Sponsors (31)
Official title: To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish an excess urban heat mitigation grant program, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 4, 2025 by Yassamin Ansari · Last progress June 4, 2025
The bill directs new federal grants and technical support to reduce urban heat and prioritize low-income/high-heat neighborhoods—improving health, equity, and local resilience—while imposing taxpayer costs, administrative conditions, and some flexibility and displacement risks that communities will need to manage.
Residents of low-income and high-heat urban neighborhoods (including seniors and children) would face lower heat exposure and fewer heat-related illnesses because the bill funds tree canopy, cooling infrastructure, and other heat-reduction projects.
Households, businesses, local governments, and nonprofits gain lower summer energy costs and more predictable federal support (including a $30M/year program and up to 100% funding waivers for distressed applicants), enabling planning, local job creation, and reduced financial barriers to projects.
Communities would see environmental benefits—improved local air and water quality and reduced excess heat and emissions—from expanded tree canopy and cooling infrastructure, which can also reduce related healthcare visits.
Taxpayers and federal budgets would bear new costs (including a $30M/year authorization for FY2026–FY2033 and expanded eligible activities), which could require higher spending, reallocation of funds, or increased local/state costs.
Low-income renters and homeowners may face higher maintenance demands, increased water use for irrigation, and risk of displacement (gentrification) if greening and neighborhood improvements raise property values without anti-displacement safeguards.
Administrative rules and eligibility limits (e.g., restricting direct grants to certain public entities and 501(c)(3) nonprofits, plus reporting/certification/conflict-of-interest rules) could exclude community groups, strain small applicants, and raise compliance costs.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a HUD grant program ($30M/yr FY2026–FY2033) to fund urban heat-mitigation projects, prioritizing high-poverty census tracts and allowing match waivers for hardship.
Creates a new HUD grant program to fund local projects that reduce excess urban heat, prioritizing low-income and high-heat census tracts. The program funds tree planting and maintenance, cool roofs and pavements, shade structures, cooling centers, outreach, urban forestry planning and training, and related activities, with $30 million authorized per year for FY2026–FY2033. Grants will be administered by HUD in coordination with EPA, the Forest Service, and NOAA; at least 75% of annual awards must go to high-poverty census tracts. HUD may waive matching requirements for economically distressed applicants, may use a small share for technical assistance and an oversight board, and must report annually to Congress on recipients and geographic distribution.