[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6183 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6183

 To establish an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives within 
         the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 2, 2023

Mr. Cuellar (for himself, Ms. Escobar, and Ms. Crockett) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives within 
         the Department of Agriculture, 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 ``Office of Colonias and Farmworker 
Initiatives Establishment Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER INITIATIVES.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and 
Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by 
adding after section 309 (7 U.S.C. 6921) the following:

``SEC. 310. OFFICE OF COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER INITIATIVES.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain in 
the Department an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives 
(referred to in this subsection as the `Office') to--
            ``(1) improve engagement with, and service to, border 
        colonias communities, farmworkers, and the family members and 
        children of farmworkers;
            ``(2) improve collaboration between the Department and 
        National, State, and local colonias and farmworker programs and 
        nonprofit organizations; and
            ``(3) carry out other such functions as the Secretary 
        determines appropriate.
    ``(b) Duties.--The Office shall ensure that border colonias 
communities, farmworkers, the family members and children of 
farmworkers, and nonprofit organizations representing or assisting such 
communities and individuals have equitable access to, and equitable 
participation in, programs and services of the Department by--
            ``(1) establishing and monitoring the goals and objectives 
        of the Department to increase participation of such 
        communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations in 
        Department programs;
            ``(2) assessing the effectiveness of Department outreach 
        programs to such communities, individuals, and nonprofit 
        organizations;
            ``(3) developing and implementing a plan to coordinate 
        outreach activities and services to such communities, 
        individuals, and nonprofit organizations provided by--
                    ``(A) the Department; and
                    ``(B) other Federal agencies, including services 
                related to housing, education, health care, and 
                infrastructure development;
            ``(4) providing input to the Department and other Federal 
        agencies on programmatic and policy decisions relating to such 
        communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations, 
        including--
                    ``(A) identifying obstacles for access to programs 
                and resources; and
                    ``(B) elevating Federal, State, and local best 
                practices;
            ``(5) measuring outcomes of the programs and activities of 
        the Department to serve such communities and individuals;
            ``(6) recommending new initiatives and programs to the 
        Secretary;
            ``(7) providing technical assistance to such organizations 
        with respect to Departmental programs and resources; and
            ``(8) carrying out any other related duties that the 
        Secretary determines appropriate.
    ``(c) Colonias Coordinator.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish within the 
        Office the position of Colonias Coordinator (referred to in 
        this subsection as the `Coordinator').
            ``(2) Duties.--The Secretary shall delegate to the 
        Coordinator responsibility for the following:
                    ``(A) Serving as a liaison to nonprofit 
                organizations that represent and have demonstrated 
                experience serving and working in colonias communities.
                    ``(B) Coordinating with the Department, other 
                Federal agencies, and State and local governments to 
                ensure that the needs of colonias communities are 
                assessed and met, including during declared disasters 
                and other emergencies.
                    ``(C) Consulting within the Office and with other 
                entities to better integrate perspectives, concerns, 
                and interest of colonias communities into the ongoing 
                programs of the Department.

``SEC. 311. COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER INITIATIVES COORDINATING COMMITTEE.

    ``(a) Establishment of Committee.--The Secretary shall establish 
and convene a Federal coordinating committee, to be known as the 
Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives Coordinating Committee (referred to 
in this subsection as the `Committee') to provide advice and guidance 
to the Secretary on matters relating to colonias and farmworker 
affairs.
    ``(b) Membership and Composition.--The Committee shall be 
composed--
            ``(1) of such representatives not described in subparagraph 
        (B) as the Secretary determines appropriate; and
            ``(2) of representatives from each of the following:
                    ``(A) The Department of Housing and Urban 
                Development.
                    ``(B) The Department of the Treasury.
                    ``(C) The Environmental Protection Agency.
                    ``(D) The Department of Health and Human Services.
                    ``(E) The Department of Education.
                    ``(F) The Small Business Administration.
                    ``(G) The Department of Labor.
                    ``(H) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
    ``(c) Duties of Committee.--The Committee shall--
            ``(1) direct a working group composed of members of the 
        Committee (or designees of such members) and representatives 
        from other Federal agencies and mission areas within the 
        Department (such as the Rural Housing Service, Rural Utilities 
        Service, Rural Business Service, Food and Nutrition Service, 
        and the Farm Service Agency);
            ``(2) engage stakeholders and identify State and municipal 
        best practices to assist colonias communities, farmworkers, and 
        farmworkers' family members and children;
            ``(3) submit to the Secretary recommendations or, and 
        solutions to--
                    ``(A) the issues identified raised under 
                subparagraph (B); and
                    ``(B) issues raised at the local, regional, or 
                national level; and
            ``(4) identify and propose solutions to any 
        interdepartmental barrier between the Department and other 
        Federal agencies.
    ``(d) Federal Advisory Committee Act Exemption.--Section 1013 of 
title V, United States Code, shall not apply to the Committee.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $2,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2024 through 2029 to carry out this section.''.
    (b) Transfer of Position of Farmworker Coordinator.--
            (1) In general.--The Farmworker Coordinator position 
        established under section 226B(f) of the Department of 
        Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6934(f)) is 
        transferred to the Office of Colonias and Farmworker 
        Initiatives under section 310 of the Federal Crop Insurance 
        Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 
        1994, as added by this Act.
            (2) Transfer of legal provisions.--Subsection (f) of 
        section 226B of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization 
        Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6934) is transferred so as to read as 
        subsection (d) of section 310 of the Federal Crop Insurance 
        Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 
        1994, as added by this Act.
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