Rural Weather Monitoring Systems Act

The Rural Weather Monitoring Systems Act would require the Comptroller General (the head of the Government Accountability Office, GAO) to conduct a study on rural weather monitoring systems. Within 120 days of enactment, the GAO must report to two congressional committees on the status and needs of rural weather monitoring. The study would assess current system capacity, geographic differences in availability and effectiveness, resources available to rural areas to improve monitoring, how many rural areas are affected by unreliable or inaccurate systems, the need for updated monitoring, and the barriers rural areas face in obtaining or upgrading reporting capabilities. The bill does not authorize funding or mandate immediate upgrades; it is a fact-finding step designed to inform future policy and investment decisions.