Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Small Business, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
This bill authorizes the President to declare a "smoke emergency" in any state experiencing or expecting significant air quality degradation from wildland fire smoke. When such a declaration is made, the federal government through FEMA and other agencies may provide assistance to affected states and communities, including grants, air purifiers, equipment, supplies, and personnel to establish smoke shelters and monitoring sites. The Small Business Administration may also provide grants to small businesses that lose significant revenue due to wildfire smoke in declared emergency areas. The bill does not specify funding amounts, instead authorizing "such sums as may be necessary," though it does include provisions allowing smoke emergency appropriations to be designated separately in the budget without counting toward spending caps under federal deficit control rules. This legislation affects governors and state agencies that can request declarations, local communities experiencing smoke impacts, and small businesses harmed by smoke-related revenue losses.
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