July 17, 2025
Mr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Merkley, and Mr. Booker) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement a program and national strategic action plan to prepare and empower the health care sector to protect the health and well-being of our workers, our communities, and our planet in the face of the climate crisis, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act of 2025
.
Sec. 2. Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Director
The term Director means the Director of the Office.
(2) Environmental justice community
The term environmental justice community means a community with significant representation of communities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal and Indigenous communities that experiences, or is at risk of experiencing, higher or more adverse human health or environmental effects.
(3) Medically underserved community
The term medically underserved community has the meaning given such term in section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p).
(4) National strategic action plan
The term national strategic action plan means the national strategic action plan published pursuant to section 4(b)(1).
(5) Office
The term Office means the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity established by section 4(a)(1).
(6) Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Sec. 3. Relationship to other laws
Nothing in this Act limits the authority provided to or responsibility conferred on any Federal department or agency by any provision of any law (including regulations) or authorizes any violation of any provision of any law (including regulations), including any health, energy, environmental, transportation, or any other law or regulation.
Sec. 4. Office of Climate Change and Health Equity; national strategic action plan
(a) Office of Climate Change and Health Equity
(1) Establishment
(A) In general
There is established within the Department of Health and Human Services the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity.
(B) Purpose
The purpose of the Office shall be to facilitate a robust, Federal response to the impact of climate change on the health of the American people and the health care system.
(C) Director
There is established the position of Director of the Office, who shall be the head of the Office, and who shall report to the Secretary.
(2) Activities
The duties of the Office shall be to address priority health actions relating to the health impacts of climate change, including by doing each of the following, in collaboration with other Federal agencies, as the Director determines appropriate:
(A)
Contribute to assessments of how climate change is affecting the health of individuals living in the United States.
(B)
Understand the needs of the populations most disproportionately affected by climate-related health threats, including environmental justice communities and medically underserved communities.
(C)
Serve as a credible source of information on the physical, mental, and behavioral health consequences of climate change.
(D)
Track data on environmental conditions, disease risks, and disease occurrence related to climate change.
(E)
Expand capacity for modeling and forecasting health effects that may be climate-related.
(F)
Enhance the science base to better understand the relationship between climate change and health outcomes.
(G)
Communicate the health-related aspects of climate change, including risks and associated costs and ways to reduce them, to the public, decision-makers, public health professionals, and health care providers.
(H)
Align Federal efforts to deploy climate-conscious human services and direct services to support and protect populations disproportionately affected by climate change, including environmental justice communities and medically underserved communities.
(I)
Develop and distribute tools and resources to support climate resilience for the health sector, community-based organizations, and individuals.
(J)
Develop and implement preparedness and response plans for health threats, such as heat waves, severe weather events, and infectious diseases.
(K)
Lead efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas and environmental impacts of the health sector, including by developing and distributing tools and resources to support health sector efforts to track and decrease sectoral greenhouse gas emissions.
(L)
Provide leadership to State and local governments, community leaders, health care professionals, nongovernmental organizations, environmental justice networks, faith-based communities, the private sector, and the public, regarding health protection from climate change effects.
(M)
Develop partnerships with other government agencies, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and institutions of higher education, to more effectively address the health aspects of climate change.
(N)
Promote workforce development by helping to ensure the training of a new generation of competent, experienced public health and health care professionals to respond to the health threats posed by climate change.
(O)
Carry out other activities, as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(b) National strategic action plan
(1) In general
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, on the basis of the best available science, and in consultation pursuant to paragraph (2), shall publish a national strategic action plan to coordinate effective deployment of Federal efforts to ensure that public health and health care systems are prepared for and can respond to the impacts of climate change on health in the United States.
(2) Consultation
In developing or making any revision to the national strategic action plan, the Secretary shall—
(A)
consult with the Director, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director of the Indian Health Service, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, Tribal governments, and State and local government officials; and
(B)
provide meaningful opportunity for engagement, comment, and consultation with relevant public stakeholders, particularly representatives of populations disproportionately affected by climate change, including environmental justice communities, medically underserved communities, Tribal communities, health care providers, public health organizations, and scientists.
(3) National strategic action plan components
The national strategic action plan shall include an assessment of, and strategies to improve, the health sector capacity of the United States to address the impacts of climate change, including—
(A)
identifying, prioritizing, and engaging communities and populations who are disproportionately affected by, or at greatest risk for, exposures to climate hazards;
(B)
addressing mental and physical health disparities exacerbated by climate impacts to enhance community health resilience;
(C)
identifying the link between environmental injustice and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and prioritizing those who have been harmed by environmental and climate injustice;
(D)
providing outreach and communication aimed at public health and health care professionals and the public to promote preparedness and response strategies;
(E)
tracking and assessing programs across Federal agencies to advance research related to the impacts of climate change on health;
(F)
identifying and assessing existing preparedness and response strategies for the health impacts of climate change;
(G)
prioritizing critical public health and health care infrastructure projects;
(H)
providing modeling and forecasting tools of climate change health impacts, including local impacts, where feasible;
(I)
establishing academic and regional centers of excellence;
(J)
recommending models for maintaining access to health care during extreme weather;
(K)
providing technical assistance and support for preparedness and response plans for the health threats of climate change in States, municipalities, territories, and Indian Tribes;
(L)
addressing the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the health of individuals living in the United States;
(M)
tracking health care sector contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and identifying actions to reduce those emissions;
(N)
recommending new regulations or policies to address identified gaps in the health system capacity to effectively reduce emissions, reduce environmental impact, and address climate change; and
(O)
developing, improving, integrating, and maintaining disease surveillance systems and monitoring capacity to respond to health-related impacts of climate change, including on topics addressing—
(i)
water-, food-, and vector-borne infectious diseases and climate change;
(ii)
pulmonary effects, including responses to aeroallergens, infectious agents, and toxic exposures;
(iii)
cardiovascular effects, including impacts of temperature extremes;
(iv)
air pollution health effects, including heightened sensitivity to air pollution such as wildfire smoke;
(v)
reproductive health effects, including access to reproductive health care;
(vi)
harmful algal blooms;
(vii)
mental and behavioral health impacts of climate change;
(viii)
the health of migrants, refugees, displaced persons, environmental justice communities, medically underserved communities, and other communities disproportionately affected by climate change;
(ix)
the implications for communities and populations vulnerable to the health effects of climate change, as well as strategies for responding to climate change within such communities;
(x)
Tribal, local, and community-based health interventions for climate-related health impacts;
(xi)
extreme heat and weather events;
(xii)
decreased nutritional value of crops; and
(xiii)
disruptions in access to routine and acute medical care, public health programs, and other supportive services for maintaining health.
(c) Periodic assessment and revision
Not later than 1 year after the date of first publication of the national strategic action plan, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall periodically assess, and revise as necessary, the national strategic action plan, to reflect new information collected, including information on—
(1)
the status of and trends in critical environmental health indicators and related human health impacts;
(2)
the trends in and impacts of climate change on public health;
(3)
advances in the development of strategies for preparing for and responding to the impacts of climate change on public health; and
(4)
the effectiveness of the implementation of the national strategic action plan in protecting against climate change health threats.
(d) Implementation
(1) Implementation through HHS
The Secretary shall exercise the Secretary’s authority under this Act and other Federal statutes to achieve the goals and measures of the Office and the national strategic action plan.
(2) Other public health programs and initiatives
The Secretary and Federal officials of other relevant Federal agencies shall administer public health programs and initiatives authorized by laws other than this Act, subject to the requirements of such laws, in a manner designed to achieve the goals of the Office and the national strategic action plan.
(3) Health impact assessment
(A) In general
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall identify proposed and current laws, policies, and programs that are of particular interest for their impact in contributing to or alleviating health burdens and the health impacts of climate change.
(B) Assessments
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the head of each relevant Federal agency shall—
(i)
assess the impacts that the proposed and current laws, policies, and programs identified under subparagraph (A) under their jurisdiction have or may have on protection against the health threats of climate change; and
(ii)
assist State, Tribal, local, and territorial governments in conducting such assessments.
Sec. 5. Advisory board
(a) Establishment
The Secretary shall, pursuant to chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code, establish a permanent science advisory board to be composed of not less than 10 and not more than 20 members.
(b) Appointment of members
(1) In general
The Secretary shall appoint the members of the science advisory board from among individuals who—
(A)
are recommended by the President of the National Academy of Sciences or the President of the National Academy of Medicine; and
(B)
have expertise in essential public health and health care services, including with respect to diverse populations, climate change, environmental and climate justice, and other relevant disciplines.
(2) Requirement
The Secretary shall ensure that the science advisory board includes members with practical or lived experience with relevant issues described in paragraph (1)(B).
(c) Functions
The science advisory board shall—
(1)
provide scientific and technical advice and recommendations to the Secretary on the impacts of climate change on public health and populations and regions disproportionately affected by climate change, and strategies and mechanisms to prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change on public health;
(2)
advise the Secretary regarding the best science available for purposes of carrying out the activities of the Office and issuing the national strategic action plan; and
(3)
submit a report to Congress on its activities and recommendations not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act and not less frequently than every year thereafter.
(d) Support
The Secretary shall provide financial and administrative support to the board.
Sec. 6. Climate change health protection and promotion reports
(a) In general
The Secretary shall offer to enter into an agreement, including the provision of such funding as may be necessary, with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, under which such National Academies will prepare periodic reports to aid public health and health care professionals in preparing for and responding to the adverse health effects of climate change that—
(1)
review scientific developments on health impacts and health disparities of climate change;
(2)
evaluate the measurable impacts of activities undertaken at the directive of the national strategic action plan; and
(3)
recommend changes to the national strategic action plan.
(b) Submission
The agreement under subsection (a) shall require a report to be submitted to Congress and the Secretary and made publicly available not later than 1 year after the first publication of the national strategic action plan, and every 4 years thereafter.
Sec. 7. Authorization of appropriations
(a) Office of climate change and health equity
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out section 4(a) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
(b) National strategic action plan
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out section 4(b) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended.
(c) Advisory board
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out section 5 $500,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended.