Federal climate data now available to building-code writers
S. 4439 — Built To Last Act of 2026 · Filed by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) · Introduced Apr 29, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify a consistent set of federal weather forecasting data and climate projections, and requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help building-code and standards organizations use that data to update their codes and certifications for extreme weather and environmental risks. The bill creates a working group to coordinate this effort across federal agencies.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is to ensure building codes and standards incorporate forward-looking climate and extreme-weather data. It is a public-safety and climate-adaptation measure, not a market intervention or subsidy.
What the text implies
- Standards organizations are not required to adopt NIST advice; the bill mandates only that NIST provide it. Actual adoption depends on voluntary action by standards bodies, which may face cost or resistance.
- The bill does not appropriate funds or mandate funding for NOAA research, NIST technical assistance, or the working group. Implementation depends on existing agency budgets and discretionary resources.
- Mesoscale meteorological information (subsection b(2)) is provided only when the Under Secretary determines it appropriate or upon Director request—not automatically—creating potential gaps in data availability.
- The term 'long-term' is defined by the Director in consultation with the Under Secretary, not by statute. This grants discretion over the time horizon for projections, which affects which risks are modeled.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens benefit from building codes and standards updated to reflect future climate and extreme-weather risks, reducing exposure to flooding, wind, heat, and other hazards. The bill creates no new restrictions on citizens' rights or remedies; it mandates information-sharing and technical assistance to improve public safety standards.
Named in the bill
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Director of NIST, Office of Science and Technology Policy, United States Global Change Research Program, Mitigation Framework Leadership Group, Fire Research Center, National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, Standards-developing organizations, Building-code organizations
Where it stands
- Apr 29, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Apr 29, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $303,370 in lobbying spend. A filing names 61 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Tammy Baldwin, the sponsor, reported $195,336 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- American Society of Civil Engineers — $303,370 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (4,538 characters) on Oct 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 17, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Federal climate data now available to building-code writers” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/s4439 Report an error
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