Title: Smoke-Ready Communities Act of 2019
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Smoke-Ready Communities Act of 2019
This bill creates wildfire smoke mitigation, smoke resilient housing, and smoke resilient business grant programs.
The bill authorizes the President to provide assistance, including grants, equipment, supplies, and personnel, to any eligible state, unit of local government, or Indian tribe for the mitigation, management, and control of smoke caused by one or more wildfires.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shall establish a program under which HUD shall provide grants to eligible entities (a state, an Indian tribe, a homeowner, an individual or family renting a dwelling unit or home, and an owner of a building with rental dwelling units or of a home that is rented to an individual or family) to increase the smoke resiliency of dwellings owned or occupied by vulnerable persons and pay for any associated increases in energy costs.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) shall establish a program under which the SBA shall provide grants to owners of small business concerns to increase the smoke resiliency of the business concern.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1813 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1813

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
   Assistance Act to provide wildfire smoke mitigation assistance to 
     States and units of local government, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 12, 2019

Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Wyden) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
   Assistance Act to provide wildfire smoke mitigation assistance to 
     States and units of local government, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Smoke-Ready Communities Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. WILDFIRE SMOKE MITIGATION ASSISTANCE.

    Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``SEC. 431. WILDFIRE SMOKE MITIGATION ASSISTANCE.

    ``(a) In General.--The President may provide assistance, including 
grants, equipment, supplies, and personnel, to any eligible State, unit 
of local government, or Indian Tribe for the mitigation, management, 
and control of smoke caused by one or more wildfires.
    ``(b) Eligibility.--A State or local government with jurisdiction 
of an area impacted by smoke caused by one or more wildfires shall be 
eligible for assistance under this section.
    ``(c) Coordination With State and Tribal Departments.--In providing 
assistance under this section, the President shall coordinate with 
State and Tribal departments of health, forestry, and emergency 
management.
    ``(d) Essential Assistance.--In providing assistance under this 
section, the President may use the authority provided under section 
403, including providing N95 filtering facepiece respirators, 
mechanical air filters, portable air filters, or upgrading central 
heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems for public 
buildings.
    ``(e) Rules and Regulations.--The President shall prescribe such 
rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out this section.''.

SEC. 3. SMOKE RESILIENT HOUSING GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definition.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a State;
                    (B) an Indian Tribe;
                    (C) a homeowner;
                    (D) an individual or family renting a dwelling unit 
                or home; and
                    (E) an owner of a building with rental dwelling 
                units or of a home that is rented to an individual or 
                family; and
            (2) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Housing 
        and Urban Development.
    (b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program under 
which the Secretary shall provide grants to eligible entities to 
increase the smoke resiliency of dwellings owned or occupied by 
vulnerable persons and pay for any associated increases in energy 
costs.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Activities carried out using grant funds may 
include--
            (1) carrying out weatherization measures to mitigate air 
        infiltration;
            (2) installing air filtration systems; and
            (3) providing assistance for related energy costs from the 
        operation of those systems.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

SEC. 4. SMOKE RESILIENT BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the Small Business Administration; and
            (2) the term ``small business concern'' has the meaning 
        given the term in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
        U.S.C. 632).
    (b) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish a program 
under which the Administrator shall provide grants to owners of small 
business concerns to increase the smoke resiliency of the business 
concern.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Activities carried out using grant funds may 
include--
            (1) acquiring protective gear for employees; and
            (2) upgrading the heating, ventilation, and air cooling 
        system of any building in which the small business concern 
        operates.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
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