Preventing Health Emergencies And Temperature-related Illness and Deaths Act of 2021 or the Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act of 2021
This bill provides statutory authority for, and otherwise revises, the National Integrated Heat Health Information System Program to improve the capacity of the United States to prepare for, adapt to, and mitigate health risks of extreme heat. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must carry out this program. (Currently, the program is jointly administered by NOAA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
Under the bill, the program may provide financial assistance for projects to increase awareness, education, and research about extreme heat events and mitigate the human health impacts of those events. In awarding the assistance, the program must prioritize historically disadvantaged communities and communities with significant heat disparities associated with race or income. Other components of the program include grants for research on climate and health and a study of relevant policy, research, and data gaps concerning extreme heat information and response.
The bill also establishes an interagency committee within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a strategic plan and otherwise coordinate federal activities related to the program.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5296 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5296
To reduce the health risks of heat by establishing the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System Program within the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Integrated Heat
Health Information System Interagency Committee to improve extreme heat
preparedness, planning, and response, requiring a study, and
establishing financial assistance programs to address heat effects, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 20, 2021
Mr. Crist (for himself and Ms. Bonamici) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in
addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To reduce the health risks of heat by establishing the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System Program within the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Integrated Heat
Health Information System Interagency Committee to improve extreme heat
preparedness, planning, and response, requiring a study, and
establishing financial assistance programs to address heat effects, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Health Emergencies And
Temperature-related Illness and Deaths Act of 2021'' or the
``Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Environmental justice community.--The term
``environmental justice community'' means a community with
significant representation of communities of color, low-income
communities, or Tribal and indigenous communities, that
experiences, or is at risk of experiencing, higher or more
adverse human health or environmental effects, as compared to
other communities.
(2) Extreme heat.--The term ``extreme heat'' means heat
that exceeds local climatological norms in terms of any
combination of the following:
(A) Duration.
(B) Intensity.
(C) Season length.
(D) Frequency.
(3) Heat.--The term ``heat'' means any combination of the
parameters associated with modulating human thermal regulation,
such as air temperature, humidity, solar exposure, and wind
speed.
(4) Heat event.--The term ``heat event'' means an
occurrence of extreme heat that may have heat-health
implications.
(5) Heat-health.--The term ``heat-health'' means health
effects to humans from heat, during or outside of heat events,
including from vulnerability and exposure, or the risk of such
effects.
(6) Planning.--The term ``planning'' means activities
performed across timescales (including days, weeks, months,
years, and decades) with scenario-based, probabilistic or
deterministic information to identify and take actions to
proactively mitigate heat-health risks from increased frequency
and intensity of heat waves and increased ambient temperature.
(7) Preparedness.--The term ``preparedness'' means
activities performed across timescales (including days, weeks,
months, years, and decades) with probabilistic or deterministic
information to manage risk in advance of a heat event.
(8) Urban heat island.--The term ``urban heat island''
means the phenomenon observed in urbanized areas in which heat
is more extreme than in the surrounding exurban areas and heat
is heterogeneously distributed within urbanized areas, due to
factors including--
(A) low albedo and impervious surfaces;
(B) low vegetation coverage; and
(C) waste heat produced in urban areas.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Extreme heat events have been the leading cause of
weather-related death in the United States over the last 30
years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the National Weather Service.
(2) The fourth National Climate Assessment, mandated by the
Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2921 et seq.),
finds that during the next few decades, annual average
temperature over the contiguous United States is projected to
increase by a further 2.2F relative to current temperatures,
regardless of future scenarios. The National Climate Assessment
projects that the frequency and intensity of extreme heat
events will increase in the future as global temperature
increases.
(3) Exposure to extreme heat can cause acute heat-related
illnesses, such as heat stroke, which result in more than
65,000 emergency room visits each year and exacerbate
respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses.
(4) Heat poses the greatest health risks for adults older
than 65 years of age, pregnant people, young children, low-
income communities, urban communities, communities with low air
conditioning prevalence, socially isolated individuals, people
with mental or physical disabilities, people with underlying
medical conditions, agricultural or other outdoor workers,
workers without sufficient access to cooling, athletes,
incarcerated individuals, people experiencing homelessness, and
military personnel.
(5) Increasingly common environmental exposures exacerbated
by climate change, such as extreme heat, are significantly
associated with serious adverse pregnancy outcomes across the
United States. Those adverse pregnancy outcomes
disproportionately impact Black mothers.
(6) Heat exposure is an issue of environmental justice, as
people living in low-income communities, communities of color,
and Tribal communities face a number of interacting factors
that render them more vulnerable to extreme heat.
(7) The impacts of heat on human health are more severe in
urban areas where land surface properties create an urban heat
island, particularly in neighborhoods with limited availability
of or access to green spaces, shade, and tree cover, higher
density of building structures, and more vehicular traffic.
(8) Limited availability of tree cover and higher
temperatures are correlated with low-income neighborhoods in
urban areas. In Richmond, Virginia, Baltimore, Maryland, and
Washington, DC, researchers found that heat risk is
disproportionately distributed to communities of color in
patterns associated with segregation and redlining.
(9) Researchers have found that few communities in the
United States have sufficient climate and health information,
guidance, and resources for heat planning, preparedness, and
response.
(10) The risks associated with extreme heat have complex
interactions and impacts, and the management of those risks
requires a transdisciplinary approach.
(11) Regions, communities, and populations that face the
greatest health consequences of extreme heat often may
experience the lowest heat risk perceptions, have limited
incentives, or have access to the fewest resources for
responding to extreme heat, and as such, may be less likely to
take precautions.
(12) Research on the impacts of extreme heat on human
health and the effectiveness of solutions under varying
climate, social, and other contexts is stymied by a lack of
access to reliable, timely health observations and surveillance
due to proprietary data rights, expense, privacy and security
concerns, inconsistent reporting of health outcomes and
contributory factors, poor data integration and
interoperability, few incentives and little systematic
coordination to address those problems, and a lack of adequate
climate observation, modeling, and assessment in urban, indoor,
and occupational settings.
(13) Integrated climate and health research and
information, when developed in a collaborative,
transdisciplinary manner, can inform long- and medium-range
scenario-based planning and decision making to protect
vulnerable communities and populations from extreme heat,
reduce exposure to extreme heat, and address factors that
increase vulnerability.
(14) Heat action plans and early warning systems can reduce
heat-related morbidity and mortality by clearly identifying
roles and responsibilities as well as evidence-based actions
and thresholds to enhance preparedness, and by promoting
behavior changes and actions taken by local governments,
communities, and individuals through awareness and increased
risk perception among those most vulnerable to the health
impacts of heat.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL INTEGRATED HEAT HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM INTERAGENCY
COMMITTEE.
(a) Establishment of Committee.--There is established within the
Office of Science and Technology Policy an interagency committee, to be
known as the ``National Integrated Heat Health Information System
Interagency Committee'' (in this section referred to as the
``Committee'').
(b) Purpose.--The Committee shall coordinate, plan, and direct
agencies represented on the Committee to execute, as appropriate,
activities across such agencies to ensure the National Integrated Heat
Health Information System Program established by section 5 provides a
united Federal approach to reducing health risks from heat across
timescales (including days, weeks, months, years, and decades).
(c) Membership.--
(1) In general.--In order to carry out and achieve the
purpose described in subsection (b), the Committee shall
include the following:
(A) The Director of the National Integrated Heat
Health Information System Program.
(B) Not fewer than 1 representative from each of
the following:
(i) From the Department of Commerce, the
following:
(I) From the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the
following:
(aa) The National Weather
Service.
(bb) The Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research,
including the Climate Program
Office.
(II) The National Institute of
Standards and Technology.
(III) The Bureau of the Census.
(ii) From the Department of Health and
Human Services, the following:
(I) The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, including the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health.
(II) The Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Health and Human Services
for Preparedness and Response.
(III) The Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration.
(IV) The National Institutes of
Health.
(iii) From the Department of the Interior,
the following:
(I) The Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(II) The Bureau of Land Management.
(iv) From the Environmental Protection
Agency, the following:
(I) The Office of Environmental
Justice.
(II) The Office of Air and
Radiation, if the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency
determines appropriate.
(III) The Office of Research and
Development, if the Administrator
determines appropriate.
(v) The Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
(vi) The Department of Defense.
(vii) The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration.
(viii) The Department of Agriculture.
(ix) The Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
(x) The Department of Transportation.
(xi) The Department of Energy.
(xii) Such other Federal agencies as the
Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy considers appropriate.
(2) Selection of representatives.--The head of an agency
specified in paragraph (1)(B) shall, in appointing
representatives of the agency to the Committee, select
representatives who have expertise in areas relevant to the
responsibilities of the Committee, such as weather and climate
prediction, health impacts, environmental justice, behavioral
science, public health hazard preparedness and response, or
mental health services.
(3) Co-chairs.--
(A) In general.--The members of the Committee shall
select 2 individuals from among such members to serve
as co-chairs of the Committee, subject to the approval
of the Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy.
(B) Selection.--
(i) Initial selection.--Of the co-chairs
first selected, one co-chair shall be from the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
and one co-chair shall be from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
(ii) Subsequent selection.--Subsequent co-
chairs shall be selected from among the members
of the Committee.
(C) Terms.--Each co-chair shall serve for a term of
not more than 5 years.
(D) Responsibilities of co-chairs.--The co-chairs
of the Committee shall--
(i) determine the agenda of the Committee,
in consultation with other members of the
Committee;
(ii) direct the work of the Committee;
(iii) convene meetings of the Committee not
less frequently than once each fiscal quarter;
and
(iv) if necessary, establish a coordination
office for the Committee within the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(d) Responsibilities of Committee.--The Committee shall promote an
integrated, Federal Government-wide approach to reducing health risks
and impacts of heat, including by--
(1) developing the strategic plan required by subsection
(e);
(2) overseeing the study required by section 6(a)(1);
(3) coordinating across Federal agencies on heat-health
communication, research, service delivery, and workforce
development;
(4) building capacity and partnerships with Federal and
non-Federal entities; and
(5) annually preparing a budget for the financial
assistance program under section 7 specifying how funds will be
awarded by the Director of the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Program in alignment with the strategic plan
required by subsection (e)(1) and in coordination with the
climate and health research grant program under section
5(d)(2).
(e) Strategic Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Committee shall submit to
Congress a 5-year integrated strategic plan that outlines the
goals and projects of the Committee, including how the
Committee will--
(A) improve coordination and integration of
interagency Federal actions to address health risks of
heat;
(B) conduct the study required by section 6(a)(1);
and
(C) oversee the program for providing financial
assistance under section 7.
(2) Updates.--Not later than 5 years after the submission
of the strategic plan required by paragraph (1), and every 5
years thereafter, the Committee shall submit to Congress an
update of the plan, which shall include progress made toward
goals outlined in the plan and new priorities that emerge.
(3) Public availability.--The Committee shall make the
strategic plan required by paragraph (1) and updates to the
plan required by paragraph (2) available to the public on an
internet website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, with clear visuals indicating progress toward
goals.
(f) Administrative Support.--The Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall provide technical and
administrative support to the Committee, using amounts authorized to be
appropriated to the Administration.
(g) Consultation.--In carrying out the responsibilities of the
Committee, the Committee shall consult with relevant regional, State,
Tribal, and local government agencies, international organizations and
partners, research institutions, nongovernmental organizations and
associations, and medical experts with expertise in emergency response,
environmental health, economic or business development, or community
engagement.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL INTEGRATED HEAT HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM PROGRAM OF
THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Establishment.--There is established within the Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration a program, to be known as the ``National
Integrated Heat Health Information System Program''.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the program established by subsection
(a) is to improve the capacity of the United States to plan, prepare
for, adapt to, and mitigate health risks of extreme heat across
multiple timescales.
(c) Director.--The Program shall be headed by a Director.
(d) Responsibilities.--In carrying out the purpose described in
subsection (b), the Director shall carry out the following
responsibilities:
(1) Implementation plan.--
(A) In general.--The Director shall implement the
strategic plan required by section 4(e)(1) by
developing and implementing a multi-year implementation
plan.
(B) Elements.--In developing and implementing the
implementation plan under subparagraph (A), the
Director shall focus on the following:
(i) Developing and sustaining robust
relationships with climate, public health, and
other Federal and non-Federal partners and
decisionmakers--
(I) to respond to the demand for
actionable information that reduces
health risks on multiple timescales;
and
(II) to develop and deliver timely
and accessible decision support
services, tools, and information to
inform planning, preparedness, and
risk-reducing actions across
timescales.
(ii) Coordinating and collaborating with
the international community and global partners
to conduct research and learn from, leverage,
and contribute to global knowledge.
(iii) Enhancing observations, surveillance,
and monitoring necessary for the activities
described in clauses (i) and (ii).
(iv) Communicating, educating, and building
awareness and capacity to address heat risk
across communities, sectors, and timescales.
(v) Implementing and executing the grant
program under paragraph (2) and the financial
assistance program under section (7).
(vi) Conducting the study required by
section 6(a)(1).
(2) Grant program.--The Director shall develop and
implement a climate and health research grant program, in
coordination with the financial assistance program under
section 7 and other Federal programs--
(A) to improve understanding of--
(i) the climate epidemiology and social
drivers of heat-health vulnerability and risk;
(ii) the drivers of climate variability,
predictability, and changes in extreme heat;
and
(iii) the impacts of extreme heat and
compound hazards across timescales;
(B) to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness
of risk management actions, interventions, policies,
standards, codes, and guidelines; and
(C) to address other topics as appropriate,
including topics outlined in the strategic plan
required by section 4(e)(1) and relevant to the study
required by section 6(a)(1) and the financial
assistance program under section 7.
(3) Additional activities.--The Director shall carry out
such other activities as the Committee considers appropriate.
SEC. 6. STUDY ON EXTREME HEAT INFORMATION AND RESPONSE.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System Program shall, in
consultation with the entities described in section 4(g),
complete a study on extreme heat information and response.
(2) Oversight.--The National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Interagency Committee shall oversee the
study required by paragraph (1).
(3) Elements.--The study required by paragraph (1) shall--
(A) identify policy and research gaps, which may
include--
(i) regions of the United States with the
largest gaps between awareness, preparedness,
and capacity to address extreme heat; and
(ii) heat-related gaps in data, such as--
(I) the number of schools, prisons,
and other public facilities that lack
air conditioning; and
(II) the demographic breakdown of
people affected by heat events,
including by race, age, gender,
occupation, and income; and
(B) provide recommendations for addressing gaps
with respect to policy, research, operations,
communications, and data, including the gaps identified
under subparagraph (A), affecting heat-health planning,
preparedness, response, resilience, adaptation, and
environmental justice and equity;
(C) provide such other recommendations as the
Director considers appropriate, which may include
strategies for--
(i) communicating warnings to and promoting
resilience of populations vulnerable to extreme
heat;
(ii) effectively distributing extreme heat
warnings, including to individuals with limited
English proficiency and individuals who are
socially isolated or have other established
barriers to such information;
(iii) designing warnings described in
clause (ii) to convey the urgency and severity
of heat events and achieve behavior changes
that reduce the mortality and morbidity of
extreme heat effects, without creating warning
fatigue or confusion with other types of
weather disaster warnings;
(iv) understanding compound and cascading
risks, and implementing alternative heat-health
risk reduction interventions to manage those
risks collectively, such as reducing risk of
the transmission of infectious diseases during
heat waves by creating outdoor cooling
locations or increasing ventilation and
filtration in indoor cooling centers;
(v) promoting community resilience to heat
events and incorporating principles of
environmental justice in community response to
heat waves;
(vi) addressing the impacts of extreme heat
on energy cost and availability; and
(vii) establishing labor and other
standards for workers and heat;
(D) consider such other subjects as the Committee
considers appropriate, which may include--
(i) the feasibility of enhancing existing
nationwide data collection on heat-related
illnesses and mortalities to improve and ensure
consistent collection of national-level heat
illness data across all 50 States, territories,
and local jurisdictions of the United States;
(ii) mechanisms for financing heat
preparedness; and
(iii) the effectiveness of county- or
local-level heat awareness and communication
tools, preparedness plans, or mitigation.
(4) Development of definitions.--In conducting the study
required by paragraph (1), the Director shall work with heat
and health experts to identify consistent and agreed upon
definitions for heat events, heat waves, and other relevant
terms.
(b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after completing the study
required by subsection (a)(1), the Committee shall--
(1) make available to the public on an internet website of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration a report on
the findings and conclusions of the study; and
(2) submit the report to--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
of the House of Representatives;
(D) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives; and
(E) the Committee on Education and Labor of the
House of Representatives.
SEC. 7. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RESILIENCE IN ADDRESSING EXTREME HEAT
AND HEALTH RISKS.
(a) In General.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System Program may, in
coordination with the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Interagency Committee, establish and
administer a community heat resilience program to provide
financial assistance to eligible entities to carry out projects
described in subsection (e) to ameliorate human health impacts
of extreme heat events.
(2) Revision.--Upon completion of the strategic plan
required by section 4(e)(1), the Committee may revise the
community heat resilience program to ensure the program aligns
with the strategic plan and is administered in accordance with
the plan.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the financial assistance provided
under this section is to improve community resilience to heat and heat-
health impacts and further scientific research to address adaptation
gaps and priorities.
(c) Forms of Assistance.--Financial assistance provided under this
section may be in the form of contracts, grants, or cooperative
agreements.
(d) Eligible Entities.--Entities eligible to receive financial
assistance under this section to carry out projects described in
subsection (e) include--
(1) nonprofit entities;
(2) States;
(3) Tribes;
(4) local governments; and
(5) such other entities as the Director determines to be
eligible.
(e) Eligible Projects.--Projects described in this subsection
include the following:
(1) Projects for cool roofs, cool pavements, urban forestry
or tree plantings and maintenance, the provision of shade,
cooling centers, retrofitting buildings for cooling, and
acquisitions or upgrades of filtration systems or high-
efficiency air conditioning systems.
(2) Training programs to support the development and
integration of education and training programs for identifying
and addressing risks associated with climate change for
vulnerable individuals.
(3) Projects--
(A) to expand public awareness of heat risks;
(B) to communicate risks and warnings to isolated
communities;
(C) to educate such communities about how to
respond to extreme heat events; and
(D) to further scientific research regarding
extreme heat events.
(4) Other projects that the Director determines will
achieve a significant reduction in heat exposure or increased
resilience to extreme heat events.
(f) Priorities.--In selecting eligible entities to receive
financial assistance under this section, the Director shall prioritize
entities that will carry out projects that provide benefits for
historically disadvantaged communities and communities with significant
heat disparities associated with race or income.
(g) Distribution of Assistance.--
(1) Environmental justice and low-income communities.--Not
less than 40 percent of the amount of financial assistance
provided under this section in any fiscal year shall be
provided to eligible entities to implement projects described
in subsection (e) in environmental justice communities or low-
income communities.
(2) Equitable distribution.--The Director shall seek to
equitably distribute financial assistance provided under this
section based on geographic location or such other factors as
the Director determines appropriate.
(h) Matching Requirement.--
(1) In general.--An entity that receives financial
assistance to carry out a project under this section shall
contribute, from non-Federal sources, funds for the project in
such amount as the Director determines appropriate.
(2) Waiver.--The Director may waive the requirement under
paragraph (1) for an entity if the Director determines that the
entity does not have adequate resources to meet the
requirement.
(i) Reports.--The Committee shall require the Director to submit to
the Committee, on an annual basis, a report on actions, outcomes,
research needs, and data gaps under this section.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) National Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency
Committee; National Integrated Heat Health Information System Program;
Study on Extreme Heat Information and Response.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to carry out sections 4, 5, and 6, including for any
administrative costs for the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Interagency Committee and the National Integrated
Heat Health Information System Program, the following:
(1) For fiscal year 2022, $20,000,000.
(2) For fiscal year 2023, $20,000,000.
(3) For fiscal year 2024, $20,000,000.
(4) For fiscal year 2025, $20,000,000.
(5) For fiscal year 2026, $20,000,000.
(b) Financial Assistance for Resilience in Addressing Extreme Heat
and Health Risks.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out section 7
the following:
(1) For fiscal year 2022, $10,000,000.
(2) For fiscal year 2023, $10,000,000.
(3) For fiscal year 2024, $20,000,000.
(4) For fiscal year 2025, $30,000,000.
(5) For fiscal year 2026, $30,000,000.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Ms. Bonamici asked unanimous consent that she may hereafter be considered to be the first sponsor of H.R. 5296, as bill originally introduced by Representative Crist of Florida, for the purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting re-printings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.
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