Bill · S. 2571· Senate(119-S-2571)
Farmworker Smoke and Excessive Heat Protection Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 7/31/2025
- Last activity
- 7/31/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Jeff Merkley
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Farmworker Smoke and Excessive Heat Protection Act of 2025 aims to establish occupational safety and health standards to protect farmworkers from wildfire smoke and excessive heat. It requires agricultural operation employers to provide specific protective equipment, such as N95 or N100 respirators and cooling facilities with water. Employers must also provide training and education materials regarding the use of equipment and health risks. Additionally, the bill mandates rest breaks in shaded or low-smoke areas when dangerous conditions occur. The Secretary of Labor is tasked with promulgating a formal standard within 90 days of the Act's enactment.
Yes· 3 of 12
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+3
Low-income farmworkers receive essential health protections and equipment at no personal cost.
Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this?+3
The bill includes provisions for training materials in languages understood by diverse farmworker populations.
Would union members be better off under this?+3
The bill strengthens labor standards and employer accountability for worker health.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-3
Agricultural business owners must bear the cost of providing respirators, water, and rest facilities.
Does this make it easier to run a small business?-2
The bill imposes new compliance costs on agricultural operation employers for equipment and rest breaks.
Does this make it easier to use public money at a school other than the local one?-1
The bill focuses on workplace education rather than academic schooling.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Protection from hazardous air quality: Employers must provide appropriate equipment, including N95 or N100 respirators, to protect workers when air quality reaches dangerous levels (Section 3(b)(2)(A-B)).
-
Protection from extreme heat: The bill requires employers to provide equipment such as water and cooling facilities when heat reaches levels determined to be dangerous to health (Section 3(b)(2)(D-E)).
-
Mandatory rest breaks: To mitigate danger, the bill requires employers to provide mandatory rest breaks of at least 10 minutes every 2 hours in shaded areas when air quality or heat reaches dangerous levels (Section 3(b)(2)(H)).
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Access to essential information: Employers must provide training and education materials in a language understood by the workers, covering equipment use and health impacts (Section 3(b)(2)(G)(i)).
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Worker empowerment: The standard requires providing farmworkers with an opportunity to ask questions and receive responses regarding their training and education materials (Section 3(b)(2)(G)(ii)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts for people are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Hispanic Americans+3Good For Low Income Households+3Good For Union Workers+3Good For Middle Aged+2Good For Rural Residents+2Good For Young Adults+2Good For Women+1Good For Business Owners-3
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access+3
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+2
- Education And Technology
- Improves School Choice-1
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+1
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+1
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Union Protections+2Improves Small Business Support-2
- 7/31/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont