No official summary available for this bill.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2675 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2675
To reduce the health risks of heat by establishing the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 1, 2025
Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Heinrich, Mr.
Blumenthal, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Booker, and Mr.
Sanders) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To reduce the health risks of heat by establishing the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System 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 2025'' or the
``Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Community with environmental justice concerns.--The
term ``community with environmental justice concerns'' 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 substantially 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
atmospheric parameters associated with modulating human
thermoregulation, such as air temperature, humidity, solar
exposure, and wind speed.
(4) Heat event.--The term ``heat event'' means an
occurrence of extreme heat of 2 days or more 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) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(7) Native hawaiian organization.--The term ``Native
Hawaiian organization'' has the meaning given that term in
section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517).
(8) 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, duration, and intensity of heat waves and increased
ambient temperature.
(9) Preparedness.--The term ``preparedness'' means
activities performed across timescales (including days, weeks,
months, years, and decades) with decision support tools to
manage risk in advance of a heat event and increased ambient
temperature.
(10) Response.--The term ``response'' means activities
performed during and after a heat event to address heat-health
and other impacts and assess improvements to planning and
preparedness activities.
(11) 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 already 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) Extreme heat is 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 nations 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, due to
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 risk of exposure to
extreme heat 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 rural, 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
communities with environmental justice concerns and other
populations from extreme heat, reduce exposure to extreme heat,
and address factors that increase vulnerability.
(14) The Federal Government has developed, and should
maintain, preserve, or reinstate, various science-informed
heat-health tools for communities with environmental justice
concerns, workers, employers, and the public to understand heat
risk and resources, including the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention Heat and Health Tracker, the Office of Climate
Change and Health Equity Climate and Health Outlook, the
National Weather Service HeatRisk portal, the National
Emergency Medical Services Information System Heat-related
Emergency Management Service Activation Surveillance Dashboard,
and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Extreme
Heat website.
(15) Increased heat can have cascading and compounding
impacts across and among sectors including energy, food supply
and quality, transportation, housing, infrastructure, hospital
and healthcare delivery, and education, all of which affect
health and well-being.
(16) 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
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 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 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.
(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.
(cc) The National
Environmental Satellite, Data,
and Information Service.
(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.
(V) The Indian Health Service.
(VI) The Administration for
Children and Families.
(VII) The Administration for
Community Living.
(iii) From the Department of the Interior,
the following:
(I) The Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(II) The Bureau of Land Management.
(III) The National Park Service.
(IV) The Office of Hawaiian
Relations.
(iv) From the Environmental Protection
Agency, the following:
(I) The Office of Environmental
Justice and External Civil Rights.
(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.
(IV) The Office of International
and Tribal Affairs.
(v) The Department of Homeland Security,
including the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
(vi) The Department of Defense.
(vii) The Department of Agriculture,
including the United States Forest Service.
(viii) The Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
(ix) The Department of Transportation.
(x) The Department of Energy.
(xi) The Department of Labor, including the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
(xii) The Department of Veterans Affairs.
(xiii) The Department of Education.
(xiv) The Department of State.
(xv) The Small Business Administration.
(xvi) Such other Federal agencies as the
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere 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, urban
planning, 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 3 individuals from among such members to serve
as co-chairs of the Committee, subject to the approval
of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere.
(B) Selection.--
(i) Initial selection.--Of the co-chairs
first selected, one co-chair shall be from each
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the Department of Health and
Human Services, and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
(ii) Subsequent selection.--Subsequent co-
chairs shall be selected from among the members
of the Committee, except the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration shall have the
opportunity to maintain a co-chair position.
(C) Terms.--Each co-chair shall serve for a term of
not more than 5 years, except the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration shall have the opportunity
to maintain a co-chair position.
(D) Representation of national oceanic and
atmospheric administration.--If determined appropriate
by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere, 1 co-chair of the Committee shall be a
representative from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
(E) Responsibilities of co-chairs.--The co-chairs
of the Committee shall work with the Director of the
National Integrated Heat Health Information System--
(i) to determine the agenda of the
Committee, in consultation with other members
of the Committee;
(ii) to direct the work of the Committee;
and
(iii) to convene meetings of the Committee
not less frequently than once each fiscal
quarter.
(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 and implementation plans
required by subsection (e);
(2) coordinating across Federal agencies on heat-health
communication, engagement, research, service delivery,
financial assistance, contracting, and workforce development;
and
(3) building capacity and partnerships with Federal and
non-Federal entities.
(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 and make available on a public website a 5-year
strategic plan that outlines the goals and projects of the
Committee, including how the Committee will improve
coordination and integration of interagency Federal capacity
and capabilities to address health risks of heat, including--
(A) a strategy for improving and coordinating
existing Federal data collection and data management to
include sharing of data and statistics on heat-related
illnesses and mortalities and other impacts, such as
agricultural losses, energy and transportation system
disruptions, and labor productivity, to inform heat-
related activities;
(B) a strategy for improving and coordinating
Federal activities to understand user gaps and needs,
conduct research, foster innovative solutions, and
provide actionable information and services for extreme
heat prevention and response; and
(C) mechanisms for financing heat planning, and
preparedness, and response within such agencies as the
Committee considers appropriate.
(2) Implementation.--The head of an agency represented on
the Committee may implement the portions of the strategic plan
required by paragraph (1) that are relevant to that agency.
(3) 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 brief Congress on an
update of the plan, which shall include progress made toward
goals outlined in the plan and new priorities that emerge.
(f) Administrative Support.--The Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere shall provide technical and administrative
support to the Committee, using amounts authorized to be appropriated
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(g) Consultation.--In carrying out the responsibilities of the
Committee, the Committee shall consult with relevant--
(1) regional, State, and local governments, and Indian
Tribes;
(2) international organizations and partners;
(3) research institutions;
(4) nongovernmental organizations and associations;
(5) medical experts with expertise in emergency response;
and
(6) environmental health, economic or business development,
or community engagement organizations.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL INTEGRATED HEAT HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM.
(a) Establishment.--The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere shall establish within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration a system, to be known as the ``National Integrated Heat
Health Information System'' (NIHHIS) (in this section referred to as
the ``System'').
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the System is to reduce heat-related
impacts by--
(1) improving the delivery of data, information, forecasts,
warnings, predictions, and projections related to temperature,
extreme heat, and related impacts, especially for
disproportionately affected communities;
(2) through the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research,
developing, maintaining, and preserving science-based solutions
and tools to build capacity and improve impact-based decision
support services for heat resilience, particularly human life;
and
(3) entering into grant agreements with centers of
excellence that provide technical and other assistance to
support heat resilience.
(c) Director.--The System shall be headed by a Director.
(d) Responsibilities.--In carrying out the purpose described in
subsection (b), the Director of the System shall--
(1) develop and sustain robust relationships with Federal
and non-Federal partners and decisionmakers, representing
different geographic (including urban and rural) regions and
including--
(A) members of the emergency management field and
emergency response providers, including fire service,
law enforcement, hazardous materials response,
emergency medical services, and emergency management
personnel, or organizations representing such
individuals;
(B) health scientists, emergency and inpatient
medical providers, public health professionals, and
healthcare providers at Federally Qualified Health
Centers;
(C) experts from Federal, State, and local
governments and Indian Tribes, and the private sector,
representing standards-setting and accrediting
organizations, including representatives from the
voluntary consensus codes and standards development
community, particularly those with expertise in the
emergency preparedness and response field;
(D) state and local government and Indian Tribes
officials with expertise in preparedness, protection,
response, recovery, and mitigation, including Adjutants
General;
(E) elected State and local government and Indian
Tribe executives;
(F) representatives of individuals from communities
who have a high proportion of extreme heat survivors
and communities with environmental justice concerns;
(G) representatives of individuals with
disabilities and other populations with special needs;
(H) representatives of individuals from the
private, nonprofit, and public energy sector that help
to protect consumers from energy shutoffs and assist
with energy rebate funding; and
(I) such other individuals as the Under Secretary
of Commerce considers appropriate--
(i) to identify and respond to the demand
for actionable weather- and climate-related
information that reduces health risks on
multiple timescales;
(ii) to conduct research and scientific
innovation; and
(iii) to develop and deliver timely and
accessible decision support services,
solutions, tools, and information to inform
planning, preparedness, and risk-reducing
actions across timescales;
(2) coordinate and collaborate with the international
community and global partners to conduct research and learn
from, leverage, and contribute to global knowledge as it
pertains to predicting and preventing the impacts of increased
heat;
(3) enhance observations, surveillance, monitoring, and
analysis necessary for the activities described in paragraphs
(1) and (2); and
(4) communicate, educate, and build awareness regarding the
risks and impacts of increased heat and extreme heat events to
communities, educational and economic sectors, Indian Tribes,
and other relevant stakeholders.
(e) Data Management.--
(1) Availability of data.--The Director of the System shall
coordinate with interagency partners to ensure that data and
metadata associated with the System is fully and openly
available, within the legal right to redistribute, in
accordance with chapter 31 of title 44, United States Code
(commonly known as the ``Federal Records Act of 1950''), and
the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018
(Public Law 115-435; 132 Stat. 5529) and the amendments made by
that Act, to maximize use of such data to support the goals of
the System.
(2) Data management strategies.--In coordination with the
activities described in paragraph (1), the Director of the
System and interagency partners shall--
(A) develop data management strategies to ensure
that data and metadata are adequately stewarded,
maintained, and archived in accordance with--
(i) findable, accessible, interoperable,
and reusable (FAIR) principles;
(ii) the Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-435;
132 Stat. 5529) and the amendments made by that
Act; and
(iii) collective benefit, authority to
control, responsibility, and ethics (CARE)
principles; and
(B) preserve and curate such data and metadata, in
accordance with chapter 31 of title 44, United States
Code.
(3) National centers for environmental information.--
(A) In general.--The Under Secretary of Commerce
for Oceans and Atmosphere shall manage, maintain, and
steward archival data and metadata associated with the
System within the National Centers for Environmental
Information.
(B) Warning coordination meteorologist.--The Under
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere shall
designate at least one warning coordination
meteorologist with expertise in heat warnings, as
described in section 405 of the Weather Research and
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8545), at
the National Centers for Environmental Information.
(f) Research Program.--The Director of the System 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--
(1) to improve understanding of--
(A) the climate epidemiology and social,
behavioral, and economic drivers of heat-health
vulnerability and risk;
(B) the drivers of climate variability,
predictability, and changes in extreme heat; and
(C) the impacts of extreme heat, compound hazards,
and cascading impacts across timescales;
(2) to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of risk
management actions, interventions, policies, standards, codes,
and guidelines; and
(3) to address other topics as appropriate, including
topics outlined in the strategic plan required by section
4(e)(1) and the financial assistance program under section 7.
(g) Additional Activities.--The Director of the System shall carry
out such other activities as the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Interagency Committee established under section 5
considers appropriate.
SEC. 6. STUDY ON EXTREME HEAT INFORMATION AND RESPONSE.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere, in consultation with the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency Committee
established under section 4 (in this section referred to as the
``Committee'') and the individuals and entities described in
section 4(g), shall seek to enter into an agreement with the
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to
conduct a study on extreme heat information and response, to be
completed not later than 3 years after such date of enactment.
(2) Elements.--The study described in 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;
(II) the demographic breakdown of
people affected by heat events,
including by race, age, gender,
occupation, and income;
(III) capacity building, research,
and heat resilience resource shortages
in rural and urban communities;
(IV) medical coding in health care
facilities (such as hospitals,
emergency rooms, and health centers)
that indicate heat-related illnesses
(such as kidney failure, dehydration,
and fainting spells);
(V) with respect to public policy
at the State and community level that
enhances vulnerabilities to extreme
heat (such as outdoor working
conditions and thresholds to protect
workers, animals, and others
susceptible to heat-related illness);
and
(VI) the extent to which Federal
heat-health tools that have been
discontinued, dismantled, or otherwise
limited in public accessibility and
availability, including the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention Heat and
Health Tracker, the Office of Climate
Change and Health Equity Climate and
Health Outlook, the National Weather
Service HeatRisk portal, the National
Emergency Medical Services Information
System Heat-related Emergency
Management Service Activation
Surveillance Dashboard, and the Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program
and Extreme Heat website, have
contributed to changes in extreme heat
risk, education, and data collection;
(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 of the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System established under section 5
considers appropriate, which may include strategies
for--
(i) communicating warnings to and providing
impact-based decision support to promote
preparedness actions and resilience of
populations with limited opportunities to avoid
extreme heat, including to individuals who may
have barriers to such information;
(ii) 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;
(iii) promoting community resilience to
heat events and incorporating principles of
environmental justice in community response to
heat waves;
(iv) addressing the impacts of extreme heat
on energy cost, affordability, and reliability
for residential and commercial infrastructure
(such as weatherization, energy costs, electric
power systems, and water supply and treatment
systems); and
(v) developing protections for workers for
the effects of indoor and outdoor heat; and
(D) consider such other subjects as the Committee
considers appropriate, which may include--
(i) the feasibility of enhancing and
standardizing 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
approaches, heat action, and tools,
preparedness plans, or mitigation.
(3) Development of definitions.--Following the study
described in paragraph (1), the Committee shall work with heat
experts across disciplines to comprehensively identify impacts
of increased heat to inform 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
described in subsection (a)(1), the Committee shall--
(1) make available to the public on a Federal 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 Workforce of the
House of Representatives.
SEC. 7. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RESILIENCE IN ADDRESSING EXTREME HEAT
AND HEALTH RISKS.
(a) Community Heat Resilience Program.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System established under
section 5 (in this section referred to as the ``Director'')
may, in coordination with the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Interagency Committee established under
section 4 (in this section referred to as the ``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 prizes, 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) Indian Tribes;
(4) local governments;
(5) local workforce development boards;
(6) academic institutions; and
(7) centers of excellence designated by the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System.
(e) Eligible Projects.--Projects described in this subsection
include the following:
(1) Projects to reduce heat-health risks, including
sustainable heat reduction and mitigation solutions such as for
cool roofs, cool pavements, urban forestry or tree plantings
and maintenance, the provision of shade, cooling and resilience
centers, retrofitting buildings for cooling, improving the
resilience of the power grid to ensure reliable air
conditioning, energy efficiency, acquisitions or upgrades of
filtration systems or high-efficiency air conditioning systems,
and strategies to improve community level response before and
during a heat event.
(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 designed to improve heat risk mitigation
capacity, research, and resource access and deployment in rural
and urban communities.
(4) Projects focusing on being responsive to heat-related
needs from communities heard from engagements at different
geographic scales (national to regional to local) including--
(A) to expand public awareness of heat risks;
(B) to conduct community-based climate and health
observational campaigns;
(C) to conduct scientific research to assess and
address gaps and priorities regarding the risks of
extreme heat in communities;
(D) to communicate risks and warnings to isolated
communities;
(E) to support the establishment of workplace
policies and practices to reduce the risk of extreme
heat illness among workers;
(F) to educate such communities about how to
respond to extreme heat events; and
(G) to establish local, city, and county heat
planning and heat-related emergency action plans.
(5) Other projects that the Director determines will
achieve a significant reduction in heat risk or increased
resilience to increased heat or 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, ethnicity, or income.
(g) Distribution of Assistance.--
(1) Communities with environmental justice concerns 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 communities with
environmental justice concerns 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.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) National Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency
Committee; National Integrated Heat Health Information System.--There
is authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration to carry out sections 4 and 5, including for
any administrative costs for the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Interagency Committee and the National Integrated
Heat Health Information System, the following:
(1) For fiscal year 2026, $20,000,000.
(2) For fiscal year 2027, $20,000,000.
(3) For fiscal year 2028, $20,000,000.
(4) For fiscal year 2029, $20,000,000.
(5) For fiscal year 2030, $20,000,000.
(b) Study on Extreme Heat Information and Response.--There is
authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to contract with the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine to carry out section 6 $500,000 for each of
fiscal years 2026 through 2028.
(c) Financial Assistance for Resilience in Addressing Extreme Heat
and Health Risks.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out section 7
the following:
(1) For fiscal year 2026, $10,000,000.
(2) For fiscal year 2027, $10,000,000.
(3) For fiscal year 2028, $20,000,000.
(4) For fiscal year 2029, $30,000,000.
(5) For fiscal year 2030, $30,000,000.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
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