[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 13, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4577-S4578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Markey, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Warren, 
        and Mr. Blumenthal):
  S. 4823. A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to 
remove the overtime wages exemption for certain employees, 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 
Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act, which I introduced today.
  America's truckdrivers are on the frontlines of keeping goods and our 
economy moving. More than 70 percent of goods across the United States 
are shipped by truck.
  Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting supply chain 
crisis exacerbated longstanding challenges for truckers, including long 
hours away from home and time spent waiting--often unpaid--to load and 
unload at congested ports, warehouses, and distribution centers.
  As our Nation makes historic investments in our port and supply chain 
infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law, we should 
also improve wages and working conditions for essential workers and 
ensure they are paid for all of the hours they work.
  However, for more than 80 years, Federal law has denied truckers 
guaranteed overtime pay benefits that are afforded to nearly all other 
professions. This means that if a truckdriver experiences delays due to 
congestion or weather, they are often not paid even though they are 
working.
  The motor carrier exemption is exacerbating trucking workforce 
challenges. Additionally, research suggests that when truck labor rates 
are fair, there is less driver fatigue, fewer regulatory violations, 
and lower crash rates.
  That is why I am proud to introduce this bill to repeal the overtime 
exemption for motor carriers.
  I want to thank Senator Markey for co-leading this bill with me, and 
I hope our colleagues will join us in support of this bill that will 
ensure that trucker compensation reflects the fact that these jobs are 
essential.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. Daines):
  S. 4826. A bill to amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 
to modify the definition of the term ``at-risk community'' ; to the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the 
Community Wildfire Protection Act, bipartisan legislation that Senator 
Daines and I are introducing today.
  This bill would ensure that those communities that are deemed to be 
under the greatest threat from wildfire are eligible to receive 
existing Federal wildfire grants. This sounds obvious but unfortunately 
is not the case under existing law.
  This will help more communities in our home States of California and 
Montana and others throughout the West access Federal grants to reduce 
hazardous fuels around their communities and reduce the threat posed by 
wildfire. In particular, it would protect areas at risk of a large-
scale wildfire that would significantly threaten human life and 
property.
  Aligning the definition in law for at-risk communities to today's 
environmental realities is more important than ever given the increased 
spread, frequency, and destructiveness of wildfires, especially in the 
West.
  The current definition of an ``at-risk community'' was codified in 
the 2003 Healthy Forest Restoration Act. That law requires that, other 
than experiencing significant wildfire risk, an eligible community must 
either be adjacent to Federal land or included on a list generated in 
2001 consisting of voluntary input from States and Tribes.
  To be clear, including a town on this list was not based on an 
objective evaluation of wildfire risk or threat to life and property, 
only whether an individual Governor or Tribal leader decided to add it. 
There are obvious omissions from the list that show its inadequacy, and 
in fact, 19 States and territories never submitted a single community.
  For example, in California, big cities like Fresno, Fairfield, and 
Napa are not included, all of which have experienced major wildfires in 
recent years, nor are countless small towns that are at great risk of 
wildfire. The town of Grizzly Flats, CA, which was devastated by the 
2021 Caldor Fire, is also notably absent from the list.
  The exclusion of these communities means that they are not eligible 
for Federal grant funding that would help them develop and implement 
wildfire resiliency plans, such as hazardous fuels reduction, nor can 
they utilize critical authorities to expedite wildfire mitigation 
projects on nearby Federal lands.
  Our bill would simply end the practice of making Federal grants 
contingent on being this outdated, incomplete list. Instead, our 
legislation would allow communities to be included based on the most 
up-to-date quantitative wildfire risk data for the entire United 
States--data that are already maintained by the U.S. Forest Service.
  Our bill would also allow communities not immediately within or 
adjacent to Federal lands to qualify as ``at risk'' of wildfire. This 
is important given a recent survey of more than 22,000 fires that 
indicated that wildfires are more likely to start on private lands and 
burn into Federal forestlands than the reverse. Federal policies must 
adapt to recognize this fact, not prevent funding from going to where 
it would be most effective.
  Better tailoring Federal grants to the areas at greatest risk of 
wildfire is particularly essential given congressional funding of 
wildfire resilience projects, including $1.8 billion that passed as 
part the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act.
  I am proud that our bill has received the support of the National 
Association of Counties, Rural County Representatives of California, 
the National Association of State Foresters, the Pacific Forest Trust, 
and the California Fire Safe Council.
  I am pleased to work with Senator Daines on this commonsense bill 
that will save lives, save communities, and ensure that Federal dollars 
are spent as effectively as possible.
   Mr. President, my bill is simple--just three lines long--but it 
would ensure that our Federal policies enable billions in wildfire 
resiliency funding to be applied where it is needed most.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 4832. A bill to temporarily prohibit the hiring of additional 
Internal Revenue Service employees until a certain level of taxpayer 
services have improved, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

[[Page S4578]]

  


                                S. 4832

       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 ``Increase Reliable Services 
     Now Act''.

     SEC. 2. TEMPORARY PROHIBITION ON ADDITIONAL TAX ENFORCEMENT 
                   PERSONNEL.

       (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provisions of 
     law, the Internal Revenue Service may not hire any person for 
     the purpose of conducting enforcement activities during the 
     period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and 
     ending on the first date after such date on which--
       (1) the Internal Revenue Service has maintained, for 6 
     consecutive months--
       (A) a level of service for accounts management phone lines 
     of not less than 70 percent; and
       (B) an average speed of answering calls in 5 minutes or 
     less; and
       (2) not less than 90 percent of the regular employees of 
     the Internal Revenue Service perform work in person at their 
     job sites.
       (b) Enforcement Activities.--For purposes of this section, 
     the term ``enforcement activities'' means activities 
     described in section 10301(a)(1)(A)(ii) of Public Law 117-
     169.

     SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON USE OF ADDITIONAL INTERNAL REVENUE 
                   SERVICE FUNDS FOR TAXPAYER AUDITS.

       Section 10301(a)(1)((A)(ii) of Public Law 117-169 is 
     amended by inserting before the period at the end the 
     following: ``: Provided further, That the Internal Revenue 
     Service shall not audit taxpayers with taxable incomes below 
     $400,000 at a greater rate than such taxpayers were audited 
     for the most recent taxable year beginning before the date of 
     the enactment of this Act''.

     SEC. 4. TEMPORARY PROHIBITION ON INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE 
                   HIRING.

       (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provisions of 
     law, the Internal Revenue Service may not hire any person 
     (other than for activities related to return processing and 
     call center operations) during the period beginning on the 
     date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the first 
     date after such date on which the Internal Revenue Service 
     meets the requirements of subsection (b).
       (b) Requirements.--The requirements specified in this 
     subsection are the following:
       (1) With respect to the processing of taxpayer 
     correspondence, tax forms, and payments, the Internal Revenue 
     Service has a backlog not in excess of 1,000,000 cases.
       (2) With respect to tax returns eligible for a refund, 
     refunds are issued to taxpayers on average within six weeks 
     or less of the receipt of the return.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. Padilla):
  S. 4833. A bill to improve the health and resiliency of giant 
sequoias, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of 
legislation that I introduced today along with Senator Padilla to 
preserve the enduring legacy of California's giant sequoias: the Save 
Our Sequoias Act. I thank Senator Padilla for working with me on this 
important bill, as well as the bipartisan sponsors of similar 
legislation in the House.
  The Save Our Sequoias Act would charge a dedicated group of Federal, 
State, local, and Tribal land managers known as the Giant Sequoia Lands 
Coalition with developing wildfire resilience projects to help save 
these magnificent trees.
  The bill would also provide Federal Agencies with narrow, targeted 
authorities to implement these projects quickly and protect our 
remaining sequoias, as well as create a strategy to enhance sequoia 
reforestation.
  Giant sequoias are one of the most iconic plants in the world. The 
sequoia known as General Sherman is the largest tree on Earth at more 
than 100 feet in circumference and 275 feet tall.
  Sequoias grow quickly, producing a 50-foot tree's worth of wood each 
year, yet can live to be thousands of years old. They are also 
remarkably fire-adapted, with spongy bark that can be up to 2-feet 
thick.
  Perhaps most importantly to me, these incredible trees only grow in 
my home State of California. Just being around these trees is a 
humbling experience. Their immensity puts them in a class by 
themselves, and it is no wonder that they have been the source of 
reverence and amazement.
  For many years, sequoias were considered nearly immune to the effects 
of wildfires, but unfortunately devastating fires in recent years have 
overwhelmed even their potent defenses. Officials have estimated that 
20 percent of all mature giant sequoias have been destroyed just since 
2020.
  Scientific research has additionally suggested that without 
significant action, another 20 percent could be lost in the next 3 
years. This would be a staggering tragedy and demands action. As former 
President Theodore Roosevelt himself put it, ``A grove of giant redwood 
or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great and beautiful 
cathedral.''
  The vast majority of giant sequoias live on Federal land, and I thank 
President Biden and his administration for using existing authorities 
to try to save these magnificent trees. Nevertheless, Congress can and 
should enact legislation to protect sequoias long into the future.
  Our bill would accomplish this goal by first codifying the Giant 
Sequoia Lands Coalition, an existing group of public land managers with 
jurisdiction over sequoia groves, and requiring it to develop a 
strategy to make sequoia groves more resilient to wildfire. It would 
also provide congressional support for the Biden Administration's 
current actions under an emergency declaration to expedite sequoia 
wildfire resilience projects.
  Federal agencies should not be reliant on emergency authorities, 
however, in order to implement necessary wildfire resilience projects 
in the future. To that end, our bill provides those Agencies with 
narrow, targeted authorities to continue making progress on those 
projects and authorizes funding for dedicated personnel. It also 
establishes a grant program for sequoia resilience projects that occur 
off of Federal land.
  Lastly, our bill ensures that we do not simply mitigate future 
sequoia losses but also begin the process of regrowth. Since sequoias 
can live to be thousands of years old, it is never too early to begin 
rejuvenating these majestic trees.
  Mr. President, giant sequoias are one of the great treasures of the 
world, not just of California. It is incumbent upon Congress to pass 
our bill to ensure they are protected and can be cherished for 
thousands of years to come.

                          ____________________