H.R.4294 — MAWS Act of 2026
House Roll Call
H.R.4294
| Bill | H.R.4294 — MAWS Act of 2026 |
|---|---|
| Vote question | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended |
| Vote type | 2/3 Yea-And-Nay |
| Result | Passed |
| Totals | Yea 320 / Nay 66 / Present 0 / Not Voting 45 |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 128 | 65 | 0 | 24 |
| D | 192 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| I | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Research Brief
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
Bill Analysis
HR 4294 – MAWS Act of 2026 (119th Congress)
HR 4294, the “MAWS Act of 2026,” directs the Department of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to expand and standardize the use of Marine Automated Weather Stations (MAWS) and related observing systems to improve maritime weather, climate, and hazard forecasting.
The bill authorizes NOAA to establish a national MAWS program that integrates fixed and mobile marine weather stations, buoys, coastal platforms, and ship-based sensors into existing federal observing networks. NOAA must develop technical standards, data formats, and interoperability requirements so MAWS data can be ingested into the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast and warning systems and shared with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and international partners.
HR 4294 requires NOAA to prioritize deployment in high-risk or data-sparse areas, including major shipping lanes, offshore energy regions, and coastal communities vulnerable to hurricanes, storm surge, and sea-level rise. The agency must coordinate with the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, and other federal entities to avoid duplication and leverage existing platforms.
The bill benefits maritime industries (shipping, fishing, offshore energy), coastal communities, and emergency managers by improving short- and long-range forecasts, wave and wind predictions, and early warning for severe storms and hazardous seas. It indirectly affects private weather and data firms, which gain access to standardized MAWS data, and vessel operators, who may be encouraged or required (through later regulation) to host or use MAWS-compatible equipment.
HR 4294 authorizes appropriations (amounts and fiscal years specified in the bill text) for NOAA to procure, deploy, maintain, and upgrade MAWS infrastructure and to support research, modeling, and data assimilation. It also directs NOAA to report to Congress on implementation progress, data quality, cost-effectiveness, and recommendations for further expansion or public–private partnerships, typically within 1–2 years of enactment and periodically thereafter.
As of the latest action, the bill has passed the House and has been received in the Senate, where it has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for further consideration.
Yea (320)
K
Ken Calvert
J
Jason Crow
J
John Garamendi
J
John Mannion
L
Lucy McBath
L
Lisa McClain
C
Christian Menefee
J
John Rutherford
P
Pete Sessions
R
Rashida Tlaib
N
Nydia Velázquez
Nay (66)
S
Scott Franklin
D
David Schweikert
Not Voting (45)
L
Lloyd Doggett
E
Eric Swalwell
D
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
