S 2245 — A bill to amend the Digital Coast Act to improve the acquisition, integration, and accessibility of data of the Digital Coast program and to extend the program.

Summary

This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 the Digital Coast program managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and makes other changes to the program. Through the program, NOAA administers a digital platform with data, tools, training, and other information to support coastal management needs.The bill requires NOAA to ensure that data and resulting integrated products developed under the program are fully and freely available on the program website and via other sources. Further, NOAA must support existing efforts to acquire and integrate data related to underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities.Finally, NOAA must limit trainings carried out under the program to technical instruction on the use of data and tools provided by the program.

Bill Text

Published by the reporting committee Not generated — this is the committee's own “Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported”.

Text to be removed appears in [brackets]. Newly inserted text is italicised in the official report and cannot be marked in this plain-text rendition — read the official PDF ↗ for the authoritative formatting.

changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
material is printed in italic, existing law in which no change 
is proposed is shown in roman):

 DIGITAL COAST ACT

 * * * * * * *

 [16 U.S.C. 1467]

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DIGITAL COAST.

 (a) * * *
 (b) Program Requirements.--In carrying out the program, the 
Secretary shall ensure that the program provides data 
integration, tool development, training, documentation, 
dissemination, and archive by--
 (1) making data and resulting integrated products 
 developed under this section readily accessible and 
 fully and freely available via the Digital Coast 
 internet website of the National Oceanic and 
 Atmospheric Administration, the GeoPlatform.gov and 
 data.gov internet websites, and such other information 
 distribution technologies as the Secretary considers 
 appropriate;
 (2) developing decision-support tools that use and 
 display resulting integrated data and provide training 
 on use of such tools;
 (3) documenting such data to Federal Geographic Data 
 Committee standards; and
 (4) archiving all raw data acquired under this Act at 
 the appropriate National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
 Administration data center or such other Federal data 
 center as the Secretary considers appropriate.
 (c) * * *
 (d) Filling Needs and Gaps.--In carrying out the program, the 
Secretary shall--
 (1) maximize the use of remote sensing and other 
 geospatial data collection activities conducted for 
 other purposes and under other authorities;
 (2) focus on filling data needs and gaps for coastal 
 management issues, including with respect to areas 
 that, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, were 
 underserved by coastal data and the areas of the Arctic 
 that are under the jurisdiction of the United States;
 (3) pursuant to the Ocean and Coastal Mapping 
 Integration Act (33 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), support 
 continue improvement in existing efforts to coordinate 
 the acquisition and integration of key data sets needed 
 for coastal management and other purposes, including--
 (A) coastal elevation data;
 (B) land use and land cover data;
 (C) socioeconomic and human use data;
 (D) critical infrastructure data, including 
 data related to underground infrastructure and 
 subsurface utilities;
 (E) structures data;
 (F) living resources and habitat data;
 (G) cadastral data; and
 (H) aerial imagery; [and]
 (4) integrate the priority supporting data set forth 
 under paragraph (3) with other available data for the 
 benefit of the broadest measure of coastal resource 
 management constituents and applications[.] ; and 
 (5) limit trainings to technical instruction in the 
 use of data and tools provided under this section.
 (e) * * *
 (f) * * *
 (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to 
be appropriated to the Secretary $4,000,000 for each fiscal 
year 2021 through [2025] 2030 to carry out the program.

 * * * * * * *

Source: S. Rept. 119-100 · govinfo

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill extends the Digital Coast program until 2030 and improves the accessibility of data and training requirements.

• 16 U.S.C. 1467(b)(1)

  readily accessible → readily accessible and fully and freely available

  This change mandates that the data must not only be readily accessible but also fully and freely available.

• 16 U.S.C. 1467(d)(3)

  data → data, including data related to underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities

  This adds underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities data to the list of key data sets.

• 16 U.S.C. 1467(d)(4)

  . → ; and

  This change allows for additional information to be added after this paragraph.

• 16 U.S.C. 1467(d)

  (5) limit trainings to technical instruction in the use of data and tools provided under this section.

  This specifies that trainings must be limited to technical instruction related to the data and tools.

• 16 U.S.C. 1467(g)

  2025 → 2030

  This extends the expiration date of the Digital Coast program from 2025 to 2030.

Action History

1. July 10, 2025

   Introduced in Senate

2. July 10, 2025

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

3. October 21, 2025

   Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

4. January 30, 2026

   Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-100.

5. January 30, 2026

   Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-100.

6. January 30, 2026

   Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 310.

7. February 26, 2026

   Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.

8. February 26, 2026

   Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S715-716; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S716)

9. March 03, 2026

   Message on Senate action sent to the House.

10. March 03, 2026

    Received in the House.

11. March 03, 2026

    Held at the desk.

Sponsors

• Tammy Baldwin · Primary
• Lisa Murkowski · Cosponsor
• Dan Sullivan · Cosponsor

Subjects