[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2645 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2645

    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

                             July 27, 2023

   Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Wyden, Mr. 
 Blumenthal, Mr. Sanders, and Mrs. Feinstein) 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 2023'' or the 
``Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act of 2023''.

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 thermal 
        regulation, such as air temperature, humidity, solar exposure, 
        and wind speed.
            (4) Heat event.--The term ``heat event'' means an 
        occurrence of increased 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, duration, 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 and 
        increased ambient temperature.
            (8) 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).
            (9) 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 2.2F 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 
        vulnerable communities and populations from extreme heat, 
        reduce exposure to extreme heat, and address factors that 
        increase vulnerability.
            (14) 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.
            (15) 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 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.
                            (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) 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.
                                    (IV) The Office of International 
                                and Tribal Affairs.
                            (v) The Federal Emergency Management 
                        Agency.
                            (vi) The Department of Defense.
                            (vii) The Department of Agriculture.
                            (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 Veteran Affairs.
                            (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, 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 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 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 data management to 
                include sharing of data and statistics on heat-related 
                illnesses and mortalities and other impacts 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; and
                    (C) 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, 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) 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 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. 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 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 health risks of extreme heat across multiple 
timescales.
    (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;
                    (B) to conduct research and scientific innovation; 
                and
                    (C) 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, Tribal 
        governments, and other relevant stakeholders.
    (e) Data Management.--
            (1) Availability.--The Director 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 Federal 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) National centers for environmental information.--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.
    (f) Research 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--
            (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 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 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 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) 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); and
                                    (IV) with respect to public policy 
                                at the State and community level that 
                                enhance vulnerabilities to extreme heat 
                                (such as outdoor working conditions and 
                                thresholds to protect workers, animals, 
                                and others susceptible to heat-related 
                                illness);
                    (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 providing 
                        impact-based decision support to promote 
                        preparedness actions and resilience of 
                        populations vulnerable to extreme heat;
                            (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) establishing labor and other standards 
                        for workers and 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 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 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 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) Tribal governments;
            (4) local governments;
            (5) local workforce development boards; and
            (6) academic institutions.
    (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 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 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.
            (4) Other projects that the Director determines will 
        achieve a significant reduction in heat exposure 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 2024, $20,000,000.
            (2) For fiscal year 2025, $20,000,000.
            (3) For fiscal year 2026, $20,000,000.
            (4) For fiscal year 2027, $20,000,000.
            (5) For fiscal year 2028, $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 2024 through 2026.
    (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 2024, $10,000,000.
            (2) For fiscal year 2025, $10,000,000.
            (3) For fiscal year 2026, $20,000,000.
            (4) For fiscal year 2027, $30,000,000.
            (5) For fiscal year 2028, $30,000,000.
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