Sec. 7. Financial assistance for resilience in addressing extreme heat and health risks
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Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Integrated Heat Health Information System Program may, in coordination with the National Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency Committee, establish and administer a community heat resilience program to provide financial assistance to eligible entities to carry out projects described in subsection
(e)to ameliorate human health impacts of extreme heat events. Upon completion of the strategic plan required by section 4(e)(1), the Committee may revise the community heat resilience program to ensure the program aligns with the strategic plan and is administered in accordance with the plan. The purpose of the financial assistance provided under this section is to improve community resilience to heat and heat-health impacts and further scientific research to address adaptation gaps and priorities. Financial assistance provided under this section may be in the form of contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. Entities eligible to receive financial assistance under this section to carry out projects described in subsection
(e)include— nonprofit entities; States; Tribes; local governments; and such other entities as the Director determines to be eligible. Projects described in this subsection include the following: Projects for cool roofs, cool pavements, urban forestry or tree plantings and maintenance, the provision of shade, cooling centers, retrofitting buildings for cooling, and acquisitions or upgrades of filtration systems or high-efficiency air conditioning systems. Training programs to support the development and integration of education and training programs for identifying and addressing risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals. Projects— to expand public awareness of heat risks; to communicate risks and warnings to geographically, socially, and linguistically isolated communities; to educate such communities about how to respond to extreme heat events; and to further scientific research regarding extreme heat events. Other projects that the Director determines will achieve a significant reduction in heat exposure or increased resilience to extreme heat events. In selecting eligible entities to receive financial assistance under this section, the Director shall prioritize entities that will carry out projects that provide benefits for historically disadvantaged communities and communities with significant heat disparities associated with race, ethnicity, or income. Not less than 40 percent of the amount of financial assistance provided under this section in any fiscal year shall be provided to eligible entities to implement projects described in subsection
(e)in environmental justice communities or low-income communities. The Director shall seek to equitably distribute financial assistance provided under this section based on geographic location or such other factors as the Director determines appropriate. An entity that receives financial assistance to carry out a project under this section shall contribute, from non-Federal sources, funds for the project in such amount as the Director determines appropriate. The Director may waive the requirement under paragraph
(1)for an entity if the Director determines that the entity does not have adequate resources to meet the requirement. The Committee shall require the Director to submit to the Committee, on an annual basis, a report on actions, outcomes, research needs, and data gaps under this section.