, to be known as the “Next Generation Water Observing System” (referred to in this section as the System).
added “(b) Purpose—The purpose of the System is to provide real-time data on water quantity and quality—
added “(1) that, as compared to previous systems, is more affordable, more rapid, and available in more locations; and
added “(2) to support advanced modeling tools—
added “(A) to provide state-of-the-art flood and drought forecasts;
added “(B) to inform emergency- and water-management decision support systems; and
added “(C) to help evaluate—
added “(i) the near-term and long-term risks of floods and droughts, including any scenarios that modify those risks;
added “(ii) the quantity of water stored in seasonal snow packs, and how changes in seasonal snow packs affect water supplies;
added “(iii) the early stages of drought;
added “(iv) the predicted timelines for drought recovery;
added “(v) the quantity of water lost to evapotranspiration;
added “(vi) water quality differences during wet and dry periods;
added “(vii) the effects of streamflow on groundwater;
added “(viii) the effects of groundwater on streamflow; and
added “(ix) ice and water volume stored in glaciers and changing water volumes due to glacial retreat.
added “(c) System requirements—The System shall provide for—
added “(1) state-of-the-art measurements;
added “(2) a dense array of sensors at selected sites;
added “(3) increased spatial and temporal coverage;
added “(4) new technology testing and implementation;
added “(5) improved operational efficiency; and
added “(6) modernized and timely data storage and delivery.
added “(d) Priority regions—In determining in which regions of the United States Geological Survey to carry out the System, the Secretary shall give priority to regions of the United States Geological Survey in which there is—
added “(1) a high level of drought;
added “(2) a reliance on reservoirs for water storage;
added “(3) a reliance on hydrologic storage, including groundwater, aquifers, and snowpack; and
added “(4) flooding and extreme rainfall.
added “(e) Authorization of appropriations
added “(1) In general—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section in 10 initial basins, as determined by the Secretary, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended.
added “(2) Derivation of funds—Amounts made available to carry out this section shall be derived from amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the United States Geological Survey.”
Sec. 5 Water data enhancement and national groundwater resources monitoring by United States Geological Survey
addedadded Section 9507 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C. 10367) is amended—
added
in subsection (a)—
added
in paragraph (2)(C)—
added
in clause (i), by striking “and” at the end;
added
in clause (ii), by inserting “and” after the semicolon at the end; and
added
by adding at the end the following:
added “(iii) the conduct of groundwater quality assessments relating to permafrost thaw and changes in precipitation rates;”
added
in paragraph (4)—
added
in subparagraph (A)—
added
in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking “10 years” and inserting “11 years”; and
added
in clause (i), by striking “national streamflow information program” and inserting “Federal priority streamgage program”;
added
in subparagraph (B), by striking “Federal Priority streamgage program” and inserting “Federal Priority Streamgage Network”; and
added
by adding at the end the following:
added “(C) Priority sites—In selecting sites for the installation of streamgages under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall give priority to regions of the United States Geological Survey in which there is—
added “(i) a high level of drought;
added “(ii) a reliance on reservoirs for water storage;
added “(iii) a reliance on hydrologic storage, including groundwater, aquifers, and snowpack; and
added “(iv) flooding and extreme rainfall.
added “(D) No impact on existing sites—The priority provided under subparagraph (C) shall have no impact on any site or region in which a streamgage has been installed, and is operating, as of the date of enactment of the National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act of 2025, subject to the condition that the data from such a site or region are continuing to meet the priority needs of stakeholders, as determined by the Secretary.”
added
in paragraph (6)—
added
in subparagraph (B), by striking “$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2028” and inserting “$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2033”; and
added
by adding at the end the following:
added “(C) Derivation of funds—Amounts made available to carry out this subsection shall be derived from amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the United States Geological Survey.”
added
in subsection (b)—
added
in paragraph (2)—
added
in subparagraph (B), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking “and State and local water resource agencies and Tribes” and inserting “, State and local water resource agencies, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations”; and
added
in subparagraph (C), by striking “State water resource agency or Tribe” and inserting “State water resource agency, Indian tribe, Tribal organization, or Native Hawaiian organization”;
added
in paragraph (6)—
added
by striking “give priority to those activities” and inserting the following:
added “(A) activities”
added
in subparagraph (A) (as so designated)—
added
by striking “State, a Tribe” and inserting “State, Indian tribe, Tribal organization, Native Hawaiian organization,”; and
added
by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and
added
by adding at the end the following:
added “(B) activities conducted in regions of the United States Geological Survey in which there is—
added “(i) a high level of drought;
added “(ii) a reliance on reservoirs for water storage;
added “(iii) a reliance on hydrologic storage, including groundwater, aquifers, and snowpack; and
added “(iv) flooding and extreme rainfall.”
added
in paragraph (7)—
added
by striking “There are authorized to be appropriated” and inserting the following:
added “(A) In general—There is authorized to be appropriated”
added
by adding at the end the following:
added “(B) Derivation of funds—Amounts made available to carry out this subsection shall be derived from amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the United States Geological Survey.”