Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act of 2024
Key claim: The Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act of 2024 would establish an interagency committee, a NOAA heat health information system, and community grant programs to address the adverse health effects of extreme heat.
Abstract
(S2645 · 118th Congress) Preventing Health Emergencies And Temperature-related Illness and Deaths Act of 2023 or the Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act of 2023 This bill establishes several programs to address the adverse health effects of extreme heat. For example, the bill establishes an interagency committee in the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy to address the health risks of extreme heat through coordinated research, strategic partnerships, and workforce development. It also requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to (1) establish a heat health information system to improve forecasts of extreme heat, and (2) contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study policy, data, and research gaps relating to extreme heat. NOAA may also, in coordination with the interagency committee, award financial assistance to nonprofits, academic institutions, and state, local, and tribal governments to support the ability of communities to mitigate the health effects of extreme heat (e.g., building modifications and educational campaigns). Latest action (2024-12-17): Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 720.
Why this matters
Extreme heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the U.S., yet federal heat-health response is currently fragmented across agencies with no dedicated forecasting or grant infrastructure. This bill would formalize an interagency coordination structure, task NOAA with building a heat health information system, and open a funding channel for local heat mitigation — establishing a policy scaffold that could shape adaptation costs and public-health outcomes as climate-driven heat waves intensify.