# Plain Language Summary: Digital Coast Act Amendment

The Digital Coast program is a government effort that collects and shares information about America's coastlines—things like maps showing where erosion is happening, where flooding risks exist, and how coastal areas are changing over time. This bill updates and improves that program by making it easier for the government to gather this coastal data from different sources, combine it all together in one place, and make it available to the public in more useful ways.

Right now, coastal data comes from many different government agencies and organizations, and it's often scattered across different systems that don't talk to each other very well. This bill aims to fix that problem by requiring better coordination between agencies so the information flows more smoothly into one central system. It also extends the program's funding and authority, basically saying the government should keep running and improving this effort for years to come.

Who does this affect? Mostly people and communities living near coasts—which includes about 40% of Americans. If you live near an ocean, Great Lake, or major river, this matters to you. Local governments use this data to plan where to build, how to prepare for storms, and where to invest in flood protection. Real estate developers, environmental groups, and researchers also rely on this information. By making coastal data easier to access and more complete, the bill helps communities make better decisions about protecting themselves from flooding and erosion, and it helps businesses and scientists understand coastal changes more clearly. Essentially, it's about making sure the government's coastal information is better organized and more useful for everyone who needs it.

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.