[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 153 (Thursday, September 21, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S4657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA:
  S. 2898. A bill to amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 
2008 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to authorize the use of 
certain grants to deliver peer-to-peer mental health support to 
individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, farm work, and other 
occupations relating to agriculture; to the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Supporting Farm 
Workers' Mental Health Act of 2023. This bill would ensure that the 
Farm and Ranch Assistance Network serves the behavioral health needs of 
farm workers.
  The Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network is a transformative 
program that addresses the mental health needs of farmers, ranchers, 
and those engaged in agricultural occupations. While grants can be used 
to serve farmworkers, farmworkers are not explicitly identified as 
population of interest, despite their unique health needs.
  Farmworkers face significant barriers to care, including a shortage 
of culturally competent providers and low health literacy in addition 
to the challenges associated with accessing healthcare in rural areas. 
Nineteen percent of farmworkers reported symptoms of anxiety, and 14 
percent reported feeling depressed, according to a recent University of 
California, Merced study.
  The Supporting Farm Workers' Mental Health Act of 2023 would amend 
the Farm and Ranch Stress Act of 2023 would amend the Farm and Ranch 
Stress Assistance Network to explicitly include farmworkers as an 
eligible population and ensure peer-to-peer mental health services are 
an allowable grant activity. Both changes will update the program to 
reflect our agricultural workforce's behavioral health needs.
  Farmworkers feed our Nation. It is our responsibility to ensure they 
have access to behavioral health care they need.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this important 
initiative as quickly as possible.
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