Heat Health Information System

Full Title:
Coordinated Federal Response to Extreme Heat Act of 2025

Summary#

This bill creates a new federal program to coordinate how the government handles extreme heat. It sets up the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) inside NOAA and an interagency committee to plan and coordinate federal heat-health work. The stated goal is to reduce health risks from extreme heat by improving data, forecasts, research, and federal coordination.

  • Main change: Establishes NIHHIS at NOAA and a National Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency Committee to coordinate federal heat-health activities.
  • Planning requirement: The Committee must write a 5-year strategic plan and deliver it to Congress within 2 years, then update every 5 years.
  • Data rules: System data and metadata must be made fully and openly available, and archival data kept at the National Centers for Environmental Information.
  • Membership: The Committee includes representatives from many federal agencies (e.g., NOAA offices, CDC, FEMA, EPA, DOD, HHS agencies, HUD, DOE, labor, DOI, USDA, VA, education, State, USAID) and may consult state, local, Tribal, international, research, and non-government groups.
  • Funding: Authorizes $5 million per year for NOAA for fiscal years 2025–2029 for carrying out the Committee and the System.

What it means for you#

  • Federal agencies: Many agencies must appoint experts to the Committee and work together on heat-health planning, data sharing, research, and communications. Agency heads may carry out parts of the Committee’s strategic plan that apply to them.
  • NOAA: Hosts the new System and Committee, must manage data archives, and designate at least one warning coordination meteorologist for the archives.
  • Public health and emergency managers: The Committee aims to coordinate federal communication, planning, and workforce development related to heat. This could mean more federal tools, guidance, or shared data that these professionals can use.
  • Researchers and data users: NIHHIS data and metadata are to be made fully and openly available for reuse, which could improve access to historical and forecast information about heat and heat-related impacts.
  • Tribal, state, and local governments and NGOs: The Committee must consult with these groups when carrying out its responsibilities. The bill does not require states or local governments to adopt specific policies.
  • General public / residents in hot areas: The bill authors envision better-coordinated federal forecasts, warnings, and decision-support tools that could improve preparedness for extreme heat. The bill does not specify new direct services (for example, cooling centers) or mandates for local action.

Expenses#

Estimated public cost: The bill authorizes $5 million per year to NOAA for fiscal years 2025–2029.

  • Authorized funding: $5,000,000 each year for FY2025–2029 (total authorized amount $25,000,000).
  • Scope of this funding: Intended to cover carrying out the Committee and the NIHHIS, including administrative costs.
  • Limits: Authorization does not guarantee the money is spent. Congress must appropriate funds before they are available.
  • Other costs: The bill allows other federal agencies to implement parts of the strategic plan that apply to them. The bill does not estimate any additional costs those agencies might incur.
  • No further fiscal note: No additional cost estimates or savings are provided in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

  • The bill appears intended to reduce heat-related illness and death by coordinating federal science, forecasting, public health, and preparedness actions across agencies.
  • It could improve public access to data and forecasts by making NIHHIS data openly available and by archiving data at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
  • A possible argument for the bill is that a formal interagency committee and strategic plan will reduce duplication, improve information-sharing, and lead to more consistent federal messaging and decision-support for heat events.
  • The bill may strengthen research on heat-health by directing NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research to develop science-based tools and by supporting a coordinated research program.

Opponents' View#

  • One concern is that the authorized funding level ($5 million per year) may be small relative to the scale of needs for federal coordination, research, and service delivery across many agencies.
  • The bill does not provide detailed timelines, staffing levels, or specific performance goals for delivering improved public services, which makes it unclear how quickly or effectively the Committee and System will produce usable tools.
  • It is unclear how responsibilities and costs will be allocated among the many federal agencies listed, or whether the plan will require additional appropriations for implementation by other agencies.
  • The bill sets up coordination and planning but does not require concrete actions by states, localities, or other non-federal actors, so actual on-the-ground changes may depend on separate programs or funding decisions.
  • The legislation could overlap with existing federal programs related to weather forecasting, public health surveillance, and emergency response; the bill does not clearly explain how it avoids duplication or how it will integrate with current efforts.