Sponsors (21)
Introduced March 25, 2025 by Jerrold Lewis Nadler · Last progress March 25, 2025
The bill directs sustained EPA attention, coordination, and funding toward reducing environmental risks to children—likely improving protections in schools, healthcare, and communities—while requiring new federal spending, creating potential regulatory compliance costs, and posing risks of overlap or uncertain funding if appropriations do not follow authorizations.
Children and their families will gain a permanently named EPA Office and advisory committee focused on identifying and reducing environmental risks to infants, children, and adolescents, improving protections and policy attention for kids' health.
Federal funding authorization and multi-year support (authorizations identified in multiple sections) provide resources and planning certainty that enable the Office and related activities to operate and sustain programs over time.
Local schools and educational agencies get clearer statutory footing and federal resources to establish or improve school environmental health programs, increasing protections for students and helping schools address environmental hazards.
Taxpayers will face increased federal spending to establish and operate the Office and committees (authorizations cited across sections, e.g., annual amounts and a $66M five-year authorization), raising federal outlays.
New or expanded EPA rulemaking, guidance, or oversight tied to the Office could impose compliance and administrative costs on businesses, small employers, schools, and local governments that manage chemicals or environmental controls.
Because key funding language is an authorization rather than an appropriation, programs may remain underfunded if Congress does not appropriate the authorized amounts, leaving promised activities uncertain.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Creates a permanent EPA Office and advisory committee to identify and reduce environmental and safety risks to infants, children, and adolescents and authorizes related funding.
Creates a permanent Office of Children’s Health Protection inside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led by a Director who reports to the EPA Administrator and coordinates federal work to identify and reduce environmental and safety risks that disproportionately affect infants, children, and adolescents. Establishes a permanent advisory committee to advise the Administrator and the Office on programs, regulations, research, guidance, and communications focused on children’s environmental health. Authorizes multi-year funding for the Office and the Act’s activities starting in fiscal year 2026, directs the EPA to transition any existing offices or advisory groups into the new structure, and sets basic duties for the Office including research coordination, community programs, pediatric provider support, rulemaking input, and school health resources.