PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Congressional Research Service
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People & committees
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] · D–WA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Sep 28, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-01 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed GREEN Hospitals Act would expand federal support for upgrading medical facilities to withstand climate disasters and public health crises, maintain access to care, and reduce emissions. It would also create planning grants for government and nonprofit organizations that own or operate medical facilities. The bill would authorize $100 billion for construction and modernization grants and $5 billion for planning and related activities; these authorizations would not themselves provide the money.
This Act may be cited as the Granting Resources for Eliminating Emissions Now in Hospitals Act or the GREEN Hospitals Act.
(iii) increase capacity to provide essential health care and update medical facilities to become more resilient to climate disasters and public health crises to ensure access and availability of quality health care for communities in need.
optimize use of onsite and offsite energy sources for emissions reductions
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $100,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended.
the Secretary shall make planning grants to eligible entities to develop sustainability and resiliency plans for medical facilities owned or operated by the eligible entity and infrastructure surrounding the medical facilities.
(1) a State, Tribal government, or political subdivision of a State or Tribal government, including any city, town, county, borough, hospital district authority, or public or quasi-public corporation; or (2) a nonprofit private entity.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $5,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended.
Section 2 would add expanding essential health care capacity and preparing medical facilities for climate disasters and public health crises to the existing construction and modernization grant provisions. It would replace the grant priority rule with priority for projects designed to withstand disasters, address climate change, or make other preparations that preserve access to care.
(iii) increase capacity to provide essential health care and update medical facilities to become more resilient to climate disasters and public health crises to ensure access and availability of quality health care for communities in need.
(B) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following: (3) Priority In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants whose projects will include, by design, resilience against natural disasters, climate change mitigation, or other necessary predisaster adaptations to ensure continuous health care access and combat health risks due to climate change
Examples of projects receiving construction-grant priority would include on-site power systems combining efficient equipment, energy storage, and renewable energy, consistent with modern electrical safety standards. Other examples include efficient heating and cooling, air purification, filtration, and air-quality monitoring integrated with energy systems.
(A) installation of onsite distributed generation that combines energy-efficient devices, energy storage, and renewable energy in accordance with modern electrical safety standards for medical facilities to allow the medical facility to access essential energy during power outages and optimize use of onsite and offsite energy sources for emissions reductions; (B) improving air conditioning, monitoring, and purifying through installation of high-efficiency heat pumps that provide both cooling and heating, air purifiers, air filtration systems, and air quality monitoring systems integrated with energy systems and energy efficiency considerations in preparation for future natural hazards and public health crises, such as wildfire, smog, extreme heat events, and pandemics
Construction-grant priority examples would also include wetlands and drainage infrastructure, planted roofs and walls, indoor plantings, and trees or other green infrastructure that create publicly accessible cooling spaces. These are proposed ways to address weather hazards, air quality, and excessive urban heat, rather than established outcomes of the bill.
(C) installation and maintenance of wetlands, drainage ponds, stormwater drainage, and any other green infrastructure to protect the medical facility from projected severe effects with respect to extreme weather, natural disasters, or climate change-related events, including sea-level rise, flooding, and increased risk of wildfire; (D) green rooftops, walls, and indoor plantings, particularly those that can provide publicly accessible temperature management and air quality improvements; (E) tree planting and other green infrastructure to create publicly accessible cool space to address urban heat islands
Other construction-grant priority examples would cover protecting roads, sidewalks, and public transit serving medical facilities, and maintaining infrastructure that reduces or eliminates emissions, even if installed with other funds. The Secretary could recognize additional projects that meet the listed sustainability, disaster-readiness, patient-access, and environmental-justice goals.
(F) infrastructure upgrades that protect access routes to the medical facility, such as long-term flood, wildfire, and other disaster mitigation for the roads, sidewalks, and public transit infrastructure that service the medical facility; (G) the long-term maintenance of decarbonization and zero-emissions infrastructure installed using funds made available pursuant to paragraph (4) or other funds; and (H) any other type of plan or project the Secretary determines will increase the sustainability and resiliency of a medical facility, protect patient health and community access during extreme weather, and advance environmental justice.
The bill would authorize Congress to provide $100 billion for fiscal year 2026 for the amended construction and modernization grant subsection, with any appropriated funds available until spent. It would also delete section 1610(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act; the supplied text does not reproduce that paragraph.
(4) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $100,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended.
(2) Technical amendment Section 1610(b) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300r(b)) is amended by striking paragraph (3).
Medical facility project applications under the amended law would need reasonable assurances of adequate staffing to meet the community service obligation. Facilities would also need either an agreement with one or more unions representing their employees or an explicit policy against interfering with employees' rights under section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
(L) reasonable assurance that the facility will have adequate staffing to fulfill the community service obligation; and (M) reasonable assurance that the facility— (i) has a collective bargaining agreement with 1 or more labor organizations representing employees at the facility; or (ii) has an explicit policy not to interfere with the rights of employees of the facility under section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
Applications submitted under parts A or B of title XVI of the Public Health Service Act would automatically count as complete applications for consideration for a planning grant. This would provide consideration, not guarantee an award.
(2) Additional applications An application submitted under part A or B of title XVI of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300q et seq. and 42 U.S.C. 300r) shall be deemed to be a complete application submitted for purposes of consideration for a planning grant under subsection (b).
Section 3 would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Planning and Evaluation Grant Program. It would fund plans, including comprehensive evaluation before a project starts, for making medical facilities and surrounding infrastructure more sustainable and better able to withstand climate change and public health crises.
(3) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(4) Sustainability and resiliency plan The term sustainability and resiliency plan means a plan, including comprehensive preproject evaluation, for a construction or modernization project that would, in order to protect patient health and community access, enhance— (A) the sustainability of a medical facility and infrastructure surrounding the medical facility; and (B) the resiliency of that medical facility and infrastructure surrounding the medical facility to climate change and public health crises.
(b) Establishment The Secretary shall establish a grant program, to be known as the Planning and Evaluation Grant Program, under which the Secretary shall make planning grants to eligible entities to develop sustainability and resiliency plans for medical facilities owned or operated by the eligible entity and infrastructure surrounding the medical facilities.
Planning grants would be available to states, Tribal governments, their political subdivisions, specified public or quasi-public bodies, and private nonprofit entities. Plans would concern facilities they own or operate. Covered facilities would include hospitals, public health centers, outpatient facilities, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care facilities, and other facilities the Secretary designates for outpatient care.
(c) Eligible entities To be eligible to receive a planning grant under subsection (b), an applicant shall be— (1) a State, Tribal government, or political subdivision of a State or Tribal government, including any city, town, county, borough, hospital district authority, or public or quasi-public corporation; or (2) a nonprofit private entity.
medical facilities owned or operated by the eligible entity
(1) Medical facility The term medical facility means a hospital, public health center, outpatient medical facility, rehabilitation facility, facility for long-term care, or other facility (as may be designated by the Secretary) for the provision of health care to ambulatory patients.
Except for applications automatically treated as complete, planning-grant applicants would follow submission rules set by the Secretary. Applications would describe the project and patient population, including whether most patient-care revenue comes from Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements and whether the facility serves people vulnerable to climate change.
(1) In general Except as provided in paragraph (2), an eligible entity seeking a planning grant under subsection (b) shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may by regulation prescribe, including— (A) a description of the proposed project; (B) a summary and breakdown of the demographics of the patient population served or potentially served by the medical facility under the proposed project, including information on— (i) whether the medical facility is a facility for which a majority of the revenue the facility receives for patient care is from reimbursements for medical care furnished to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq. and 1396 et seq.); and (ii) other indications that individuals vulnerable to climate change are served or potentially served by the medical facility
Those applications would also explain the proposed construction or modernization activities, community needs—especially those of vulnerable populations—and the facility's climate-related needs. Applicants would describe whether the community is an environmental justice community and how they would use the planning grant.
(C) a description of the ways in which the proposed project— (i) will carry out 1 or more activities described in subsection (g); (ii) meet the needs of the community the medical facility serves, especially the needs of vulnerable populations; and (iii) meet the sustainability and resiliency needs of the medical facility due to climate risks and hazards; (D) a description of whether the community served by the medical facility is an environmental justice community; (E) a description of the ways in which the planning grant would be used to carry out 1 or more planning and evaluation activities described in subsection (f)
The ordinary planning-grant application would need reasonable assurance that contractors' and subcontractors' laborers and mechanics receive at least the locally prevailing wage for similar work, as determined by the Secretary of Labor. The bill would give that Secretary the specified labor-standards authority. Applications would also need assurance of a union agreement or an explicit policy against interfering with employees' section 7 rights.
(F) reasonable assurance that all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors in the performance of work on a project will be paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing on similar work in the locality as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of part A of subtitle II of title 40, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Davis-Bacon Act), and the Secretary of Labor shall have with respect to such labor standards the authority and functions set forth in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (64 Stat. 1267; 5 U.S.C. App.) and section 3145 of title 40, United States Code
(G) reasonable assurance that the facility— (i) has a collective bargaining agreement with 1 or more labor organizations representing employees at the facility; or (ii) has an explicit policy not to interfere with the rights of employees at the facility under section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 157).
The Secretary would develop measures for evaluating planning-grant applications, coordinating with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency if necessary. Priority would require both a financial or patient-coverage condition and an environmental condition: most patient-care revenue must come from Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, or a high proportion of patients must be uninsured; and the facility's neighborhood or patients must face at least one listed environmental burden.
(e) Selection The Secretary shall— (1) in coordination with the Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, if necessary, develop metrics to evaluate applications for planning grants under subsection (b); and (2) give priority to applications that focus on improving a medical facility— (A) for which— (i) a majority of the revenue the facility receives for patient care is from reimbursements for medical care furnished to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq. and 1396 et seq.); or (ii) a high proportion of patients is uninsured, as determined by the Secretary; and (B) that is located in a neighborhood or serves a patient population that— (i) experiences low-air quality; (ii) lacks green space; (iii) bears higher cumulative pollution burdens; or (iv) is at disproportionate risk of experiencing the adverse effects of climate change.
Planning-grant funds would have to support at least one listed planning or evaluation activity. Options include community engagement and needs studies, engineering and climate-risk assessments of facilities and access routes, help developing and obtaining project funding, and other assessments the Secretary considers appropriate.
(f) Planning activities Planning and evaluation activities carried out by an eligible entity using grant funds received under subsection (b) shall include 1 or more of the following: (1) Performing project planning, community outreach and engagement, feasibility studies, and needs assessments of the local community and patient populations. (2) Performing engineering and climate-risk assessments of the medical facility infrastructure and the access routes to the medical facility. (3) Providing management and operational assistance for developing and receiving funding for the proposed project. (4) Other planning and evaluation activities and assessments as the Secretary determines appropriate.
Projects developed through the planning program could include facility energy systems, efficient heating and cooling, air-quality equipment, wetlands and drainage ponds, and planted roofs, walls, or indoor spaces. These are permissible construction and modernization projects to plan for; section 3 funds planning and evaluation.
(g) Proposed projects Construction and modernization activities carried out by a proposed project under a sustainability and resiliency plan developed pursuant to a planning grant received under subsection (b) may include— (1) improvements to the infrastructure, buildings, and grounds of the medical facility
(A) installation of onsite distributed generation that combines energy-efficient devices, energy storage, and renewable energy in accordance with modern electrical safety standards for medical facilities
(B) improving air conditioning, monitoring, and purifying through installation of high-efficiency heat pumps that provide both cooling and heating, air purifiers, air filtration systems, and air quality monitoring systems integrated with energy systems and energy efficiency considerations
(2) green infrastructure projects, such as— (A) installation and maintenance of wetlands, drainage ponds, and any other green infrastructure that would protect the medical facility from projected severe effects with respect to extreme weather, natural disasters, or climate change-related events, including sea-level rise, flooding, and increased risk of wildfire; and (B) green rooftops, walls, and indoor plantings, particularly those that can provide publicly accessible temperature management and air quality improvements
Planning and evaluation activities carried out by an eligible entity using grant funds received under subsection (b) shall include 1 or more of the following
Plans could also address protection of roads, sidewalks, and public transit routes serving medical facilities, plus long-term maintenance of infrastructure that reduces or eliminates emissions. The Secretary could allow other activities that improve facility sustainability and disaster readiness while protecting patient health and access during extreme weather.
(3) resiliency projects to secure local accessibility to the medical facility by protecting the access routes to the medical facility, such as— (A) infrastructure upgrades that protect access routes to the medical facility, such as long-term flood, wildfire, and other disaster mitigation for the roads, sidewalks, and public transit infrastructure that service the medical facility; and (B) the long-term maintenance of decarbonization and zero-emissions infrastructure; and (4) any other type of activity the Secretary determines will increase the sustainability and resiliency of a medical facility and protect patient health and community access during extreme weather.
Each planning grant would be capped at $500,000.
(h) Amount of grant The total amount of a grant under subsection (b) shall not exceed $500,000.
The Secretary would have to provide technical assistance to eligible entities interested in projects meeting the program's technical-assistance conditions. Assistance could be provided directly or through partnerships with states, Tribal governments, and nonprofits, with coordination involving energy, environmental, and transportation officials if necessary.
(i) Technical assistance The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Secretary of Transportation, if necessary, directly or through partnerships with States, Tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations, shall provide technical assistance to eligible entities interested in carrying out proposed projects that
Projects qualifying for technical assistance would have to satisfy all four listed conditions: serve environmental justice or medically underserved communities; commit to training, apprenticeships, and contracting opportunities for local residents and resident-owned small businesses; advance community priorities with substantial engagement; and use protection, restoration, or management of ecological systems to pursue the listed health and environmental goals.
(1) serve environmental justice communities or medically underserved communities; (2) demonstrate a commitment to provide job training, apprenticeship programs, and contracting opportunities to residents and small businesses owned by residents of the community that the medical facility serves; (3) identify and further community priority actions and conduct robust community engagement; and (4) employ nature-based solutions that focus on protection, restoration, or management of ecological systems to safeguard public health, provide clean air and water, increase natural hazard resilience, and sequester carbon.
To receive a section 3 grant or technical assistance, an entity would have to certify that it does not use employment, training, or apprenticeship agreement terms requiring someone to pay a debt when the specified employment, work relationship, or training period ends. The certification would also cover any staffing agency or training provider with which the entity contracts.
(j) Prohibition on training repayment As a condition of receiving a grant or technical assistance under this section, an eligible entity shall certify that the eligible entity does not use, and if the eligible entity contracts with any staffing agency or training provider, that such agency or provider does not use, any provision in employment agreements, job training agreements, or apprenticeship program agreements that would require an employee or training or apprenticeship program participant to pay a debt if the employee or training or apprenticeship program participant's employment or work relationship or training period with a specified employer or business entity is terminated.
At least 50 percent of awarded planning-grant funds would have to support plans for projects located in environmental justice communities. The requirement concerns the share of funds, not the number of grants.
(k) Environmental justice communities The Secretary shall ensure that not less than 50 percent of grant funds awarded under subsection (b) are used for sustainability and resiliency plans for proposed projects located in environmental justice communities.
Section 3 would authorize Congress to provide $5 billion for fiscal year 2026 for the planning program and related section 3 activities. Any funds appropriated under this authorization would remain available until spent; the authorization itself would not supply the money.
(l) Authorization of Appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $5,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 28, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on September 1, 2026. It does not establish any later legislative action or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-28T23:13:33Z. 2026-09-01: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2026-09-01: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-01. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated rider was identified in the supplied introduced full-text version. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the supplied introduced full-text version. This limited finding does not establish formal earmark status or absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential exception was identified beyond ordinary program eligibility, priorities, and intended beneficiaries in the supplied introduced full-text version. This conclusion does not cover other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 28, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI