Sponsors (2)
The bill provides targeted federal supports (filters, respirators, and transitional sheltering) to protect vulnerable people from wildfire smoke, but it raises federal costs and risks gaps in coverage for some households and underserved areas due to eligibility definitions and local capacity limits.
Low-income people, children, and people with chronic health conditions can receive air filters, NIOSH respirators, and other mitigation devices when air quality is unhealthy for multiple days, reducing their risk of smoke-related illness.
State and local public health authorities (and hospitals/health systems) can get federal assistance to procure and distribute mitigation equipment, easing local fiscal burden and improving the ability to respond to wildfire smoke events.
Low-income people, seniors, and pregnant women who cannot make their homes safe can access cost-efficient transitional sheltering during prolonged unhealthy air events, providing a short-term safe option.
Underserved and rural communities — and other areas with limited state/local capacity — may face delays or unequal distribution of equipment and shelter, leaving some vulnerable people without timely help.
People with low cash resources but higher taxable income under 26 U.S.C. §63 may be excluded from assistance, causing some vulnerable households to be left without needed supports.
Expanding FEMA assistance to buy and distribute equipment and provide shelter will increase federal spending, potentially raising taxpayer costs or diverting funds from other programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance to supply smoke-protection equipment to at-risk individuals after 3+ days of 'unhealthy' AQI and provide shelter when equipment is insufficient.
Requires the federal government, when running FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance program, to provide qualified state or local entities with funding or assistance to buy and deliver smoke-protection equipment (portable air cleaners, filters, certified respirators, weather stripping, one portable AC per household, window coverings, etc.) to people at risk of wildfire-smoke illness when air quality is “unhealthy” for at least three straight days. If available equipment will not meet needs, it directs the government to provide cost-efficient transitional shelter assistance to those individuals. The law defines who counts as “at risk,” how “low-income” is measured (up to 200% of the Census poverty level using taxable income), and which entities may receive and distribute equipment (state/local governments, local public health authorities, and coordinated care organizations).
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Ronald Lee Wyden · Last progress September 18, 2025