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S4403FEDERALin_committee

High Impact

Neighborhood Tree Act of 2026

April 27, 2026

environment urban planning climate change public health infrastructure forestry

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Where This Stands

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Signed

Currently in_committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Last action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.Apr 27, 2026

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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The Frame

What this does

The bill authorizes $2 billion in federal funding over five years (2027–2031) to support urban forestry projects, specifically targeting neighborhoods with high poverty rates or extreme heat exposure.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Local community tree volunteer groups

These groups become eligible to apply for federal assistance to fund tree planting and maintenance projects.

Residents of low-income neighborhoods

These residents are the primary target for tree-planting initiatives intended to mitigate urban heat and improve local air quality.

What changed

Current stage: in_committee.

What's next

Floor Vote.

Summary

This bill proposes the creation of a federal 'Neighborhood Tree Fund' to provide grants to states, tribes, and local organizations for planting and maintaining urban trees. It prioritizes funding for low-income areas and neighborhoods with historically low tree canopy cover to help mitigate urban heat and improve public health.

Key Facts

Authorizes $100M for 2027, $200M for 2028, $400M for 2029, $600M for 2030, and $700M for 2031 for the Neighborhood Tree Fund.
Limits spending on community tree assessments to 10% of the annual appropriation.
Prioritizes funding for census tracts with poverty rates of 20% or higher.
Prioritizes funding for areas previously designated as 'hazardous' or 'definitely declining' in historical redlining maps.
Prioritizes funding for neighborhoods with low tree canopy and high summer temperatures.
Prioritizes projects involving community-led urban agroforestry or local food production.
Requires grant recipients to conduct tree canopy assessments and use climate science in project design.
Expands the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council from 15 to 16 members.
Mandates that two new council members must be residents of low-income communities or small towns (under 50,000 population).
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to consult with the Secretary of HUD on grant requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can apply for these tree-planting grants?

Eligible entities include states, Indian Tribes, local units of government, approved organizations, and local community tree volunteer groups.

How does the bill define priority areas for funding?

Priority is given to areas with poverty rates of 20% or higher, areas with historically low tree canopy, areas with high summer temperatures, and areas historically affected by .

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Integration of Historical Data into Environmental Policy

The bill explicitly uses historical redlining maps as a metric for determining current federal funding priorities for environmental infrastructure.

Home Owners' Loan Corporation

Connected Entities

organizationDepartment of Agriculture“The Secretary of Agriculture is tasked with managing the Fund.”Map →

personKirsten Gillibrand“U.S. Senator who co-sponsored the bill.”Map →

personEdward Markey“U.S. Senator who co-sponsored the bill.”Map →

organizationDepartment of Housing and Urban Development“Consulted for establishing grant requirements.”Map →

personAndy Kim“U.S. Senator who co-sponsored the bill.”Map →

personCory Booker“U.S. Senator who introduced the bill.”Map →

personTammy Duckworth“U.S. Senator who co-sponsored the bill.”Map →

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy30
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz25
Current news / social attention level

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