Introduced in Senate — S. 1743

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1743

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 13, 2025

Mr. Kelly (for himself and Mr. Gallego) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

A BILL

To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to conduct an economic impact study of the financial costs of extreme heat, and for other purposes.

Section 1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Extreme Heat Economic Study Act of 2025.

Sec. 2. Economic study on financial costs of extreme heat

(a) Study

The Under Secretary, acting through the Climate Program Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and in coordination with the member agencies of the National Integrated Heat Health Information System, shall conduct an economic impact study of the financial costs of extreme heat, including by quantifying the dollar value of loss of life and property specific to extreme heat.

(b) Elements

The study required under subsection (a) shall—

(1)

evaluate broad health impacts of extreme heat, including mortality and morbidity, in coordination with State and national public health departments, following standard methodologies for valuing health and life;

(2)

evaluate property damage or property loss from extreme heat, to the extent practicable; and

(3)

take into account—

(A)

medical assistance needed as a result of extreme heat events, including expenses related to emergency room visits, urgent care treatments, hospitalizations, and associated medications;

(B)

life and health insurance claims and analytics associated with extreme heat;

(C)

workers compensation data focused on employee heat-related claims;

(D)

existing research on labor productivity losses associated with extreme heat;

(E)

business interruption coverage claims to determine if there is an increase in the frequency of business interruption claim activity due to brown out and other heat-related outages or disruptions;

(F)

economic losses due to the impact of heat on critical infrastructure, such as transportation, energy, and water;

(G)

increases in energy costs for individuals and entities related to cooling; and

(H)

crop and livestock insurance claims and other data to determine overall impact of heat on crops and livestock, including the frequency and severity of claims.

(c) Feedback

In conducting the study required under subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall solicit feedback from—

(1)

Federal agencies, including—

(A)

the Administration for Community Living;

(B)

the Administration for Children and Families;

(C)

the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response;

(D)

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

(E)

the Department of Agriculture;

(F)

the Department of Defense;

(G)

the Department of Energy;

(H)

the Department of the Interior;

(I)

the Department of Transportation;

(J)

the Environmental Protection Agency;

(K)

the Department of Health and Human Services;

(L)

the Department of Housing and Urban Development;

(M)

the Federal Emergency Management Agency;

(N)

the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health;

(O)

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;

(P)

the National Park Service;

(Q)

the National Institutes of Health;

(R)

the Occupational Safety and Health Administration;

(S)

the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration;

(T)

the United States Agency for International Development;

(U)

the Forest Service;

(V)

the Department of Veterans Affairs; and

(W)

such other Federal Agencies as the Under Secretary determines necessary;

(2)

non-Federal Government partners; and

(3)

such other entities as the Under Secretary determines necessary.

(d) Recommendations

The study required under subsection (a) shall include recommendations for how to develop and implement a national system for tracking and making publicly available—

(1)

health care and other costs associated with the increased demand for medical assistance during extreme heat events, including expenses related to emergency room visits, urgent care treatments, hospitalizations, and associated medications;

(2)

metrics for improving accuracy of heat death reporting; and

(3)

measures of labor productivity losses due to extreme heat.

(e) Use of external organization

The Under Secretary may conduct the study required under subsection (a) through an organization outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, such as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine or another organization as determined appropriate by the Under Secretary.

(f) Use of existing databases and indices

The Under Secretary shall use existing databases and indices as relevant and available to carry out the study required under subsection (a).

(g) Report and authorization for use

Not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall—

(1)

publish on the HEAT.gov website a report containing the findings of the study required under subsection (a); and

(2)

authorize the use of those findings for public use, including through the reporting of the data, methods, and findings of the report under paragraph (1) in an open access peer-reviewed journal in accordance with the scientific integrity policies of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

(h) Under Secretary defined

In this section, the term Under Secretary means the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.

(i) Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Under Secretary $3,500,000 to carry out this section.