Underwood Introduces the Climate and Health Protection Act

WASHINGTON— Today, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) introduced the Climate and Health Protection Act (H.R. 3819) to reinstate the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Climate and Health Program. Until last year, the CDC's Climate and Health Program was the agency's only office dedicated to helping state and local governments prepare for the public health consequences of climate change. Unfortunately, the Administration has weakened the program by moving it into another office and eliminating funding for the program in the President's budget requests for the past three years. Underwood's legislation would reestablish the Climate and Health Program and provide additional funding to strengthen the program and help local communities address and mitigate the harmful public health effects of climate change. Congresswoman Donna Shalala (FL-27) is also a cosponsor of this legislation.

"Despite the Administration's efforts to undermine the impacts of climate change, we cannot ignore the serious environmental, economic, and public health risks that pose a grave threat to all of us. We have already begun to see the devastating impacts of climate change as farmers navigate increasingly difficult planting conditions and as heavy rainfall has caused record level flooding across the Midwest," said Underwood. "It is essential that Congress works to support and protect programs like the Climate and Health Program to continue to address emerging health threats brought on by climate change."

H.R. 3819 would:

• Amend the Public Health Service Act to explicitly authorize the Climate and Health Program.
• Codify the Program's core functions: translate climate change science to inform States, local health departments, and communities; to create decision support tools to build capacity to prepare for climate change; and to serve as a credible leader in planning for public health impacts of climate change.
• Authorize $15 million in annual appropriations.
• Prohibit the transfer of funds or reprogramming.

In Congress, Underwood has continued to work to increases access to climate change data. In June, Underwood introduced an amendment to the FY 2020 Agriculture appropriations bill that would prevent federal agencies like USDA from removing existing public information about climate change. Underwood's amendment was included in the House appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2020.

The Climate and Health Protection Act is supported by the League of Conservation Voters, the Environmental Defense Action Fund, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

"Almost daily we are seeing climate change-fueled catastrophes across the country, and they are harming low-income communities and communities of color first and worst. And climate change poses grave threats to public health beyond the flooding, storms, and wildfires, too: increased number of bad air days, heat stress and stroke, worsening allergies, ubiquitous Lyme disease, and new vector-borne diseases, among others. LCV applauds Rep. Underwood for introducing this bill to reestablish the Climate and Health Program at CDC so that states and communities have support in protecting the health of their residents from this growing threat," said Matthew H. Davis, MPH, Legislative Director, League of Conservation Voters

"As we continue to experience the health impacts associated with climate change, our communities need to find ways to be resilient in the face of these persistent dangers. The Climate and Health Program within the CDC was an important tool to help communities find options to address the health risks posed by unchecked greenhouse gas emissions; we need to recreate that important effort to help our kids and our communities. While it is imperative that we begin searching for long term solutions for the climate crisis, additional resources to meet today's needs are absolutely critical. We greatly appreciate Representative Underwood's efforts to support the communities feeling the sting of climate change most directly," said Elizabeth Gore, EDF Action Senior Vice President, Political Affairs.

"The money this amendment provides will be money well spent. The CDC has been doing critical work to protect public health in the face of climate change, and Congress should make sure it has the resources it needs to continue that work," said Adrienne Hollis, Lead Climate Justice Analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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