Wildfire Smoke Emergency Declaration Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- S. 4732
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Emergency Management
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-10: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-01T22:22:35Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
This legislation authorizes the President to declare a smoke emergency in response to significant air quality declines caused by wildland fire smoke, enabling federal assistance to affected areas and businesses.
Key Provisions
- Declaration Authority: The President may declare a smoke emergency in any state experiencing or anticipating a major drop in air quality from wildfire smoke, even if the fires occur in other states.
- Request Process: A state's governor or relevant agency can request such a declaration.
- Federal Assistance: Upon declaration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies may provide grants, equipment, supplies, personnel, smoke shelters, air purifiers, and additional air monitoring sites to impacted states and communities.
- Small Business Support: The Small Business Administration (SBA) may issue grants to small businesses that suffer significant revenue losses due to smoke in declared emergency areas.
- Funding: Authorizes unlimited appropriations as needed to implement the Act.
- Budget Adjustment: Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to treat designated smoke emergency funding as an automatic adjustment to discretionary spending limits, separate from other emergency categories.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces a new category of presidential emergency declaration specifically for wildfire smoke impacts, expanding beyond traditional disaster authorities.
- Creates a dedicated budget adjustment mechanism for smoke-related assistance, preventing overlap with other emergency spending adjustments.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases responsibilities for FEMA in coordinating smoke-specific aid and for the SBA in processing new grant applications; requires coordination across federal entities.
- Citizens: Provides resources like shelters and air quality tools to communities facing health risks from smoke, potentially improving public safety during wildfire seasons.
- International Relations: No direct effects identified in the legislation.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- State governments and local communities in wildfire-prone regions.
- Small businesses experiencing revenue disruptions from smoke.
- Federal agencies including the President, FEMA, and SBA.
- Governors and state agencies requesting declarations.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Enhances executive branch flexibility in addressing environmental emergencies without requiring congressional approval for each declaration.
- Modifies federal budget rules to prioritize smoke emergency spending, which could influence future fiscal priorities during wildfire events.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR], Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA], Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-10: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 2026-06-10: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Wildfire Smoke Emergency Declaration Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-10 — PDF (4 pages)