[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2510 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 624
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2510
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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 28, 2021
Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Booker, Ms. Rosen, Mrs.
Feinstein, Ms. Sinema, and Mr. Warnock) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
December 12, 2022
Reported by Ms. Cantwell, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
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,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> 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''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> In this Act:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Extreme heat.--The term ``extreme heat'' means
heat that exceeds local climatological norms in terms of any
combination of the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) Duration.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Intensity.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) Season length.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) Frequency.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Heat event.--The term ``heat event'' means an
occurrence of extreme heat that may have heat-health
implications.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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, duration, and intensity of heat waves and increased
ambient temperature.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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 and
increased ambient temperature.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) low albedo and impervious
surfaces;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) low vegetation coverage; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) waste heat produced in urban
areas.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. FINDINGS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Congress makes the following findings:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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, D.C., researchers found that heat risk is
disproportionately distributed to communities of color in
patterns associated with segregation and redlining.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (10) The risks associated with extreme heat have
complex interactions and impacts, and the management of those
risks requires a transdisciplinary approach.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 4. NATIONAL INTEGRATED HEAT HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM
INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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'').</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Membership.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--In order to carry out and achieve
the purpose described in subsection (b), the Committee shall
include the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) The Director of the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System
Program.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Not fewer than 1 representative from
each of the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) From the Department of
Commerce, the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) From the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (aa) The National
Weather Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (bb) The Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research, including the Climate
Program Office.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) The National
Institute of Standards and
Technology.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (III) The Bureau of the
Census.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) From the Department of Health
and Human Services, the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention,
including the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and
Health.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) The Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Health and Human
Services for Preparedness and
Response.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (III) The Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services
Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (IV) The National
Institutes of Health.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) From the Department of the
Interior, the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) The Bureau of Indian
Affairs.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) The Bureau of Land
Management.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iv) From the Environmental
Protection Agency, the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) The Office of
Environmental Justice.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) The Office of Air and
Radiation, if the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency
determines appropriate.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (III) The Office of
Research and Development, if the
Administrator determines
appropriate.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (v) The Federal Emergency
Management Agency.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (vi) The Department of
Defense.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (vii) The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (viii) The Department of
Agriculture.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ix) The Department of Housing and
Urban Development.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (x) The Department of
Transportation.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (xi) The Department of
Energy.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (xii) Such other Federal agencies
as the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy considers
appropriate.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Co-chairs.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Selection.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) Subsequent selection.--
Subsequent co-chairs shall be selected from
among the members of the Committee.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) Terms.--Each co-chair shall serve for
a term of not more than 5 years.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) Responsibilities of co-chairs.--The
co-chairs of the Committee shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) determine the agenda of the
Committee, in consultation with other members
of the Committee;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) direct the work of the
Committee;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) convene meetings of the
Committee not less frequently than once each
fiscal quarter; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iv) if necessary, establish a
coordination office for the Committee within
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Responsibilities of Committee.--The Committee shall
promote an integrated, Federal Government-wide approach to reducing
health risks and impacts of heat, including by--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) developing the strategic plan required by
subsection (e);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) overseeing the study required by section
6(a)(1);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) coordinating across Federal agencies on heat-
health communication, research, service delivery, and workforce
development;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) building capacity and partnerships with
Federal and non-Federal entities; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (e) Strategic Plan.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) improve coordination and integration
of interagency Federal actions to address health risks
of heat;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) conduct the study required by section
6(a)(1); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) oversee the program for providing
financial assistance under section 7.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 5. NATIONAL INTEGRATED HEAT HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM
PROGRAM OF THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC
ADMINISTRATION.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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''.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Director.--The Program shall be headed by a
Director.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Responsibilities.--In carrying out the purpose
described in subsection (b), the Director shall carry out the following
responsibilities:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Implementation plan.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Elements.--In developing and
implementing the implementation plan under subparagraph
(A), the Director shall focus on the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) Developing and sustaining
robust relationships with climate, public
health, environmental justice, and other
Federal and non-Federal partners and
decisionmakers--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) to respond to the
demand for actionable information that
reduces health risks on multiple
timescales; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) to develop and
deliver timely and accessible decision
support services, tools, and
information to inform planning,
preparedness, and risk-reducing actions
across timescales.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) Coordinating and
collaborating with the international community
and global partners to conduct research and
learn from, leverage, and contribute to global
knowledge.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) Enhancing observations,
surveillance, and monitoring necessary for the
activities described in clauses (i) and
(ii).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iv) Communicating, educating, and
building awareness and capacity to address heat
risk across communities, sectors, and
timescales.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (v) Implementing and executing the
grant program under paragraph (2) and the
financial assistance program under section
(7).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (vi) Conducting the study required
by section 6(a)(1).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to improve understanding of--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) the climate epidemiology and
social drivers of heat-health vulnerability and
risk;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) the drivers of climate
variability, predictability, and changes in
extreme heat; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) the impacts of extreme heat
and compound hazards across
timescales;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to investigate and evaluate the
effectiveness of risk management actions,
interventions, policies, standards, codes, and
guidelines; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Additional activities.--The Director shall
carry out such other activities as the Committee considers
appropriate.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 6. STUDY ON EXTREME HEAT INFORMATION AND
RESPONSE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Study.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Oversight.--The National Integrated Heat
Health Information System Interagency Committee shall oversee
the study required by paragraph (1).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Elements.--The study required by paragraph (1)
shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) identify policy and research gaps,
which may include--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) regions of the United States
with the largest gaps between awareness,
preparedness, and capacity to address extreme
heat; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) heat-related gaps in data,
such as--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) the number of schools,
prisons, and other public facilities
that lack air conditioning;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) the demographic
breakdown of people affected by heat
events, including by race, age, gender,
occupation, and income;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) provide such other recommendations as
the Director considers appropriate, which may include
strategies for--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) communicating warnings to and
promoting resilience of populations vulnerable
to extreme heat;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (v) promoting community resilience
to heat events and incorporating principles of
environmental justice in community response to
heat waves;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (vi) addressing the impacts of
extreme heat on energy cost and availability;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (vii) establishing labor and other
standards for workers and heat; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) consider such other subjects as the
Committee considers appropriate, which may include--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) mechanisms for financing heat
preparedness; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) the effectiveness of county-
or local-level heat awareness and communication
tools, preparedness plans, or
mitigation.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after completing the
study required by subsection (a)(1), the Committee shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) submit the report to--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology of the House of Representatives;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) the Committee on Energy and Commerce
of the House of Representatives; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) the Committee on Education and Labor
of the House of Representatives.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 7. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RESILIENCE IN ADDRESSING
EXTREME HEAT AND HEALTH RISKS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Forms of Assistance.--Financial assistance provided
under this section may be in the form of contracts, grants, or
cooperative agreements.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Eligible Entities.--Entities eligible to receive
financial assistance under this section to carry out projects described
in subsection (e) include--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) nonprofit entities;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) States;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Tribes;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) local governments; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) such other entities as the Director determines
to be eligible.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (e) Eligible Projects.--Projects described in this
subsection include the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Projects--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to expand public awareness of heat
risks;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to communicate risks and warnings to
geographically, socially, and linguistically isolated
communities;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) to educate such communities about how
to respond to extreme heat events; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) to further scientific research
regarding extreme heat events.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Other projects that the Director determines
will achieve a significant reduction in heat exposure or
increased resilience to extreme heat events.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (g) Distribution of Assistance.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (h) Matching Requirement.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) For fiscal year 2022, $20,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) For fiscal year 2023, $20,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) For fiscal year 2024, $20,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) For fiscal year 2025, $20,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) For fiscal year 2026, $20,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) For fiscal year 2022, $10,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) For fiscal year 2023, $10,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) For fiscal year 2024, $20,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) For fiscal year 2025, $30,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) For fiscal year 2026, $30,000,000.</DELETED>
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) Extreme heat.--The term ``extreme heat'' means heat
that substantially exceeds local climatological norms in terms
of any combination of the following:
(A) Duration of an individual heat event.
(B) Intensity.
(C) Season length.
(D) Frequency.
(2) Heat.--The term ``heat'' means any combination of the
atmospheric parameters associated with modulating human thermal
regulation, such as air temperature, humidity, solar exposure,
and wind speed.
(3) Heat event.--The term ``heat event'' means an
occurrence of extreme heat that may have heat-health
implications.
(4) Heat-health.--The term ``heat-health'' means health
effects to humans from heat or the risk of such effects.
(5) 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.
(6) 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 and
increased ambient temperature.
(7) Tribal government.--The term ``Tribal government''
means the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska
Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community,
component band, or component reservation, individually
identified (including parenthetically) in the list published
most recently as of the date of enactment of this Act pursuant
to section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List
Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).
(8) Vulnerable populations.--The term ``vulnerable
populations'' means populations that face health, financial,
educational, or housing disparities that would render them more
susceptible to the negative impacts of extreme heat.
SEC. 3. 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 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 Climate Program
Office of the Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research.
(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 National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health of the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
(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.
(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) The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
(xiii) 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.
(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 3 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; and
(iii) 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 required by subsection
(e);
(2) coordinating across Federal agencies on heat-health
communication, research, service delivery, 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
integrated strategic plan that outlines the goals and projects
of the Committee, including how the Committee will improve
coordination and integration of interagency Federal actions to
address health risks of heat, including--
(A) a strategy for improving and coordinating
existing Federal data collection and sharing on heat-
related illnesses and mortalities to inform Federal
heat-related activities; and
(B) mechanisms for financing heat preparedness
within such agencies as the Committee considers
appropriate.
(2) Implementation plans.--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 by developing and implementing a multi-year
implementation plan.
(3) Updates.--Not later than 5 years after the submission
of the strategic plan required by paragraph (1), and every 5
years thereafter until 2042, 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.
(f) Consultation.--In carrying out the responsibilities of the
Committee, the Committee shall consult with relevant regional, State,
Tribal, and local governments, 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. 4. 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--
(1) to improve the capacity of weather, subseasonal, and
seasonal forecasts for the United States to allow the Federal
Government and stakeholders to plan, prepare for, adapt to, and
mitigate risks of extreme heat across multiple timescales; and
(2) to facilitate the work of the National Integrated Heat
Health Information System Interagency Committee.
(c) Director.--The System shall be headed by a Director.
(d) Responsibilities.--In carrying out the purpose described in
subsection (b), the Director shall--
(1) develop and sustain robust relationships with Federal
and non-Federal partners and decisionmakers--
(A) to respond to the demand for actionable
weather- and climate-related information that reduces
health risks on multiple timescales; and
(B) to develop and deliver timely and accessible
weather- and climate-related decision support services,
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 weather and climate
knowledge as it pertains to extreme heat;
(3) enhance observations and monitoring necessary for the
activities described in paragraphs (1) and (2); and
(4) communicate, educate, and build awareness regarding
extreme heat events to communities, educational and economic
sectors, Tribal governments, and other relevant stakeholders.
SEC. 5. 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
and the entities described in section 3(f), shall seek to enter
into an agreement with the National Academies of Science,
Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on extreme heat
information and response, to be completed not later than 2
years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) Elements.--The study described in paragraph (1) shall--
(A) identify the policy, research, operations,
communications, and data gaps affecting heat-health
planning, preparedness, response, resilience, and
adaptation, and impacts to vulnerable populations;
(B) provide recommendations for addressing gaps
identified under subparagraph (A);
(C) provide recommendations, in addition to the
recommendations provided under subparagraph (B), which
may include strategies for--
(i) communicating warnings to and promoting
resilience of populations vulnerable to extreme
heat;
(ii) distributing extreme heat warnings,
including to individuals with limited English
proficiency and individuals who may 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;
(iv) understanding compound and cascading
risks to inform development and implementation
of heat-health risk reduction interventions;
and
(v) promoting community resilience and
addressing specific decision support service
needs of vulnerable populations; and
(D) consider the effectiveness of country- or
local-level heat awareness and communication tools,
preparedness plans, or mitigation.
(3) Development of definitions.--In conducting the study
described in paragraph (1), the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine 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 completion of the study
described in 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. 6. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RESEARCH AND RESILIENCE IN ADDRESSING
EXTREME HEAT RISKS.
(a) Establishment of Program.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
shall 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.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the financial assistance provided
under this section is to further scientific research regarding extreme
heat and fund efforts to educate communities about extreme heat.
(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) Tribal governments;
(4) local governments; and
(5) academic institutions.
(e) Eligible Projects.--Projects described in this subsection
include projects--
(1) to expand public awareness of heat risks;
(2) to conduct heat mapping campaigns;
(3) to conduct scientific research to assess gaps and
priorities regarding the risks of extreme heat in communities;
(4) to communicate risks to isolated communities; and
(5) to educate such communities about how to respond to
extreme heat events.
(f) Priorities.--In selecting eligible entities to receive
financial assistance under this section, the Under Secretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere shall prioritize entities that will
carry out projects that provide benefits for historically disadvantaged
communities and communities found to have the greatest risk or highest
incidence of heat-related illnesses and mortalities.
SEC. 7. 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 3 and 4, including for
any administrative costs for the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Interagency Committee and the National Integrated
Heat Health Information System, $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2023 through 2027.
(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 Science,
Engineering, and Medicine to carry out section 5 $500,000 for each of
fiscal years 2023 through 2025.
(c) Financial Assistance to Address Extreme Heat.--There is
authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to carry out section 6 $1,500,000 for each of fiscal
years 2023 through 2027.
Calendar No. 624
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2510
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
December 12, 2022
Reported with an amendment