[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 18 (Monday, February 1, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. Padilla):
  S. 144. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, acting through the Director of the Indian Health Service, to 
acquire private land to facilitate access to the Desert Sage Youth 
Wellness Center in Hemet, California, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Indian Affairs.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce a bill to 
facilitate improved access to the Indian Health Service's Desert Sage 
Youth Wellness Center in Hemet, California. My colleague Senator Alex 
Padilla (D-CA) is joining me as an original cosponsor of the bill.
  The Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center is the only currently operating 
center in the State of California that provides culturally-sensitive 
substance use disorder treatment to indigenous youth.
  The Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center, located in Hemet, is run by 
the Indian Health Service. The facility not only provides healthcare, 
but also academic support, family therapy, and treatment plans to 
support the healing and long-term recovery of youth enrolled at the 
Center.
  Currently, the Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center is only accessible 
by a dirt road. This limits access to the Center during California's 
extreme wet and dry seasons. The dirt road frequently cracks or floods 
during these times and creates significant challenges to those 
depending on the Center's important work.
  The Indian Health Service does not currently have the authority to 
buy land from willing private landowners who are supportive of selling 
their land to provide for a paved access road. It is necessary that we 
provide for safe and dignified access to the center, and I am pleased 
to reintroduce this legislation to do so.
  This commonsense bill would authorize the Director of the Indian 
Health Service to purchase land from willing sellers and construct a 
paved road to improve access to the Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center. 
After the road's construction, Riverside County would maintain it.
  This bill has the support of local stakeholders, including Riverside 
County. An identical, bipartisan bill is being introduced by 
Representatives Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Nanette Barragan 
(D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), and Pete Aguilar (D-CA) in the House of 
Representatives.
  This bill passed the Senate unanimously last year, and I look forward 
to working with my colleagues this Congress to enact this bill into 
law.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

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