Small Business Wildfire Smoke Recovery Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4532
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Commerce
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-14: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-08T20:20:21Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation This bill seeks to expand the definition of "disaster" in the Small Business Act to include smoke, with the goal of supporting small business recovery efforts related to such events.
Key Provisions
- The legislation amends Section 3(k)(2) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(k)(2)).
- It adds a new subparagraph (D) stating "smoke" to the existing list of disasters.
- Minor formatting adjustments are made to the prior subparagraphs to maintain proper structure in the list.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- The current definition of disaster under the Small Business Act covers certain events but does not explicitly include smoke.
- This amendment adds smoke as a qualifying factor, allowing it to be treated similarly to other listed disasters for purposes of the Act.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: The Small Business Administration may need to incorporate smoke into its disaster assistance processes and eligibility reviews.
- Citizens and small businesses: Affected small businesses could gain access to recovery support that was previously unavailable under the narrower definition.
- International relations: No direct impacts are outlined in the legislation.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Small businesses located in areas subject to smoke events.
- The Small Business Administration, which administers related programs.
- Communities and regions that experience smoke as a result of wildfires or similar occurrences.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- The bill represents a targeted statutory amendment to broaden an existing definition without introducing new regulatory frameworks.
- No constitutional issues are addressed in the text, and the change aligns with standard legislative updates to disaster-related authorities.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-14: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
- 2026-05-14: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Small Business Wildfire Smoke Recovery Act — issued 2026-05-14 — PDF (2 pages)