HR-4256 — Digital Coast Reauthorization Act of 2025

YourVoice.Now Summary

Transparency & Accountability

Coastal towns' free maps and data would keep coming through 2030 — buried pipes and cables added.

Transparency & Accountability

Free public access to coastal data — required, not just easy to find

Today the law only says the data has to be easy to find. NOAA would also have to make it fully and freely available to the public.

Buried pipes and cables — added to public coastal data

The Digital Coast program collects and shares mapping data about the coast. Data on buried pipes, cables, and other underground lines would be added to what it gathers.

Public coastal data program — kept running through 2030

Congress signed off on the program only through 2025. The end date would move to 2030, so the coastal data work could go on five more years.

More about this bill

Most people would notice no change in their daily lives. NOAA's Digital Coast program would keep running through 2030, five years past its current end date. The program gathers mapping data about the U.S. coastline. Local governments use it to plan for floods, write zoning rules, and get ready for storms. Two smaller changes ride along. Coastal data would have to be fully and freely available, not just easy to find. That sets a higher bar for public access. The program would also start collecting data on buried pipes, cables, and other underground lines. That matters most where a shoreline floods or erodes.

Congressional Summary

Digital Coast Reauthorization Act of 2025 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.

Legislative Subjects

Computers and information technologyEnvironmental assessment, monitoring, researchIntergovernmental relationsInternet, web applications, social mediaMarine and coastal resources, fisheriesState and local government operations

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: House
Status: summarized
Action: Reported to House
Action Date: 2025-10-31
Date Added: 2026-07-24
Source: Congress.gov →

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