Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3183 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3183

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to improve safety standards for 
             wildland firefighters, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 18, 2025

   Mr. Schiff (for himself, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Sheehy, and Mr. Padilla) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
           Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to improve safety standards for 
             wildland firefighters, 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 ``Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. SAFETY STANDARDS FOR WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered permissible exposure limits.--The term 
        ``covered permissible exposure limits'' means--
                    (A) the permissible smoke exposure limit 
                established by the National Institute for Occupational 
                Safety and Health; and
                    (B) the permissible occupational smoke exposure 
                limit established by the Occupational Health and Safety 
                Administration.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
            (3) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Secretary, with respect to wildland 
                firefighters under the direction of the Secretary; and
                    (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to 
                wildland firefighters under the direction of the 
                Secretary of the Interior.
            (4) Wildland firefighter.--The term ``wildland 
        firefighter'' means any person who participates in wildland 
        firefighting activities under the direction of the Secretary or 
        the Secretary of the Interior, including under a contract with 
        the Secretary or the Secretary of the Interior.
    (b) Safety Standards.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2)--
                    (A) not later than 1 year after the date of 
                enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination 
                with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, the 
                Secretary of the Interior, and other appropriate 
                Federal agencies, shall develop a strategy to make 
                commercially available appropriate respiratory personal 
                protective equipment for wildland firefighters and 
                supporting staff in settings in which smoke exposure 
                surpasses covered permissible exposure limits;
                    (B) the Secretary, in consultation with the 
                National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
                and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 
                shall determine appropriate respiratory personal 
                protective equipment for wildland firefighters and 
                supporting staff in settings in which smoke exposure 
                surpasses covered permissible exposure limits; and
                    (C) the Secretary concerned shall require each 
                wildland firefighter and supporting staff to use the 
                respiratory personal protective equipment determined 
                under subparagraph (B) in settings in which smoke 
                exposure surpasses covered permissible exposure limits.
            (2) Review.--The Secretary shall--
                    (A) in consultation with the National Institute for 
                Occupational Safety and Health and the Occupational 
                Safety and Health Administration--
                            (i) periodically review standards relating 
                        to personal protective equipment and other 
                        safety standards for wildland firefighters and 
                        supporting staff, including the respiratory 
                        personal protective equipment determined under 
                        paragraph (1)(B); and
                            (ii) develop an appropriate permissible 
                        exposure limit or occupational exposure limit 
                        for wildfire smoke for wildland firefighters 
                        and supporting staff participating in settings 
                        described in paragraph (1)(A) if the Secretary 
                        determines that the covered permissible 
                        exposure limits are not tailored to those 
                        settings; and
                    (B) incorporate into the standards described in 
                subparagraph (A)(i), by reference, the most recent 
                edition of standard NFPA 1984, entitled ``Standard on 
                Respirators for Wildland Fire-Fighting and Wildland 
                Urban Interface Operations'' (and any subsequent 
                editions), as necessary, for the safety and personal 
                protection of wildland firefighters and supporting 
                staff, subject to the limit described in subsection 
                (a)(1)(A).
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out 
this section for each fiscal year.
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