HouseH.R. 9285119th Congress
Heat Emergency Assessment and Tracking using AI Act
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9285 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9285
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a
Heat Illness AI Surveillance and Response Program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 11, 2026
Mr. Lawler (for himself and Mr. Stanton) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a
Heat Illness AI Surveillance and Response Program, 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 ``Heat Emergency Assessment and
Tracking using AI Act'' or the ``HEAT AI Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) heat-related deaths and illnesses are significantly
under reported due to--
(A) the limitations of coding under the
International Classification of Diseases; and
(B) inconsistent documentation by medical
practitioners; and
(2) artificial intelligence, including large language
models, can analyze unstructured clinical data and local
weather information to identify likely heat-related cases
missed by current systems.
SEC. 3. STUDY ON HEAT-RELATED ILLNESS.
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary shall conduct a study on the incidence of heat-related
illness and death in the United States, including coordinating with
State departments of health and vital statistics to determine how many
deaths in the United States may be attributable to heat-related illness
as a primary, secondary, or tertiary cause of death.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a program under
which the Secretary will make grants to not fewer than 3, and not more
than 5, eligible entities. Such program shall be known as the ``Heat
Illness AI Surveillance and Response Program''.
(b) Applications.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
the program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary
an application in such form and manner, and containing such
information, as the Secretary may require.
(2) Contents.--An application of an eligible entity
referred to in paragraph (1) shall contain, at a minimum--
(A) an implementation plan developed by the
eligible entity to carry out activities specified in
subsection (c);
(B) an identification of the partners the eligible
entity will work with to develop or use an AI tool
described in subsection (c);
(C) if such AI tool has been previously developed,
an identification of the AI tool; and
(D) a description of the steps the applicant will
take to ensure that use of an AI tool described in
subsection (c) by the applicant is in compliance with
applicable Federal and State privacy laws.
(c) Use of Grants.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under
the program shall use the amounts of the grant--
(1) to develop and test AI tools that--
(A) are capable of analyzing medical records, death
certificates, and coroner reports for indications of
heat-related illness (including if heat-related illness
was a primary, secondary, or tertiary cause of death);
and
(B) integrate localized weather data and
occupational information to improve accuracy;
(2) to implement such AI tools for the purpose of
conducting surveillance of heat-related deaths and illnesses;
(3) to develop heat response protocols to reduce and
prevent heat-related illness and death;
(4) to conduct clinician training on the identification,
diagnosis, and management of heat-related illness; and
(5) to conduct community outreach to increase awareness of
heat-related illness symptoms, risk factors, and available
prevention and treatment resources to develop heat response
protocols.
(d) Selection of Grant Recipients.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants to
eligible entities under the program on a competitive basis.
(2) Criteria.--In awarding such grants, the Secretary
select eligible entities that represent diverse climates and
populations and shall include--
(A) at least one urban community; and
(B) at least one rural community.
(e) Consultation.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall
consult with--
(1) medicolegal death investigation professionals of the
Department of Justice;
(2) regional, State, and local departments of health; and
(3) relevant stakeholders, including utility companies.
(f) Privacy and Ethics.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary
shall--
(1) establish requirements to ensure compliance with
regulations promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act of 1996 (commonly known as ``HIPAA'';
Public Law 104-191) and other applicable Federal privacy laws
and regulations; and
(2) establish an AI advisory board to ensure transparency,
community input, fairness, accuracy, and equitable performance
of AI models across demographic and geographic populations.
(g) Reports to Congress.--
(1) Progress reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the
date of submission of the final report under paragraph (2), the
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report containing a
description of--
(A) the progress made by the Secretary in
establishing and implementing the program;
(B) the accuracy of data collected under the
program relating to heat-related deaths and illnesses;
and
(C) public health outcomes, including trends in
heat-related morbidity and mortality and the
effectiveness of AI-enables surveillance and response
interventions.
(2) Final report.--Not later than September 30, 2031, the
Secretary shall submit to Congress a final report containing--
(A) an evaluation of the overall effectiveness of
the program; and
(B) a description of the costs and benefits of
individual activities carried out under the program.
(h) Issuance of National Guidelines.--Not later than 2 years after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention shall issue national guidelines to
standardize documentation and reporting of heat-related illnesses and
deaths, including improved use of external cause codes used under the
International Classification of Diseases. Such guidelines may be issued
at such time as determined appropriate by the Director, regardless of
the date upon which the program under this Act concludes.
(i) Recommendations.--Not later than September 30, 2031, the
Secretary shall--
(1) issue recommendations based on the results of the
program; and
(2) using such recommendations, advise Federal department
and agencies on broadly deploying AI technologies for the
purpose of tracking heat-related deaths nationwide, including
best practices for the design, acquisition, development,
modernization, use, operation, sharing, risk management,
auditing, and performance of such technologies for such
purpose.
(j) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) AI.--The term ``AI'' refers to artificial intelligence.
(2) AI tool.--The term ``AI tool'' means a software
application that uses AI.
(3) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial
intelligence'' has the meaning given such term in section 5002
of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020
(15 U.S.C. 9401).
(4) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a
public or private entity (including a hospital system, academic
medical center, State or local health department, or qualified
research institution) that has demonstrated capacity to carry
out activities under the program, as determined by the
Secretary.
(5) Program.--The term ``program'' means the Heat Illness
AI Surveillance and Response Program referred to in subsection
(a).
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of
the National Institutes of Health and the Director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2027 through 2031.
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