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.
Sponsor
Tammy Baldwin
Democrat · WI
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Feb 26, 2026
Passed the Senate, received in House
Keep the free flood maps coastal towns rely on
Why it matters
The data cities use to plan for storms, flooding, and sea level rise is set to expire in 2025. S. 2245 keeps NOAA's Digital Coast running through 2030 and locks in that the maps stay free for anyone to download.
S. 2245 updates the Digital Coast Act, the law behind a NOAA data hub that coastal cities, planners, and researchers use to map flooding, erosion, and where the water is headed next.
The biggest change is small in word count but real in effect. The old law said the data had to be "readily accessible." This bill adds that it must be "fully and freely available" — language meant to lock in open public access so the maps can't be paywalled or buried.
It also tells the program to start collecting data on underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities — the pipes, cables, and lines that flooding can knock out but that rarely show up on a coastal map. And it extends the program's authorization from 2025 to 2030, so the resource doesn't lapse.
One narrower provision limits the program's training sessions to technical, hands-on instruction in using the data and tools, rather than broader workshops.
S. 2245 Bill Summary
What S. 2245 actually does.
The maps have to stay free
Changes the standard from data being "readily accessible" to "fully and freely available," language meant to guarantee open public access rather than restricted or paid access.
Underground utilities get mapped
Directs the program to collect and integrate data on underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities, which storms and flooding can damage but which standard coastal maps usually leave out.
Program runs through 2030
Extends the Digital Coast program's authorization from 2025 to 2030, keeping it from expiring.
Trainings limited to technical instruction
Restricts program-sponsored training sessions to hands-on technical instruction in using the program's data and tools.
Who benefits from S. 2245?
Coastal cities and county planners
Get free, ongoing access to the elevation and flood data they use to decide where to build, what to protect, and how to prepare for the next storm.
Researchers and universities
Can pull richer datasets — now including underground utilities — for studies on flooding, erosion, and coastal change without licensing costs.
Emergency and disaster response teams
Gain mapping that includes hidden infrastructure, useful for anticipating where flooding could knock out pipes, cables, and lines.
Businesses and developers
Free, open data lowers the cost of coastal risk assessment and can feed private tools and services built on top of it.
Who is affected by S. 2245?
NOAA program staff
Take on expanded duties to acquire, integrate, and distribute a broader set of data, including underground infrastructure, while keeping it fully open.
Utility and infrastructure operators
May be looked to as sources for the underground and subsurface data the program is now directed to collect.
Groups that ran non-technical workshops
Program-funded training is now limited to technical instruction on the data and tools, so broader informational sessions fall outside what's authorized.
What Congress Is Saying
S. 2245 has come up 15 times in the Congressional Record so far.
S. 2245 also appeared in 1 more Senate floor reference and 4 routine cosponsor filings.
S2245 Legislative Journey
Passed 715-716
Feb 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)
+1 more action this day
Committee Action
Jan 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.
Passed Committee
Oct 21, 2025
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee Action
Jul 10, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
About the Sponsor
Tammy Baldwin
Democrat, WI · 27 years in Congress
Committees: Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Appropriations
View full profile →
Cosponsors (2)
All 2 cosponsors are Republicans. Cosponsors represent 1 state: Alaska.
Committee Sponsors
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
1 of 28 committee members cosponsored
13 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
S. 2245 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Chamber
- Senate
- Policy
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Introduced
- Jul 10, 2025
Passed the Senate, received in House
Feb 26, 2026
Official Sources
The official bill page with full text, actions, and the February 2026 Senate passage record.
The underlying statute S. 2245 amends, including the accessibility standard and 2025 authorization date the bill updates.
The NOAA Office for Coastal Management program S. 2245 extends and directs to keep its data fully and freely available.
The searchable data library — including an infrastructure category — that the bill's underground-utility provision would expand.
The free tool coastal planners use to download lidar, imagery, and land cover data — the open access the bill aims to lock in.
The program's training catalog, which the bill would limit to technical instruction in using its data and tools.
The Commerce Committee's written report accompanying the amended bill reported in January 2026.
S. 2245 Common Questions
What does S. 2245 actually do?
It updates NOAA's Digital Coast program: requires the data to be fully and freely available, adds underground infrastructure and subsurface utility data, and extends the program through 2030.
Is Digital Coast data free to the public?
Yes. S. 2245 changes the standard from "readily accessible" to "fully and freely available," language meant to lock in open public access so the maps and data can't be paywalled.
What new kind of data does S. 2245 add?
Data on underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities — the pipes, cables, and lines flooding can damage but that standard coastal maps usually leave out.
How long does S. 2245 extend the Digital Coast program?
Through 2030. The program's authorization was set to expire in 2025, and S. 2245 pushes that out by five years.
Does S. 2245 change what training the program can offer?
Yes. It limits program-sponsored trainings to technical, hands-on instruction in using the program's data and tools, so broader non-technical workshops fall outside what's authorized.
Has S. 2245 passed?
The Senate passed S. 2245 by unanimous consent in February 2026. It still needs to clear the House before it can become law.
Does S. 2245 add new funding for the program?
No. The bill text doesn't authorize new or increased funding. Expanding into underground utility data and running through 2030 may require future appropriations.
Who uses Digital Coast data?
Coastal cities and county planners, researchers, emergency response teams, and businesses use it to map flooding, erosion, and sea level rise and to plan where to build and what to protect.
Based on S. 2245 bill text
S. 2245 Bill Text
“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.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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