HB2339 would place within the Environmental Protection Agency a new Office of Children’s Health Protection, led by a Director who reports to the Agency Administrator. The bill also creates a permanent advisory committee to guide the Office and spells out duties focused on identifying child-specific environmental risks, coordinating research and programs, and advising other federal agencies.
It authorizes startup and ongoing funding to support the Office and related activities through 2030. The design aims to elevate attention to pediatric environmental health and provide structured, cross-cutting action across EPA programs and policy areas.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill requires EPA to maintain an Office of Children’s Health Protection, headed by a Director who will coordinate across EPA programs and focus on risks to infants, children, and adolescents. It also creates a standing advisory committee and assigns duties to identify, assess, and mitigate child-specific environmental and safety risks.
Who It Affects
Directly affects EPA operations, pediatric health policy considerations, schools and health care providers serving children, and communities with high environmental exposures.
Why It Matters
Signifies a targeted, agency-wide approach to pediatric environmental health that could shape rulemaking, enforcement, and public-health communications with a focus on environmental justice.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill centralizes child-focused environmental health work within the EPA by creating the Office of Children’s Health Protection. The Office will be led by a Director who reports to the EPA Administrator and who must consider the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee in appointments.
The Director is also designated as Co-Chair of the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children under Executive Order 13045, placing this work at a high level within federal health and safety efforts. The Office’s duties include identifying environmental health risks that disproportionately affect infants and children, coordinating federal research and programs to address those risks, advising the EPA and other agencies on related matters, and carrying out national activities to reduce environmental health risks to youth.
The bill requires the Administrator to transition the Agency’s current Office for this purpose, and authorizes specific appropriations to fund the Office and related activities. Finally, the bill establishes a Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee to provide ongoing guidance and to ensure the Office remains aligned with child health priorities in policy development and communication.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill moves the Office of Children’s Health Protection into the EPA, headed by a Director.
The Director is appointed by the EPA Administrator and reports to them, with input from an advisory committee.
The Director will co-chair the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children per EO 13045.
The Office must identify and address environmental health risks disproportionately affecting children and coordinate related research and programs.
The bill authorizes funding: $7.842 million for FY2026 onward for the Office and $13.2 million for FY2026–2030 for the Act’s implementation.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Short title
This act may be cited as the Children’s Health Protection Act of 2025, establishing the legislative framework and official name for the programmatic changes described in the bill.
Office of Children’s Health Protection within the EPA
The Administrator must maintain within the EPA the Office of Children’s Health Protection, headed by a Director who reports to the Administrator. The Director’s appointment must consider recommendations from the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee. The Director will also serve as Co-Chair of the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children established by EO 13045. The duties require identifying and assessing risks to infants and children, coordinating federal research and programs, advising other agencies on related matters, and carrying out national activities to reduce environmental health risks to youth.
Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee
The Administrator shall maintain an advisory committee to provide recommendations on EPA programs related to child health, advise on regulations and research, and support implementation of EO 13045. The committee will be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, but is intended to be a permanent body. Transition provisions direct the President to adjust the committee to become the statutory advisory entity required by this section.
Definitions
Key terms include the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, Executive Order 13045, and Local Educational Agency, with the Office defined as the Office of Children’s Health Protection under Section 2. The definitions connect school-related health programs and child-focused environmental policy to the Act’s framework.
Authorization of Appropriations
The Act authorizes funding to implement its provisions: $7.842 million for fiscal year 2026 and each subsequent year to support the Office, with $13.2 million authorized for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030 to support implementation of the Act’s broader requirements.
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Explore Environment in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Infants, children, and adolescents who would be directly protected through better identification and management of environmental health risks.
- Pediatric health care providers and pediatric health systems that gain access to targeted guidance and resources for environmental health risks.
- Local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools that receive resources to establish or improve school environmental health programs and health-related activities.
- Researchers and grant recipients whose work is coordinated and prioritized under a unified Office program, potentially improving efficiency and impact.
- Communities disproportionately affected by environmental health risks, including those with environmental justice concerns, gaining focused attention and tailored interventions.
Who Bears the Cost
- EPA’s operating budget and personnel to establish and run the new Office.
- Local educational agencies implementing new school environmental health resources and guidelines.
- Universities and nonprofit grantees coordinating with federal research and grant programs under the new Office structure.
- State and local environmental health agencies aligning programs with the Office’s priorities and guidance.
- Taxpayers funding federal programs and the associated administrative costs.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is whether concentrating child-focused environmental health work within a new Office at EPA yields meaningful, timely protections without creating redundancy or siloed responsibilities that dilute impact.
The bill creates a dedicated cross-agency focus on children’s environmental health, which could improve targeted protections but also adds new administrative layers and budgetary demands for EPA and partner organizations. Effective execution will depend on how the Director’s duties interact with existing EPA programs and how the advisory committee’s guidance is integrated into policy and rulemaking.
The transition provisions presume a smooth reorganization within the EPA structure; in practice, inter-office coordination and resource allocation will determine whether the Office can meet its ambitious scope.
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