Sponsors (6)
The bill expands federally supported, targeted protections (filters, masks, weatherization, and temporary shelter) to reduce smoke-related health harms for vulnerable people and improves local response capacity, but it increases federal costs, may strain local implementation capacity, and could leave some at-risk people out due to narrow eligibility rules.
Low-income individuals, people with chronic conditions, children, and other at‑risk people receive free or subsidized air filters, high-quality masks, and weatherization supplies during multi-day unhealthy smoke events, reducing indoor smoke exposure and health risks.
People whose homes are unsafe during severe smoke episodes (including low-income households, seniors, and pregnant people) can access cost-efficient transitional sheltering, lowering immediate exposure and the likelihood of smoke-related hospitalizations.
State and local public health authorities gain clearer authority and support to coordinate targeted assistance and rapidly respond to localized wildfire smoke impacts, improving the speed and effectiveness of local mitigation efforts.
Some vulnerable people may be excluded from assistance because eligibility is tied to taxable income and federal poverty definitions that do not capture all at‑risk households.
Taxpayers could face increased federal spending to purchase and distribute equipment and to fund transitional sheltering during wildfire seasons.
State and local agencies and public-health authorities may face added logistical and distribution burdens to implement the program, potentially straining limited local resources and capacity.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires FEMA to supply smoke‑prevention equipment to at‑risk people and provide transitional sheltering when equipment is insufficient after three consecutive days of "unhealthy" wildfire smoke.
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Joseph Neguse · Last progress September 18, 2025
Requires the President, through FEMA and using the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program, to provide qualified state/local entities with support to buy and distribute smoke‑inhalation prevention equipment to people at high risk from wildfire smoke when an area records at least three straight days of "unhealthy" air quality due to wildfire. If equipment alone is not sufficient to protect those people, FEMA must provide cost‑efficient temporary sheltering through the same program.