[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1380 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1380
To amend the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 to provide
States and communities with additional assistance to plant and maintain
trees, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 27, 2023
Mr. Brown (for himself and Mr. Booker) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 to provide
States and communities with additional assistance to plant and maintain
trees, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Neighborhood Tree Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the presence of a healthy and well-maintained urban
forest can--
(A) support--
(i) the physical and mental health of
community residents;
(ii) the regulation of air quality;
(iii) the mitigation of the urban heat
island effect;
(iv) the reduction of energy demand; and
(v) stormwater management; and
(B) provide other benefits;
(2) according to research of the Forest Service, the
estimated value of benefits described in paragraph (1) exceeds
$18,000,000,000;
(3) the maintenance and management of an urban forest
offers additional opportunities relating to workforce
development, job creation, and enhancement of property values;
(4) urban forest canopy cover is inequitably distributed
among racial groups and income levels, exacerbating disparities
in exposure, for example, to the urban heat island effect and
in related health risks or financial burdens relating to
cooling;
(5) the effects of historical discriminatory policies, such
as redlining, continue to have effects on urban environments;
(6) a recent analysis shows that--
(A) urbanized neighborhoods with mostly people of
color have 33 percent less tree canopy on average than
majority white neighborhoods; and
(B) low-income neighborhoods have 41 percent less
tree cover than neighborhoods with low rates of
poverty;
(7) additional analyses of cities in the United States
found that--
(A) communities primarily inhabited by United
States-born, white populations contain more than twice
the urban forest canopy cover of communities primarily
inhabited by racial and ethnic minorities; and
(B) there were elevated land temperatures in
formerly redlined areas compared to their nonredlined
counterparts, by an average 2.6 degrees Celsius and up
to 7 degrees Celsius; and
(8) to reduce disparities in the enjoyment of the social,
environmental, and economic benefits of healthy and well-
maintained urban forests and manage risks relating to heat
exposure and other urban stressors, the Federal Government
should accelerate actions to enhance the health and resilience
of urban forests, with investment in priority communities.
SEC. 3. NEIGHBORHOOD TREE FUND.
Section 9 of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16
U.S.C. 2105) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (h) and (i) as subsections
(i) and (j), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following:
``(h) Neighborhood Tree Fund.--
``(1) In general.--Consistent with the purposes described
in subsection (b), the Secretary shall establish the
Neighborhood Tree Fund (referred to in this subsection as the
`Fund').
``(2) Assistance.--The Secretary shall use amounts from the
Fund to provide assistance to eligible entities described in
paragraph (3) to increase and improve the overall health of the
tree canopy in a community.
``(3) Eligibility.--An entity that is eligible to receive
assistance under paragraph (2) is--
``(A) a State;
``(B) an Indian Tribe; and
``(C) a local unit of government, approved
organization, or local community tree volunteer group
described in subsection (b)(4).
``(4) Requirements.--The Secretary, in consultation with
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, shall establish
requirements for the receipt of assistance under paragraph (2),
including requirements with respect to--
``(A) engagement with communities and stakeholders;
``(B) the conduct of a tree canopy assessment;
``(C) the use of climate change science in the
design of a project using the assistance;
``(D) the conduct of site preparation and tree
species selection; and
``(E) the conduct of monitoring and maintenance to
ensure the successful establishment of the tree canopy.
``(5) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority to the
provision of assistance under paragraph (2) to eligible
entities that propose projects that--
``(A) include and prioritize tree planting and tree
maintenance in--
``(i) a census tract with a poverty rate of
not less than 20 percent, as measured by the 5-
year data series available from the American
Community Survey of the Bureau of the Census
for the period of 2014 through 2018, including
such a census tract that includes an area that
was designated as `hazardous' or `definitely
declining' in maps drawn by the Home Owners'
Loan Corporation; or
``(ii) a community or neighborhood with
lower tree canopy and higher maximum daytime
summer temperatures compared to surrounding
communities or neighborhoods, as determined by
the Secretary, based on publicly available
information; or
``(B) optimize outcomes for climate mitigation and
resilience for the purpose of public health, as
determined by the Secretary.
``(6) Limitations on use of amounts for community tree
assessments.--Not more than 10 percent of the amount made
available under paragraph (7) for a fiscal year may be used for
the development of community tree assessments.
``(7) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated for deposit into the Fund, for
use by the Secretary to carry out this subsection, not less
than--
``(A) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
``(B) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
``(C) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
``(D) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
``(E) $700,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.''.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY ADVISORY COUNCIL
COMPOSITION.
Section 9(g)(2)(A) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of
1978 (16 U.S.C. 2105(g)(2)(A)) is amended--
(1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking ``15''
and inserting ``16'';
(2) in each of clauses (i) through (viii), by striking the
comma at the end and inserting a period;
(3) in clause (ix), by striking ``, and'' at the end and
inserting a period; and
(4) by striking clause (x) and inserting the following:
``(x) 3 members who are not officers or
employees of any governmental body and who have
expertise and have been active in urban and
community forestry, of whom--
``(I) 1 is a resident of a
community with a population of less
than 50,000 as of the most recent
census; and
``(II) 1 is a resident of a low-
income community, as determined by the
Secretary.''.
<all>
Neighborhood Tree Act of 2023
#1380 | S Congress #118
Policy Area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Advisory bodiesCommunity life and organizationCongressional oversightCrime preventionCrime victimsDepartment of Health and Human ServicesEmployment and training programsExecutive agency funding and structureFirearms and explosivesGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsHealth facilities and institutionsIntergovernmental relationsPerformance measurementPolicy sciencesRacial and ethnic relationsSocial work, volunteer service, charitable organizationsViolent crimeYouth employment and child labor
Last Action: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held. (1/25/2024)
Bill Text Source: Congress.gov
Summary and Impacts
Original Text