[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 107 (Thursday, June 23, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3162-S3164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Ms. HIRONO:
S. 4464. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct
a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating
certain land as the Kaena Point National Heritage Area, and for other
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill, the
Kaena Point National Heritage Area Act. This bill requires the
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability
and feasibility of designating certain land in Hawaii as the Kaena
Point National Heritage Area. Such a designation would bring Federal
resources to bear on elevating public awareness of Kaena Point through
increased interpretation and enhanced management activities to protect
resources, both cultural and natural, for future generations.
The National Park Service currently oversees 55 National Heritage
Areas across the country, none of which are in Hawaii. Kaena Point,
located on the westernmost tip of Oahu, is home to some of the last
remaining unimproved semiwilderness areas on Oahu and one of the last
intact dune ecosystems in Hawaii. Native species such as critically
endangered Hawaiian monk seals, humpback whales, spinner dolphins, and
green sea turtles can be found in the waters at Kaena Point. Native
shorebirds such as albatrosses and shearwaters also frequent Kaena
Point to nest. In addition, the area is one of the last remaining
examples of intact coastal strand vegetation on Oahu and is home to a
number of endangered plant species and the endangered yellow-faced bee.
Kaena Point is significant to Native Hawaiian culture, being deemed
one of the most sacred places on Oahu as it is home to numerous
cultural and historic sites. The area currently includes a State park
and a Natural Area Reserve, both operated by the Hawaii Department of
Land and Natural Resources. Kaena State Park is the second most visited
park on Oahu, illustrating the significance of the area.
This bill directs the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary to
conduct a study in consultation with State and local historic
preservation officers, State and local historical societies, State and
local tourism offices, and other appropriate organizations and
governmental agencies. This study would, among other things, assess the
area's unique cultural, historic, and natural resources, cultural
contributions to the story of the United States,
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ability to provide recreation and educational opportunities, resources
available for interpretation by visitors, inclusion of local
stakeholders supportive of and involved with the planning of the
Heritage Area, existence of a local management entity willing to work
with these stakeholders to develop the Heritage Area, and include a map
identifying the boundaries of the Heritage Area.
The Secretary of the Interior is given 3 years to conduct the study
and report the results to Congress. Information from that report will
then indicate if Kaena Point is a suitable location to be added as a
National Heritage Area and if so, the boundaries for such a
designation. This bill is supported by the Hawaii Department of Land
and Natural Resources.
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By Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. King):
S. 4478. A bill to provide for assistance to improve the resilience
of historic light stations, to study the long-term protection needs of
historic light stations, and to establish a national database of
historic light stations, and for other purposes; to the Committee on
Environment and Public Works.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Historic
Lighthouse Resiliency Act with Senator King. This legislation would
authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to partner with State, local, and
nonprofit organizations, which own and operate historic light stations,
to improve lighthouse resiliency and ensure continued public access to
these valuable landmarks.
Our Nation's historic lighthouses are important parts of communities
across the country and our maritime history. They serve as beacons of
history, education, recreation, and often are associated with the
unique character and identity of a community. Yet these historic
structures are facing increased risk for catastrophic damage due to sea
level rise, flooding, and aging infrastructure.
Indeed, in my State of Rhode Island, these historic lighthouses are
interwoven in the fabric of our communities and our State's history.
Rhode Island was home to perhaps the most famous lighthouse keeper in
history, Ida Lewis. During her tenure as the Keeper of Lime Rock
Lighthouse, Ida Lewis rescued at least 18 people and earned the title
of ``Bravest Woman in America.'' Beavertail, Watch Hill, and Castle
Hill Lighthouses, just to name a few of the 21 lighthouses remaining in
my State, are iconic structures dotting the Rhode Island shoreline.
These historic landmarks must be protected and preserved for future
generations. This bill would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to
conduct projects that restore damaged lighthouses and increase their
future resiliency to the adverse effects of climate change, including
sea level rise and severe weather events. To conduct repairs and other
improvements, the Army Corps would partner with public or nonprofit
entities that have acquired light stations through conveyance under the
National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Additionally, it would
require the Army Corps to conduct an assessment and maintain a database
of all lighthouses nationwide.
Congress has already recognized the importance of preserving these
structures and ensuring public access in the National Historic
Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. However, these historic light
stations must not only have the appropriate caretakers but must also
have the appropriate funding to invest in infrastructure needs. Federal
investment in lighthouse resiliency requirements will ensure they are
maintained and accessible for future generations.
I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this commonsense
legislation.
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By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Warren, Mr.
Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr.
Wyden, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Brown, and Mr.
Markey):
S. 4480. A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to
provide increased labor law protections for agricultural workers, and
for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions.
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the
Fairness for Farmworkers Act, which I introduced today.
Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, farmworkers continued to
keep our country going. This was especially true in California--the
agricultural heart of the Nation. California is the most successful
State in agricultural production and has the largest population of
farmworkers. In fact, more than one-third of our country's vegetables
and two-thirds of fruits and nuts come from California.
During a time of incredible hardship, farmworkers put food on the
tables of millions of Americans despite working in extreme conditions
and facing deep-rooted inequities in the workforce. The time to address
these inequities is now.
While the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act established Federal standards
for minimum wage and overtime pay, the law excluded millions of
domestic and agricultural workers, who were overwhelmingly people of
color.
In 2016, California recognized the need to provide farmworkers with
overtime protections. The California overtime law, which ensures
farmworkers have an equal right to overtime pay, is a model for this
Federal bill.
Farmworkers in California and across the Nation deserve an end to
discrimination in labor laws. As we work to rebuild from the pandemic,
we must also undo the discriminatory exclusion of farmworkers by
amending the Fair Labor Standards Act.
That is why I am proud to introduce this bill, which will improve the
lives of farmworkers and their families, create equity in our food
system, and benefit farming communities as the increased wages are
spent in local businesses.
This bill will gradually implement overtime pay over the course of 4
years and bring greater equity to the American agricultural industry
and greater prosperity to historically marginalized workers.
This legislation will also boost farming community economies as
increased wages are spent in local businesses.
I want to thank Representative Grijalva for joining me in introducing
this bill, and I hope our colleagues will join us in support of this
bill that would provide a measure of long overdue fairness for our
Nation's farmworkers.
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, the first thing you need to know about
picking radishes is that it is hard work. You have to work literally on
your knees, and you pick each radish out of the ground by hand--no
machines, no tools.
I learned how to pick radishes and parsley about 3 weeks ago when I
received an invitation from the United Farm Workers and the UFW
Foundation to spend a day working alongside them in California.
Now, I have said countless times that, day in and day out,
farmworkers show up to some of the hardest jobs in America. I have
always believed that farmworkers are essential, but not until that day
did I appreciate the physical demands of long hours on one's knees
under the Sun.
Many of the workers picking radishes are older than I am and have
worked in the fields for decades. They have labored through heat waves,
through storms, wildfire smoke, and more. They have labored through a
global health pandemic, and they are the backbone of our economy in
helping to keep food on our tables. Yet the majority of farmworkers
don't have legal status to live and work in the United States of
America. That includes those I worked alongside who were picking
radishes--people like Efren, who has worked on American farms for more
than 40 years, and Patricia, who has raised her children here.
Several of them told me that one of the hardest parts of being
undocumented was being cut off from their families in Mexico or in
other countries, being denied the opportunity of seeing their mothers
or their fathers one last time before passing away or being able to
attend their funerals to pay their last respects.
Imagine that heartbreaking choice of never seeing your parents again
because doing so means risking not being able to see your children ever
again. That is the fate that we are forcing on countless undocumented
farmworkers who fill our grocery stores with fruits and vegetables.
This is the choice that
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we exacerbate every time we push immigration reform off for another
month, another year, another session of Congress. And this is why we
must pass legislation that creates a pathway to citizenship for
farmworkers.
Did you know that when you pick radishes, you get paid by the number
of crates that you fill? On the day that I worked the fields, it comes
as no surprise that I picked at a slower rate than the highly skilled
and experienced farmworkers, who depend on speed for their livelihoods.
Yet laws across the country leave farmworkers in a position of
uncertainty that few other workers have to face. If you are a
farmworker and you miss a day of work, there is no paid sick leave. If
you are a farmworker and you are injured on the job, you can't get
disability insurance. And living and working while undocumented means
worrying constantly about your status.
So when the Senate says that immigration reform can wait, we are not
seeing the people whose lives are at stake: Isidro, Armando, Isabel,
Epigemio. As they pick radishes, these workers are not taking jobs from
American citizens. I repeat: They are not taking the jobs of American
citizens. In fact, the opposite is true. We don't have enough
farmworkers to meet the demand, not just for radishes but for countless
other crops. As different produce comes into season, growers need
skilled labor on tight timelines.
Corporate leaders, small business owners, and economists agree that
we need more immigrants with more protections. The stakes for our
economy are high. Right now, American families are paying higher prices
not just at the gas pump but at the grocery store. Our labor shortage
is contributing to higher inflation. Over $1 trillion of America's GDP
is linked to agriculture.
All across the Nation, we rely on immigrant farmworkers. In North
Carolina, agriculture is the top industry, aided by tens of thousands
of undocumented workers in growing soybean, corn, and peanuts. In
Idaho, agriculture accounts for 17 percent of the economic output,
including a booming dairy industry. Around 90 percent of Idaho's dairy
workers are foreign born, the vast majority undocumented. In Texas,
agriculture is worth more than $20 billion each year. More than 100,000
immigrant workers, mostly undocumented, are employed on Texas's
ranches, farms, and fields.
I can go on and on, but I think the point is clear: This is truly a
national issue. The majority of all farmworkers lack legal status, and
growers say that more help is needed.
Congress can make a difference. We can do so by passing the laws that
farmworkers need and deserve. Our country cannot afford to wait. That
is why it was the first bill I introduced--the Citizenship for
Essential Workers Act--when I joined the Senate last year. I am talking
about the workers who keep us healthy and safe and fed, the workers we
as the Federal Government have deemed to be essential. They deserve
dignity; they deserve respect; and they have earned a pathway to
citizenship.
Today, I am also proud to introduce the Fairness for Farmworkers Act.
This bill will support fair pay for agricultural workers under the Fair
Labor Standards Act.
In 1 day, I had just a small dose of the physically demanding life of
a farmworker. Still, there is so much more that I could tell you about
the kind, funny, generous individuals whom I worked alongside that day.
As we shared a lunch of homemade tortillas, beans, and carne con
chiles, they told me about their hometowns that they miss, their
favorite music, and their dreams for their children. They had one more
message that they asked me to deliver, that they implored me to deliver
to all of you, and that is that you should come too. I was the first
U.S. Senator to accept an invitation to work in the fields. Last week,
my friend and colleague Senator Booker became the second.
I urge you, each and every Member of the Senate, to take this
opportunity, take a day to work alongside the heroes who feed America,
and then come back here, as I have, humbled and inspired to do our job.
Let's come together behind a solution so farmworkers can finally live
and work with dignity and security.
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By Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein):
S. 4482. A bill to help persons in the United States experiencing
homelessness and significant behavioral health issues, including
substance use disorders, by authorizing a grant program within the
Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist State and local
governments, Continuums of Care, community-based organizations that
administer both health and homelessness services, and providers of
services to people experiencing homelessness, better coordinate health
care and homelessness services, and for other purposes; to the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Helping
People Experiencing Substance Use Disorder and Homelessness Act, which
I introduced today.
Housing is a fundamental social determinant of health, and unhoused
individuals are often the victims of stark health disparities. Of the
more than 580,000 people experiencing homelessness in the United
States, an estimated 20 percent have a substance use and/or a mental
health disorder. Mental health concerns, including substance use
disorders, can cause and exacerbate homelessness.
A lack of affordable housing is the primary driver of homelessness,
and we are working to address this issue. Another piece of the puzzle
is to ensure housing and social service providers have the resources to
work together to ensure access to supportive services.
That is why I am proud to introduce this bill to provide essential
funding and tools for frontline organizations to coordinate health and
homelessness services.
If enacted, it will create a Federal interagency working group to
advise grantees on best practices. The grants will invest in programs
to build the capacity necessary to combat the United States' dual
homelessness and mental health crises.
I want to thank Representative Madeleine Dean for introducing this
bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us in taking this key
step to addressing challenges that have been exacerbated by the COVID-
19 pandemic.
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