Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced three bills introduced by Padilla to reduce earthquake hazards, combat extreme heat health risks, and strengthen cybersecurity and telecommunications on U.S. oceanographic research vessels.

The legislation voted out of committee today includes his bipartisan National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Preventing Health Emergencies and Temperature-related (HEAT) Illness and Deaths Act, and his bipartisan, bicameral Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research (ANCHOR) Act. The bills will now be considered by the full Senate.

“I am thrilled to see the Senate Commerce Committee advance these essential measures to help California and the country mitigate dangerous earthquake and extreme heat hazards, while also advancing groundbreaking research through our state’s oceanographic research vessels,” said Senator Padilla. “Californians know the importance of staying prepared for the next earthquake, and reauthorizing the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program would support vital early warning tools and strengthen resilience in communities nationwide. As Americans continue to face extreme, record-breaking heat waves, authorizing dedicated funding to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths remains critical as well. I’m also glad my colleagues recognized the urgent need to upgrade crucial cybersecurity and telecommunications infrastructure as our research vessels face increasing cyberattacks.”

NEHRP Reauthorization Act

The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Reauthorization Act of 2024, co-led by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), would reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) through Fiscal Year 2028. The bill would authorize a total of $175.4 million per year from FY 2024-2028 across the four federal agencies responsible for long-term earthquake risk reduction under NEHRP: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Specifically, the NEHRP Reauthorization Act of 2024 would authorize $10.6 million for FEMA, $5.9 million for NIST, $58 million for NSF, and $100.9 million for USGS per year from FY 2024-2028. This funding would support research, development, and implementation activities related to earthquake safety and risk reduction.

Senator Padilla has long been a leader in mitigating earthquake risks. As a California State Senator, Padilla authored Senate Bill 135, signed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2013, which required the state to establish the nation’s first statewide earthquake early warning system. In 2021, he led five of his U.S. Senate colleagues in requesting details from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on future plans and funding needs for the West Coast Early Earthquake Warning system.

Full text of the bill is available here.

Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act

The Preventing Health Emergencies and Temperature-related (HEAT) Illness and Deaths Act, co-led by U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), would address the rising health risks of extreme heat. The Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act would improve and expand interagency efforts to address extreme heat exposure, provide $100 million in financial assistance for community projects to reduce exposure to extreme heat, and inform recommendations for federal action on heat-health issues.

As the climate crisis continues to escalate, extreme heat events in the United States are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting, and more severe. Just last week, the world experienced the hottest two days in recorded history. This summer, counties across California have shattered temperature records, with many residents experiencing dangerous, continuous temperatures over 110 degrees.

Senator Padilla has acted urgently to address the threats posed by extreme heat as the climate crisis becomes more severe. Padilla successfully called on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish the first-ever federal safety standard to protect workers from the severe risks of excessive heat. The proposed rule would implement key provisions from his bill, the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatalities Prevention Act. Padilla joined union members and workers from the United Farm Workers (UFW) and the Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO in Forty Acres, California last year to announce his legislation to implement an enforceable federal workplace heat standard.

Full text of the bill is available here.

ANCHOR Act

The Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research (ANCHOR) Act, co-led by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), would facilitate cybersecurity and telecommunications upgrades for oceanographic vessels in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. The ANCHOR Act would require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to plan improvements for these critical oceanographic research vessels. The fleet includes three vessels in California, which recently discovered extensive World War II-era munitions on the sea floor at the San Pedro DDT dumpsite.

These ships and their submersibles play a central role in important priorities such as exploring our ocean, studying climate change, and improving national security. First commissioned decades ago, these ships are in desperate need of new infrastructure and maintenance, especially with foreign naval cyberattacks on the rise.

Senator Padilla has consistently promoted ocean research. Earlier this year, Padilla and Representative Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24) led 22 California lawmakers in calling on the Office of Management and Budget to include robust, long-term funding for research on the harmful impacts of the dumping of DDT and its associated chemicals in the ocean waters off the coast of Southern California. Last year, Padilla and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced legislation to reduce ocean shipping emissions. Padilla also previously questioned witnesses in the Senate Budget Committee about the importance of the economic impacts to the ocean’s economy under a changing climate. In 2021, Padilla secured $7.6 million to fund ocean surveys and kelp forest restoration.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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