[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 84 (Thursday, May 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1747-S1750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. Moran):
S. 1682. A bill to amend subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40,
United States Code, regarding prevalent wage determinations in order to
expand access to affordable housing, and for other purposes; to the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Mr. THUNE. Madam 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 S1748]]
S. 1682
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 ``Housing Supply Expansion
Act''.
SEC. 2. UPDATES TO WAGE RATE CALCULATIONS.
(a) In General.--Section 3142(b) of title 40, United States
Code, is amended by inserting ``or from geographic groupings
other than civil subdivisions of the State (which may include
metropolitan statistical areas or other groupings determined
appropriate by the Secretary)'' after ``in which the work is
to be performed''.
(b) Changes to Survey Methodology.--Section 3142 of title
40, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(f) Survey Information Collection.--By not later than 1
year after the date of enactment of the Housing Supply
Expansion Act, the Secretary shall--
``(1) review the Secretary's method of collecting survey
information for determining prevailing wages for purposes of
subsection (a); and
``(2) revise how such survey information is collected,
following a public notice and opportunity for public comment,
by--
``(A) including surveys that allow for reliable and
objective sources of data and a defendable methodology, which
may include information collected through Bureau of Labor
Statistics surveys; and
``(B) improving the percentage of businesses choosing to
participate in prevailing wage determination surveys and
ensuring proportional representation of businesses
represented by labor organizations and businesses not
represented by labor organizations in the prevailing wage
determination surveys that are completed.''.
SEC. 3. MULTIPLE WAGE RATE DETERMINATIONS.
Section 3142 of title 40, United States Code, as amended by
section 2, is further amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(g) Federal Housing Acts.--A determination of prevailing
wages by the Secretary of Labor applicable under section
212(a) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715c(a)),
section 104(b)(1) of the Native American Housing Assistance
and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4114(b)(1)),
section 12(a) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42
U.S.C. 1437j(a)), or section 811(j)(5) of the Cranston-
Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C.
8013(j)(5)) shall be limited to 1 wage rate determination
under subsection (b) of this section that corresponds to the
overall residential character of the project.''.
SEC. 4. DAVIS-BACON MODERNIZATION WORKING GROUP.
(a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``Davis-Bacon
Modernization Working Group'' means the working group
established under subsection (b)(1).
(b) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor, in
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development, shall establish within the Department of Labor,
a Davis-Bacon Modernization Working Group to recommend the
update and modernization of certain requirements under
subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code,
as described in subsection (c).
(2) Date of establishment.--The Davis-Bacon Modernization
Working Group shall be considered established on the date on
which a majority of the members of the Davis-Bacon
Modernization Working Group have been appointed, consistent
with subsection (d).
(c) Duties.--The Davis-Bacon Modernization Working Group
shall--
(1) recommend whether, and if so by how much, the
residential classification can be applied to affordable
housing units with 5 stories or more for purposes of
prevailing wage determinations under subchapter IV of chapter
31 of title 40, United States Code;
(2) develop administrative and legislative recommendations
of ways, and for what specific circumstances in which, the
prevailing wage rate requirements under subchapter IV of
chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code, could be waived
or streamlined for certain affordable rental Federal Housing
Administration new construction projects; and
(3) review the potential positive and negative outcomes of
directing the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine
prevailing wages (rather that the Secretary of Labor under
section 3142(b) of title 40, United States Code), in a way
that would not rely on the collection of voluntary surveys
from businesses but rather on data that is already collected
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(d) Members.--
(1) In general.--The Davis-Bacon Modernization Working
Group shall be composed of the following representatives of
Federal agencies and relevant non-Federal industry
stakeholder organizations:
(A) A representative from the Department of Labor,
appointed by the Secretary of Labor.
(B) A representative from the Department of Housing and
Urban Development, appointed by the Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development.
(C) A representative of a housing construction industry
association, appointed by the Secretary of Labor in
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development.
(D) A representative of a financial services industry
association, appointed by the Secretary of Labor in
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development.
(E) A representative of an affordable housing industry
association, appointed by the Secretary of Labor in
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development.
(F) A representative of a State public housing agency, as
defined in section 3 of the United States Housing Act of 1937
(42 U.S.C. 1437a), appointed by the Secretary of Labor in
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development.
(G) A representative of a tribally designated housing
entity, as defined in section 4 of the Native American
Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25
U.S.C. 4103), appointed by the Secretary of Labor in
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development.
(H) A representative of a labor organization representing
the housing construction workforce, appointed by the
Secretary of Labor in consultation with the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development.
(2) Chair.--The representative from the Department of Labor
appointed under paragraph (1)(A) shall serve as the chair of
the Davis-Bacon Modernization Working Group, and that
representative shall be responsible for organizing the
business of the Davis-Bacon Modernization Working Group.
(e) Other Matters.--
(1) No compensation.--A member of the Davis-Bacon
Modernization Working Group shall serve without compensation.
(2) Support.--The Secretary of Labor may detail an employee
of the Department of Labor to assist and support the work of
the Davis-Bacon Modernization Working Group, though such a
detailee shall not be considered to be a member of the Davis-
Bacon Modernization Working Group.
(f) Report.--
(1) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which
the Davis-Bacon Modernization Working Group is established,
the Davis-Bacon Modernization Working Group shall submit a
report containing its findings and recommendations under
subsection (c), including recommendations resulting from the
review under subsection (c)(3), to the Secretary of Labor,
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of
the Senate, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce
of the House of Representatives.
(2) Majority support.--Each recommendation made under
paragraph (1) shall be agreed to by a majority of the members
of the Davis-Bacon Modernization Working Group.
(g) Nonapplicability of FACA.--Chapter 10 of title 5,
United States Code, shall not apply to the Davis-Bacon
Modernization Working Group.
(h) Sunset.--The Davis-Bacon Modernization Working Group
shall terminate on the date the report is completed under
subsection (f)(1).
SEC. 5. NATIONAL HOUSING ACT.
Section 212(a) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C.
1715c(a)) is amended by striking ``similar character, as
determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with the
Davis-Bacon Act, as amended (40 U.S.C. 276a--276a-5)'' and
inserting ``residential character, as determined by the
Secretary of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of
chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code, that is
applicable at the time the application is filed''.
SEC. 6. HOUSING ACT OF 1959.
Section 202(j)(5)(A) of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C.
1701q(j)(5)(A)) is amended by striking ``similar character,
as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with
the Act of March 3, 1931 (commonly known as the Davis-Bacon
Act)'' and inserting ``residential character, as determined
by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of
chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code, that is
applicable at the time the application is filed''.
SEC. 7. NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING ASSISTANCE AND SELF-
DETERMINATION ACT OF 1996.
Section 104(b)(1) of the Native American Housing Assistance
and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4114(b)(1)) is
amended by striking ``, as predetermined by the Secretary of
Labor pursuant to the Act of March 3, 1931 (commonly known as
the Davis-Bacon Act; chapter 411; 46 Stat. 1494; 40 U.S.C.
276a et seq.),'' and inserting ``for corresponding classes of
laborers and mechanics employed on construction of a
residential character, as predetermined by the Secretary of
Labor pursuant to subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40,
United States Code, that is applicable at the time the
application is filed''.
SEC. 8. CRANSTON-GONZALEZ NATIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACT.
Section 811(j)(5)(A) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National
Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013(j)(5)(A)) is amended
by striking ``similar character, as determined by the
Secretary of Labor in accordance with the Act of March 3,
1931 (commonly known as the Davis-Bacon Act)'' and inserting
``residential character, as determined by the Secretary of
Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title
40, United States Code, that is applicable at the time the
application is filed''.
SEC. 9. UNITED STATES HOUSING ACT OF 1937.
Section 12(a) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42
U.S.C. 1437j(a)) is amended by striking ``, as predetermined
by the Secretary of Labor pursuant to the Davis-Bacon
[[Page S1749]]
Act (49 Stat. 1011)'' and inserting ``for corresponding
classes of laborers and mechanics employed on construction of
a residential character, as predetermined by the Secretary of
Labor pursuant to subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40,
United States Code, that is applicable at the time the
application is filed''.
______
By Mr. PADILLA:
S. 1685. A bill to direct the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency to establish a consortium relating to exposures to
toxic substances and identifying chemicals that are safe to use; to the
Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Supercomputing
for Safer Chemicals Act or the SUPERSAFE Act. Through the use of
supercomputing and artificial intelligence, we have an opportunity to
transform our scientific understanding of the detrimental effects
associated with certain industrial chemical uses and to shift American
commerce towards safer and more sustainable products and manufacturing.
The legislation would establish a SUPERSAFE Consortium to be led by
the Environmental Protection Agency in consultation with the heads of
relevant Federal Agencies, the National Labs, academic and other
research institutions, State agencies, and other entities as determined
by the EPA. The purpose of the SUPERSAFE Consortium is to identify
exposures to toxic substance and chemicals that are safer to use in
commerce.
Specifically, the SUPERSAFE Consortium established by this bill would
use supercomputing, machine learning, and other similar capabilities to
establish rapid approaches for large-scale identification of toxic
substances and the development of safer alternatives to toxic
substances by developing and validating computational toxicology
methods; address the need to identify safe chemicals for use in
consumer and industrial products and in their manufacture to support
the move away from toxic substances and toward safe-by-design
alternatives; and make recommendations on how the information produced
can be applied in risk assessments and other characterizations for use
by the Environmental Protection Agency and other Agencies in regulatory
decisions and by industry in identifying toxic and safer chemicals.
Importantly, establishing a SUPERSAFE Consortium would encourage
interagency collaboration and leverage the best scientific ideas
through inclusion of State agencies and public and academic research
institutions.
Currently, tens of thousands of untested chemicals can be used in
commercial products, resulting in consumer, community, and worker
exposures to potentially toxic chemicals. Too often, there is
insufficient scientific data for evaluating health effects or
identifying safer chemicals, and existing approaches to generating this
data are slow, costly, and rely on animal testing.
We are well poised to address this problem and discover safer
chemicals by establishing a SUPERSAFE Consortium to use supercomputing,
machine learning, and other similar capabilities. These technologies
can be developed and applied to rapidly provide information to evaluate
chemical safety to identify safe chemicals that avoid the chronic
diseases and environmental harm caused by toxic chemicals.
Unfortunately, too many Americans are exposed to toxic chemicals such
as PFAS and lead. Congress has stepped up and provided billions to
remediate toxic exposures, including via the bipartisan infrastructure
law, to address PFAS and lead pollution. Establishing a SUPERSAFE
Consortium in Federal law could help avoid the widespread pollution
that our communities face so we can address potential pollution
challenges before they become widespread.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this bill as
quickly as possible.
______
By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Rosen):
S. 1705. A bill to amend the Student Support and Academic Enrichment
Grant program to promote career awareness in accounting as part of a
well-rounded STEM educational experience; to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I rise today to introduce the STEM
Education in Accounting Act, which would help address workforce
shortages in the accounting profession by recognizing accounting as
part of a STEM education and adding accounting education programs as an
allowable use of K-12 Federal grant funding. I want to thank Senator
Rosen for coleading this bill with me.
Accountants play a key role in today's economy. They serve as trusted
advisers for companies large and small, assist in measuring business
performance, help individuals and businesses file their taxes in an
accurate and timely manner, and even investigate instances of financial
fraud. Yet, the United States is facing a shortage of accountants
willing and able to fill this important economic role. In Maine, for
example, municipalities have struggled to find public accountants to
conduct their annual audits.
Recent trends suggest this shortage will continue. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings for accountants and auditors
are expected to grow by 6 percent from 2021 to 2031--about 136,400
openings each year. At the same time, fewer students are pursuing
accounting degrees than in prior years.
The STEM Education in Accounting Act seeks to improve the accounting
pipeline by expanding K-12 students' exposure to accounting programs.
As with other areas of STEM education, this bill would qualify
accounting instruction for Federal funds. This recognition aligns with
the increasing need for accounting professionals to have high-level
math and technology skills, including the ability to analyze big data,
ensure data security, and manage cybersecurity risk.
In particular, this bill would allow States and school districts to
use a portion of their Federal student support and academic enrichment
grant funding to support accounting education, including accounting
career awareness. The Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant
Program was created as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act and aims
to help States and school districts offer a well-rounded educational
experience to all students. The STEM Education in Accounting Act would
also allow school districts to use this flexible grant to strengthen
accounting curricula, including increasing access to high-quality
accounting courses for members of groups underrepresented in the
accounting profession.
Businesses and individuals rely on accountants to help them develop
and reach their financial goals. The STEM Education in Accounting Act
would help address the shortage of accountants by promoting accounting
education and improving the pipeline of future accountants. I encourage
my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.
______
By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Shaheen, and
Mr. Kelly):
S. 1735. A bill to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act
of 2002 to improve assistance to community wood facilities, and for
other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise today to introduce the
Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act of 2023 and thank my
colleagues, Senators Collins, Shaheen, and Kelly, for joining me as
original cosponsors of the bill.
This bill will assist with the construction of facilities that make
sustainable use of small-diameter timber from forest-thinning projects
and other needed treatments in eastern and western forests.
In doing so, the bill would also create jobs in rural and forest-
dependent communities while decreasing wildfire risk in our vulnerable
forests.
The Forest Service reports that 80 million acres of Forest Service
lands are at risk of catastrophic wildfire or abnormal levels of insect
and disease infestations.
These impacts are only made worse by historic levels of drought. In
California alone, 129 million trees have died across 8.9 million acres
due to drought and bark beetles. Thirty-six million of those tree
deaths were in 2022, triple the number from the previous year. This is
clearly a crisis.
[[Page S1750]]
Removing select small trees and other hazardous fuels in our forests
are critical for preserving our forests over the long term. Not only
does this ease the competition large trees face for water, it also
reduces the spread of bark beetles and makes the forest less
susceptible to catastrophic wildfire.
Between the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction
Act, Congress has provided billions of dollars for hazardous fuels
reduction and forest thinning work. What is needed now is the economic
infrastructure to support this work.
Unfortunately, the number of sawmills, bioenergy facilities, and
other forest-product companies have been shrinking for decades. This is
due in part to increased production efficiency, but in other instances,
market instability forced the closure of many large mills.
One result of the decrease in sawmills is the inability for the
market to react nimbly to supply and demand. In 2020, even though
massive wildfires should have meant a boom in salvageable trees, the
COVID-19 pandemic constrained mill capacity and throughput. This
constraint, along with a surge in consumer demand, led to a near 400
percent increase in lumber prices, which are only now resolving.
An analysis by The Nature Conservancy and Bain and Company management
consultants recommended incentives to ``bridge the gap between the cost
of ecological thinning and the economic viability of wood-processing
infrastructure.''
As the report explains, ``If more aggressive restoration targets can
be met, there will be significant need for additional processing
capacity to defray restoration costs and provide valuable end uses for
thinned material.''
Our bill would make targeted changes to existing Forest Service grant
programs to help the forest product industry grow and provide outlets
for the billions of acres of wood that will result from the investments
made in the bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act.
The two grant programs we target in this bill are the Community Wood
Energy and Wood Innovations Grant Program and the Wood Innovations
Program.
These programs would benefit from changes, particularly from higher
Federal cost-shares and an increased ability to provide more funding
for each project, in addition to a higher authorized funding.
The first of these, the Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovations
Grant Program, provides grants for the capital cost of small wood
products facilities. Our bill would first change the name to avoid
confusion with the Wood Innovations Program.
Our bill would also double the authorization level to $50 million per
year, allow the program to fund new facility construction in addition
to improvements. The maximum grant amount would also increase from $1
to $5 million, and the Federal cost share would increase from 35
percent to 50 percent, making it easier for small companies to use.
Our bill will also revise the Forest Service's Wood Innovations Grant
Program, which provides grants for innovative uses and applications of
wood products and the expansion of related markets. It would similarly
allow this program to be used for new facilities in addition to
retrofits and improvements and lower the minimum non-Federal cost-share
from 50 percent to 33.3 percent.
Congress has an opportunity this year to make these important changes
to these grant programs and help stimulate a self-sustaining forest
product economy and promote healthier forests. I thank Senators
Collins, Shaheen, and Kelly for their partnership on this bill, and I
urge the full Senate to promptly take up this bill and pass it as soon
as possible.
____________________