This bill authorizes the President to declare a "smoke emergency" in states experiencing significant air quality degradation from wildland fire smoke, allowing the federal government to provide direct assistance to affected communities. Once the President declares such an emergency at a governor's request, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies can distribute grants, equipment, supplies, and personnel to help establish smoke shelters, distribute air purifiers, and set up additional air monitoring sites. The Small Business Administration would also be authorized to provide grants to small businesses that suffer substantial revenue losses due to wildfire smoke in declared emergency areas. The bill includes an open-ended authorization for whatever funding Congress deems necessary to carry out these programs and contains technical budget provisions allowing smoke emergency appropriations to be exempted from certain federal spending caps. This legislation essentially creates a new emergency management tool specifically designed to address the public health and economic impacts of wildfire smoke across multiple states.
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