H.R. 4420

119th CONGRESS 1st Session

To reauthorize and amend the Healthy Streets program to enhance the resilience, accessibility, and safety of the Nation’s transportation corridors by supporting strategic investments in tree canopy, shade infrastructure, and other nature-based cooling strategies along pedestrian, bicycle, and transit routes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · July 15, 2025 · Sponsor: Ms. Strickland · Committee: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Table of contents

• H.R. 4420
  • SEC. 1. Short title
  • SEC. 2. Findings; purpose
  • SEC. 3. Reauthorization of Healthy Streets program
  • SEC. 4. Healthy Streets program

SEC. 1. Short title

• This Act may be cited as the Cool Corridors Act of 2025.

SEC. 2. Findings; purpose

• (a) Findings
  • Congress finds the following:
    • Extreme heat is a growing public health and infrastructure challenge.
    • Tree canopy and green infrastructure reduce surface and air temperatures, improve safety and usability along transportation corridors, and protect infrastructure from heat-related degradation.
    • Communities with limited infrastructure investment often lack sufficient tree cover and face increased exposure to extreme heat and limited transportation access.
    • Federal programs such as the Healthy Streets program and the Urban and Community Forestry Program have demonstrated both high demand and the effectiveness of locally driven, community-scale interventions.
    • Locally driven efforts to plant and maintain trees along key walking, biking, and transit corridors are under-resourced, despite proven benefits to heat mitigation, public safety, and community health.
• (b) Purpose
  • The purpose of this Act is to—
    • promote the deployment of cooling infrastructure along transportation corridors;
    • enhance resilience and safety of transportation systems in the face of extreme heat and improve air quality;
    • improve safety, accessibility, and usability for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users;
    • extend the useful life of infrastructure; and
    • prioritize investment in communities facing disproportionate heat and access challenges.

SEC. 3. Reauthorization of Healthy Streets program

• Section 11101(b)(2)(C) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ( note(b)(2)(C)) is amended by striking through 2026and inserting through 2030. 23 U.S.C. 101

SEC. 4. Healthy Streets program

• (a) In general
  • Section 11406 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ( note) is amended— 23 U.S.C. 101
    • in subsection (a)—
      • in paragraph (2)—
        • (i) in subparagraph (D) by striking and at the end;
        • (ii) in subparagraph (E) by striking the period and inserting a semicolon; and
        • (iii) by adding at the end the following:
          • State and local transit agencies;
          • State departments of transportation;
          • local educational agencies; and
          • tree and greenspace stewardship organizations, environmental asset management groups, or infrastructure resilience partners with experience in protecting and sustaining green infrastructure and shade assets.
        • (8) Cool corridor
          • The term means— cool corridor
            • a designated transportation route enhanced through linear greening strategies, including tree canopy, shade infrastructure, and other nature-based solutions designed to reduce surface and ambient temperatures; and
            • incorporates planning and stewardship measures to ensure the long-term functionality, protection, and climate resilience of the activities described in subparagraph (A).
        • (9) Heat mitigation strategies
          • The term means activities that result in the mitigation of heat in public spaces, including tree planting, vegetative infrastructure, cool or reflective surfaces, shade structures, and other evidence-based practices, including the maintenance and preservation of already existing green infrastructure, roadside vegetations and trees. heat mitigation strategies
      • by adding at the end the following:
    • in subsection (b)—
      • by inserting before ;
      • in paragraph (1) by striking and at the end;
      • in paragraph (2) by striking the period and inserting ; and
        • to plan, design, construction, and maintain tree canopy and green infrastructure along public transportation corridors, including alongside transportation right of ways, at bus stops, near transit hubs, and within designated public-school zones and properties;
        • to deploy smart sensors and data tools to monitor heat exposure and performance;
        • for community engagement, planning, and workforce development activities relating to heat mitigation, tree planting and maintenance; and
        • to integrate cooling infrastructure into existing or planned multimodal corridors or new and existing transportation projects; particularly school zones, and neighborhood-scale corridors where pedestrian mobility is high to create cool corridors
      • by adding at the end the following:
    • in subsection (d)(2)—
      • in subparagraph (A) by striking at the end;