H.Res. 568 — Recognizing that climate change poses a growing threat to public health and necessitates coordinated action to mitigate its impacts and safeguard the health and well-being of all people in the United States.

This section expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Department of Health and Human Services should use all practicable means to increase the health sector’s climate readiness and response, including the ability to withstand extreme weather events, the resilience of health infrastructure and supply chains, and reductions in the sector’s environmental impact; that funding for energy efficiency retrofits, clean vehicles, onsite renewable energy and storage, and climate resilience planning by health care and community-based organizations should be distributed without delay with particular attention to historically underserved communities; that HHS should prioritize technical assistance, capacity building, and equitable funding access for Tribal health systems, rural hospitals and clinics, and historically underresourced providers; that Federal agencies should close information gaps and synthesize data on the health impacts of climate change to develop evidence-based education and communication tools; that HHS should fully reinstate the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity and the Office of Environmental Justice with necessary staffing and resources; that critical agencies and functions within the Administration for Children and Families, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Indian Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (including the National Center for Environmental Health, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), and National Institutes of Health (including the Climate Change and Health Initiative) should be fully funded, reinstated, and supported; that investments in climate resilience and health infrastructure should support workforce training and job quality standards, emergency preparedness and environmental response for workers from underserved communities, and community-led mental wellness and mutual aid initiatives; that relevant Federal agencies should ensure meaningful engagement of community-based organizations, Tribal governments, and environmental justice groups in climate-health decision-making and provide them resources to lead local resilience efforts; that the Department of Labor, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, should promulgate a worker heat protection standard establishing the maximum protective measures feasible to prevent heat-related illness and injury; and that HHS and other relevant agencies should provide annual progress reports to Congress and the public on climate resilience investments, measurable health outcomes, and equitable resource distribution.