Wildfire Smoke Emergency Declaration Act of 2026

Josh Harder

Democrat · CA · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Small Business, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

2026-06-10

Source: Congress.gov

The President would gain the authority to declare a smoke emergency when wildfire smoke or other smoke sources create serious public health threats, allowing the federal government to coordinate faster response and relief efforts. This would affect states, cities, and communities dealing with dangerous air quality, as well as businesses and workers in affected areas who might receive emergency support or regulatory flexibility during such declarations. The bill has been referred to multiple committees to review how it would work with transportation, small business, and budget considerations.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 9243 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 9243 To authorize the President to declare a smoke emergency, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 10, 2026 Mr. Harder of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Small Business, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To authorize the President to declare a smoke emergency, 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 Emergency Declaration Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE FOR SMOKE EMERGENCY DECLARATION. (a) In General.--The President may declare a smoke emergency in any State in which the President determines there is, or anticipates there will be, a significant decrease in air quality due to wildland fire smoke in 1 or more States. (b) Request From Governor.--The Governor, or other appropriate agency, of a State that is or will be affected by a significant decrease in air quality due to wildland fire smoke may request a declaration under subsection (a). (c) Assistance.--If the President declares a smoke emergency under subsection (a), the President, acting through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other appropriate Federal agencies, may provide smoke emergency assistance to States and local communities that are or will be affected by the smoke emergency, including grants, equipment, supplies, and personnel and resources for establishing smoke shelters, air purifiers, and additional air monitoring sites. (d) SBA Grants.--The Administrator of the Small Business Administration may provide grants to any small business concern, as defined in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632), that loses a significant amount of revenue due to wildland fire smoke in an area in which the President has declared a smoke emergency under subsection (a). (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act. SEC. 3. BUDGET ADJUSTMENT FOR SMOKE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. Section 251(b)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(H) Smoke emergency assistance.-- ``(i) If, for any fiscal year, appropriations for discretionary accounts are enacted that Congress designates as being for smoke emergency assistance in statute, the adjustment for a fiscal year shall be the total of such appropriations for the fiscal year in discretionary accounts designated as being for smoke emergency assistance. ``(ii) For purposes of this subparagraph, the term `smoke emergency assistance' means assistance provided under a determination under section 2 of the Wildfire Smoke Emergency Declaration Act of 2026. ``(iii) Appropriations considered smoke emergency assistance under this subparagraph in a fiscal year shall not be eligible for adjustments under subparagraph (A) for the fiscal year.''. <all>

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