[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 102 (Monday, June 12, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2803-H2805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   BLOCK GRANT ASSISTANCE ACT OF 2023

  Mrs. CAMMACK. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 662) to amend the Disaster Relief Supplemental 
Appropriations

[[Page H2804]]

Act, 2023 to improve disaster relief funding for agricultural 
producers, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 662

       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 ``Block Grant Assistance Act 
     of 2023''.

     SEC. 2. DISASTER RELIEF SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023 
                   AMENDMENT.

       Title I of the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations 
     Act, 2023 (division N of Public Law 117-328), is amended, in 
     the matter under the heading ``Office of the Secretary'' 
     under the heading ``Processing, Research and Marketing'' 
     under the heading ``AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS'' under the heading 
     ``DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'' , by inserting ``: Provided 
     further, That the Secretary of Agriculture may provide 
     assistance for losses described under this heading in this 
     Act in the form of block grants to eligible States and 
     territories'' before the period at the end.

     SEC. 3. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.

       (a) In General.--This Act and the amendments made by this 
     Act are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to 
     section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 
     U.S.C. 933(g)).
       (b) Designation in Senate.--In the Senate, this Act and the 
     amendment made by this section are designated as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to section 4001(a)(1) of S. Con. Res. 14 
     (117th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for 
     fiscal year 2022.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Cammack) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CAMMACK. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CAMMACK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, this bill, led by my colleagues Representatives Scott 
Franklin and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, both of the Sunshine State as 
well, has the support of the entire Florida delegation, which is very 
urgently calling, on behalf of the citrus producers in our State, to 
pass this bill.
  Hurricane Ian impacted more than 375,000 acres of citrus groves, 
costing nearly $675 million in damages to the industry. More than 90 
percent of all Florida citrus production was impacted by tropical 
storms in 2022. I will repeat that because I think it bears repeating: 
More than 90 percent of all Florida citrus produce was impacted by 
tropical storms in 2022.

                              {time}  1715

  In December of last year, Congress appropriated $3.7 billion, with a 
b, to address agricultural losses from hurricanes and other natural 
disasters. However, to date, no citrus grower has received any of the 
agricultural disaster relief funds. None.
  When speaking to Secretary Vilsack, Secretary of the USDA, during a 
recent Ag Committee hearing, the Secretary stated that they, being 
USDA, needed this authority from Congress, and if we give USDA the 
authority, they will do everything that they can to get these funds to 
those who need it most.
  The exact quote from Secretary Vilsack was:

       If you, Congress, direct us, USDA, and give us the power to 
     do so, we will do everything we can to get the resources to 
     the people who need it as quickly as we can.

  This bill would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to create a 
program within USDA to support specialty crops, including citrus, 
damaged by natural disasters. In 2017, this relief model was 
successfully used to help growers recover from Hurricane Irma. The 
Block Grant Assistance Act would provide that exact same flexibility to 
the Secretary to help Florida citrus growers recover from Hurricane 
Ian.
  In 2018, Congress gave USDA the authority to issue block grants to 
States to assist with recovery efforts after Hurricane Irma. In 
conjunction with the USDA Farm Service Agency, the FSA, the Florida 
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Florida 
Division of Emergency Management, the Florida Citrus Recovery Block 
Grant Program was created to support citrus growers impacted by 
Hurricane Irma. The CRBG program was widely successful in aiding the 
Florida citrus industry. Unfortunately, for our citrus producers, the 
language in the fiscal year `23 omnibus bill did not provide Secretary 
Vilsack the direct authority to disburse the appropriated disaster 
funds via block grant.
  Citrus is a crucial part of the Florida economy. The industry has 
more than 400,000 acres of citrus groves across the State. The industry 
contributes $6.8 billion to the economy each year and supports over 
33,000 jobs. Citrus growers have had no shortage of challenges over the 
past several decades, from citrus greening to natural disasters, high 
input costs, labor concerns, and beyond. However, our State growers 
have continued to remain resilient. This bill would help our citrus 
growers recover from Hurricane Ian by allowing the Secretary to 
efficiently deploy the funds that have already been appropriated by 
Congress.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 662, the Block 
Grant Assistance Act of 2023.
  I am a proud cosponsor of this bill, along with my fellow Floridians, 
including Mrs. Cammack, Mr. C. Scott Franklin, and Ms. Wasserman 
Schultz. I thank Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member   David Scott for 
their assistance in moving this bill to the floor in a fairly expedited 
fashion.
  The bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to utilize block 
grants to provide funding to States and territories to assist 
agricultural producers with losses due to natural disasters in the 
calendar year 2022. This does not address future disaster assistance. 
It simply allows USDA to get the money already appropriated to 
producers in our home States sooner, although we should look at that 
going forward as a longer-term reform.
  Why is this important? Hurricane Ian devastated both southwest and 
central Florida. A category 4 storm hitting on September 28 of last 
year, it was tied for the fifth strongest hurricane ever to make 
landfall in the United States.
  Less than 2 months later, on November 10, 2022, Hurricane Nicole made 
landfall near Vero Beach, Florida. Nicole devastated parts of our east 
coast.
  The devastation was horrific, and the impact on Florida citrus and 
other segments of our agriculture industry has been devastating. My 
colleagues from Florida and other impacted areas were grateful for 
Congress' support in the omnibus.
  However, with losses to the citrus industry of somewhere between $416 
million and $675 million, we need help quicker for these losses. The 
citrus industry is responsible for $6.8 billion in revenue and 33,000 
jobs in Florida, including in Florida's Ninth Congressional District. 
Our Florida Department of Citrus and Department of Agriculture and 
Consumer Services have utilized the block grant authority previously to 
help deliver assistance to our cattle and timber producers, as well. 
However, the money hasn't gotten there yet.
  I applaud our Agriculture Secretary Vilsack for making a promise. He 
came down to Polk County in central Florida, met with citrus growers, 
and promised them he would get the money to these hard-fighting growers 
throughout central and south Florida.
  He also came to the Agriculture Committee, as my colleague Mrs. 
Cammack mentioned already, making that same promise, if we gave him the 
statutory authority to do that. Today, on the House floor, we made good 
on our role in helping Secretary Vilsack's promise.
  Citrus faces a lot of challenges. Citrus greening continues to wreak 
havoc on our yields. We have new and promising pesticides that are 
working out, but we have a long way to go to get back to the heyday of 
the mid-2000s.
  Citrus is also America's vitamin C source. We can't afford to export 
this critical set of nutrients to foreign producers. We need to protect 
it right here at home. This iconic Florida crop is critical for now and 
into the future.
  Madam Speaker, I stand here today and ask my colleagues to support 
this

[[Page H2805]]

critical bill and join me in voting ``yes'' on H.R. 662. I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAMMACK. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. C. Scott Franklin).
  Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of 
my bill, H.R. 662, the Block Grant Assistance Act.

  This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to provide funding 
via block grants to States and territories to assist agricultural 
producers who suffered losses due to natural disasters that occurred in 
calendar year 2022.
  More than 90 percent of all Florida citrus production was wiped out 
by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022, totaling over 375,000 acres 
impacted. It is not just a single season loss. The thousands of new 
trees that must be planted to replace those that were lost will not 
yield fruit for 3 to 5 years. The Florida Department of Agriculture and 
Consumer Services expects these devastating losses to cost as much as 
$675 million.
  Congress did its part, passing supplemental disaster relief back in 
December, $3.7 billion to be exact. This money was set aside to assist 
recoveries from the consequences of droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, 
floods, tornadoes, winter storms, and a host of other disasters that 
struck Americans throughout the country last year. However, previous 
disaster bills that assisted and addressed similar losses included 
explicit discretionary language and authority to the Secretary of 
Agriculture to deliver assistance via block grants. Unfortunately, the 
omnibus bill from last December did not include this needed authority 
language.
  Failure to provide this authority will result in longer delays in 
distributing relief to a citrus industry already devastated by invasive 
diseases and trade disadvantages. In fact, 8 months after the 
hurricanes, not a penny of Emergency Relief Program funds have been 
disbursed to anyone, especially our citrus growers. They simply cannot 
continue to absorb blow after blow, especially when we can provide the 
needed assistance quickly. Without this authority, there is a real 
threat in Florida that our citrus groves will go under, and vital 
agricultural land will be ceded to developers at fire sale prices.
  Madam Speaker, this bill does not appropriate any new funds. There is 
no additional expense to taxpayers. It simply gives the USDA the 
ability to quickly disburse already appropriated disaster relief funds 
via block grants. The Congressional Budget Office has reviewed it, and 
it will have zero impact on our Federal budget. The money is there. We 
just need to get it to the folks who need it now before it is too late.
  In a recent Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing, Secretary 
Vilsack acknowledged the critical need for disaster relief and agreed 
that this is a viable solution. The USDA inspector general also 
testified to us in an oversight hearing that, historically, disaster 
block grants have been a highly effective tool in delivering much-
needed relief in a quick and efficient manner.
  I thank Representative Kat Cammack, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Darren 
Soto, and the rest of my Florida colleagues who unanimously joined this 
effort. Senators Scott and Rubio have a Senate companion bill, as well.
  Madam Speaker, this is not just a Florida concern. I am honored to 
represent Florida's 18th Congressional District, which is home to more 
than 70 percent of Florida's citrus industry, so, yes, this is near and 
dear to me. My constituents are suffering. They sent me here to 
Washington to be their voice and to fight for them.
  This bill also helps secure relief for more than just those who earn 
their living from citrus. In addition to other Florida ag producers who 
were devastated last year, this bill impacts agricultural communities 
all across the country who were affected by disasters in 2022.
  I extend my thanks to my colleagues in the Texas, California, and 
Washington delegations for their bipartisan cosponsorship of this much-
needed adjustment. I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers and yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAMMACK. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 662, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________