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To authorize transitional sheltering assistance for individuals who live in areas with unhealthy air quality caused by wildfires, and for other purposes.
Summary
The bill authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide transitional sheltering assistance to individuals at risk from wildfire smoke in areas with unhealthy air quality for at least three consecutive days. Eligible individuals include low-income people, parents or guardians of children under 19, pregnant women, seniors 65 and older, and individuals with chronic respiratory, cardiovascular, or smoke-sensitive conditions. FEMA can provide smoke-inhalation prevention equipment such as portable air filtration units, air filters, N95 or P100 respirators, weather stripping, portable air conditioning units, ventilation equipment, and window coverings. When such equipment is insufficient to mitigate health risks, FEMA can provide cost-efficient temporary shelter assistance. States, local governments, public health authorities, and coordinated care organizations can administer the program.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO)
5 cosponsors
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Joe Neguse’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SCHRECK $31,726
- HOLLAND & HART $17,400
- ELEVATIONS CREDIT UNION $14,600
- FOUNDRY GROUP $14,200
- DISH NETWORK $13,200
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Joe Neguse → · Outside spending →
Actions (3)
- Sep 19, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. · house
- Sep 18, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. · house
- Sep 18, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 18, 2025
Mr. Neguse (for himself, Ms. Dexter, Ms. Stansbury, and Mr. Morelle) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
A BILL
To authorize transitional sheltering assistance for individuals who live in areas with unhealthy air quality caused by wildfires, 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 “Wildfire Smoke Relief Act”.
SEC. 2. TRANSITIONAL SHELTERING ASSISTANCE.
(a) Definitions.—In this Act:
(1) Individual at risk of wildfire smoke related illness.— The term “individual at risk of wildfire smoke related illness” means an individual, living in an area where the air quality index is determined to be unhealthy for not less than 3 consecutive days as a result of a wildfire, who is—
(A) a low-income individual;
(B) a parent or guardian with a child who has not attained 19 years of age;
(C) a pregnant woman;
(D) an individual who is 65 years of age or older;
(E) an individual with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular illness; or
(F) an individual with a chronic disease that is exacerbated by smoke inhalation.
(2) Low-income individual.—The term “low-income individual” means an individual from a family whose taxable income (as defined in section 63 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) for the preceding year did not exceed 200 percent of an amount equal to the poverty level, as determined by using criteria of poverty established by the Bureau of Census.
(3) Qualified entity.—The term “qualified entity” means—
(A) a State or unit of local government;
(B) a local public health authority; and
(C) a coordinated care organization.
(b) Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program.—In carrying out the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b), the President shall—
(1) provide assistance to a qualified entity to purchase and provide, to an individual at risk of wildfire smoke related illness, smoke-inhalation prevention equipment, including—
(A) a portable air filtration unit;
(B) an air filter;
(C) a face mask or respirator, such as—
(i) an N95 respirator;
(ii) a P100 respirator; or
(iii) other equipment certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to protect from airborne particle exposure;
(D) low-cost equipment to keep smoke out of a house, such as:
(i) a weather strip;
(ii) not more than 1 portable air- conditioning unit per household;
(iii) ventilation equipment;
(iv) a screening and shading device; or
(v) a window covering; or
(E) other similarly effective devices; and
(2) in any case in which smoke-inhalation prevention equipment is not sufficient to mitigate the risk of illness, provide cost-efficient transitional shelter assistance to an individual at risk of wildfire smoke related illness. <all>
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