Sponsors (5)
Official title: Strengthen and expand the Green Ribbon Schools Program at the Department of Education by boosting the capacity of participating States to expand the number of schools, applicants, and nominees engaged around environmental, environmental literacy, and environmental health goals, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 24, 2026 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress June 24, 2026
The bill directs federal support, guidance, and modest awards to make school and public‑education facilities healthier, greener, and more educationally effective—reducing long‑term operating costs and boosting environmental literacy—while creating new federal spending and administrative overhead and posing upfront and equity challenges for underfunded districts and institutions.
Students and teachers (especially in low-income and rural communities) gain healthier, more educationally adequate, and sustainable school facilities through federally supported facility improvements and best-practice guidance.
State education agencies, underresourced schools, and LEAs receive targeted grants and technical assistance to improve facility planning, construction, and maintenance, increasing access to green practices and project capacity.
Schools and institutions can reduce long‑term operating costs through energy- and water-efficiency and resilience measures promoted by the programs.
Taxpayers face additional and potentially open‑ended federal costs because the bill authorizes new spending (including “such sums as may be necessary” for FY2028–FY2032) and funds program administration and honoraria.
Schools and districts may incur significant upfront capital and compliance costs to meet ambitious goals (e.g., 100% environmental literacy, net‑zero targets) that grants may not fully cover.
Smaller, rural, or resource‑limited school districts and nonprofit institutions may be unable to compete for grants or awards and struggle to meet program criteria, risking unequal access to benefits and reinforcing existing disparities.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Establishes and funds federal Green Ribbon recognition programs and an ED office to expand environmental literacy, facility sustainability, and health-focused practices for schools and nonformal learning institutions.
Creates and updates federal "Green Ribbon" recognition programs for K‑12 schools, higher education institutions, and nonformal learning institutions (museums, libraries, zoos, etc.) that meet benchmarks in environmental literacy, emissions reductions, and positive environmental health impacts. It directs the Department of Education to expand and revise its Green Ribbon Schools Program, requires IMLS to run a matching award for nonformal institutions, creates an Office of School Infrastructure and Sustainability to provide technical assistance and possible grants, and authorizes federal funding for the programs through FY2027–FY2032. Sets program criteria to align with EPA and CDC health guidance, emphasizes climate resilience and sustainability in facilities, provides awards (including $10,000 honoraria for IMLS winners), reserves a portion of appropriations for the IMLS program, and authorizes specified and indefinite appropriations to implement the law beginning immediately on enactment with program updates due within six months where specified.