[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 177 (Thursday, October 26, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5214-S5216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Grassley):
S. 3146. A bill to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to
establish a voluntary program to reduce food loss and waste, and for
other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry.
Mr. DURBIN. 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:
S. 3146
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 ``Reduce Food Loss and Waste
Act''.
SEC. 2. FOOD LOSS AND WASTE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.
Subtitle A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7
U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 210B. FOOD LOSS AND WASTE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Apparently wholesome food.--The term `apparently
wholesome food' has the meaning given the term in subsection
(b) of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (42
U.S.C. 1791(b)).
``(2) Certified participant.--The term `certified
participant' means an eligible participant that has been
certified under subsection (d).
``(3) Eligible participant.--The term `eligible
participant' means--
``(A) a contractor that has entered into a contract with an
executive agency, the Senate, or the House of Representatives
for the provision, service, or sale of food in the United
States;
``(B) a State, local, municipal, or Tribal government;
``(C) a corporation, partnership, organization, or
association;
``(D) a farm or a food producer, manufacturer, processor,
holder, or packer;
``(E) a retail grocer;
``(F) a restaurant or similar food service establishment;
``(G) an institution of higher education or a consortium of
those institutions; or
``(H) a primary or secondary school or a consortium of
those institutions.
``(4) Excess.--The term `excess', with respect to food,
means that the food would otherwise be discarded.
[[Page S5215]]
``(5) Food.--The term `food' means food (as defined in
section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21
U.S.C. 321)) that is intended for human consumption.
``(6) Program.--The term `program' means the Food Loss and
Waste Reduction Certification Program established under
subsection (b).
``(7) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.
``(b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a
voluntary program, to be known as the `Food Loss and Waste
Reduction Certification Program'--
``(1) to certify eligible participants in accordance with
subsection (d); and
``(2) to promote certified participants in accordance with
subsection (e).
``(c) Purposes.--The purposes of the program are--
``(1) to reduce food loss and waste;
``(2) to increase donations of excess, apparently wholesome
food to nonprofit organizations that provide food assistance
to individuals in need; and
``(3) to increase the use of alternative disposal methods
for food, such as redirection to animal feed, anaerobic
digestion, and composting.
``(d) Certification.--
``(1) Criteria.--
``(A) In general.--
``(i) Establishment and publication.--Not later than 18
months after the date of enactment of the Reduce Food Loss
and Waste Act, the Secretary shall establish and publish in
the Federal Register criteria for the certification of an
eligible participant under the program.
``(ii) Inclusions.--Criteria described in clause (i) shall
include the submission to a third-party certifier accredited
under paragraph (3) of documentation from 12 consecutive
months on the quantity of food that the eligible
participant--
``(I) has donated to nonprofit organizations that provide
food assistance for individuals in need; or
``(II) has sent to be disposed of.
``(B) Stakeholder input.--The Secretary shall solicit
comments from interested parties prior to the establishment
or revision of the criteria described in subparagraph (A).
``(C) Revisions.--
``(i) In general.--The Secretary shall revise the criteria
described in subparagraph (A) on a periodic basis.
``(ii) Publication.--The Secretary shall publish in the
Federal Register criteria revised under clause (i) not later
than 270 days before the effective date of the revised
criteria, including an explanation of the revisions.
``(2) Accreditation bodies.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date
of enactment of the Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act, the
Secretary shall establish a process to recognize
accreditation bodies to accredit third-party certifiers under
paragraph (3)(A).
``(B) Standards.--The Secretary shall recognize an
accreditation body under subparagraph (A) if the
accreditation body meets such standards as the Secretary
shall establish.
``(3) Third-party certifiers.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date
of enactment of the Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act, the
Secretary shall establish a process for accreditation bodies
recognized under paragraph (2) to accredit third-party
certifiers to review and certify eligible participants under
the program.
``(B) Standards.--An accreditation body recognized under
paragraph (2) shall accredit a third-party certifier under
subparagraph (A) if the third-party certifier meets such
standards as the Secretary shall establish.
``(C) Preference.--In accrediting third-party certifiers
under subparagraph (A), an accreditation body recognized
under paragraph (2) shall give preference to institutions of
higher education that have expertise in food loss and waste
reduction.
``(D) Certification.--A third-party certifier accredited
under subparagraph (A) shall review and certify an eligible
participant under the program if the eligible participant
meets the criteria established under paragraph (1).
``(4) Publication.--The Secretary shall maintain on a
publicly available website of the Department of Agriculture--
``(A) a list of accreditation bodies recognized under
paragraph (2); and
``(B) a list of third-party certifiers accredited under
paragraph (3).
``(e) Promotion.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall promote a certified
participant under the program, including through--
``(A) voluntary labeling established under paragraph (2);
and
``(B) such other communications as the Secretary determines
to be appropriate relating to the products, buildings,
practices, and policies of the certified participant, such
as--
``(i) publication on the website of the Department of
Agriculture of information relating to the certified
participant; and
``(ii) holding events to promote the certified participant
or otherwise relating to the program.
``(2) Voluntary labeling.--The Secretary shall establish 1
or more voluntary labels that indicate that a certified
participant is certified under the program.
``(f) Interagency Coordination.--The Secretary shall carry
out this section in coordination with the Commissioner of
Food and Drugs and the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency, in accordance with the memorandum of
understanding revised under section 3 of the Reduce Food Loss
and Waste Act.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section, including for
the hiring of additional personnel, $3,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2024 through 2028, to remain available until
expended.''.
SEC. 3. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.
The Secretary of Agriculture, the Commissioner of Food and
Drugs, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency shall revise, in accordance with section 210B of the
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (as added by section 2),
the agreement signed on December 17, 2020, relating to
cooperation and coordination on food loss and waste.
______
By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. Wyden):
S. 3154. A bill to improve the effectiveness of tribal child support
enforcement agencies, and for other purposes; to the Committee on
Finance.
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:
S. 3154
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 ``Tribal Child Support
Enforcement Act''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRIBAL CHILD SUPPORT
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.
(a) Improving the Collection of Past-due Child Support
Through State and Tribal Parity in the Allowable Use of Tax
Information.--
(1) Amendment to the social security act.--Section 464 of
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 664) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(d) Applicability to Indian Tribes and Tribal
Organizations Receiving a Grant Under This Part.--This
section, except for the requirement to distribute amounts in
accordance with section 457, shall apply to an Indian tribe
or tribal organization receiving a grant under section 455(f)
in the same manner in which this section applies to a State
with a plan approved under this part.''.
(2) Amendments to the internal revenue code.--
(A) Section 6103(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
is amended by striking ``any local child support enforcement
agency'' and inserting ``any tribal or local child support
enforcement agency''.
(B) Section 6103(a)(3) of such Code is amended by inserting
``, (8)'' after ``(6)''.
(C) Section 6103(l) of such Code is amended--
(i) in paragraph (6)--
(I) by striking ``or local'' in subparagraph (A) and
inserting ``tribal, or local'';
(II) by striking ``and local'' in the heading thereof and
inserting ``tribal, and local'';
(III) by striking ``The following'' in subparagraph (B) and
inserting ``The'';
(IV) by striking the colon and all that follows in
subparagraph (B) and inserting a period; and
(V) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) State, tribal, or local child support enforcement
agency.--For purposes of this paragraph, the following shall
be treated as a State, tribal, or local child support
enforcement agency:
``(i) Any agency of a State or political subdivision
thereof operating pursuant to a plan described in section 454
of the Social Security Act which has been approved by the
Secretary of Health and Human Services under part D of title
IV of such Act.
``(ii) Any child support enforcement agency of an Indian
tribe or tribal organization receiving a grant under section
455(f) of the Social Security Act.'';
(ii) in paragraph (8)--
(I) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or State or local''
and inserting ``State, tribal, or local'';
(II) by adding the following at the end of subparagraph
(B): ``The information disclosed to any child support
enforcement agency under subparagraph (A) with respect to any
individual with respect to whom child support obligations are
sought to be established or enforced may be disclosed by such
agency to any agent of such agency which is under contract
with such agency for purposes of, and to the extent necessary
in, establishing and collecting child support obligations
from, and locating, individuals owing such obligations.'';
(III) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the
following:
``(C) State, tribal, or local child support enforcement
agency.--For purposes of this paragraph, the term `State,
tribal, or local child support enforcement agency' has the
same meaning as when used in paragraph (6)(D).''; and
(IV) by striking ``and local'' in the heading thereof and
inserting ``tribal, and local''; and
(iii) in paragraph (10)(B), by adding at the end the
following new clause:
[[Page S5216]]
``(iii) The information disclosed to any child support
enforcement agency under subparagraph (A) with respect to any
individual with respect to whom child support obligations are
sought to be established or enforced may be disclosed by such
agency to any agent of such agency which is under contract
with such agency for purposes of, and to the extent necessary
in, establishing and collecting child support obligations
from, and locating, individuals owing such obligations.''.
(D) Section 6103(p) of such Code is amended--
(i) in paragraph (4), by striking ``subsection (l)(10),
(13)(A), (13)(B), (13)(C), (13)(D)(i), (16), (18), (19), or
(20) or any entity'' each place it appears in subparagraph
(F) and in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) and
inserting ``subsection (l)(6), (8), (10), (13)(A), (13)(B),
(13)(C), (13)(D)(i), (16), (18), (19), or (20), or any Indian
tribe or tribal organization receiving a grant under section
455(f) of the Social Security Act, or any entity'', and
(ii) in paragraph (9), by striking ``or local'' and
inserting ``tribal, or local''.
(E) Subsection (c) of section 6402 of such Code is amended
by adding at the end the following: ``For purposes of this
subsection, any reference to a State shall include a
reference to any Indian tribe or tribal organization
receiving a grant under section 455(f) of the Social Security
Act.''.
(b) Reimbursement for Reports.--Section 453(g) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653(g)) is amended--
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``State''; and
(2) by striking ``and State'' and inserting ``, State, and
tribal''.
(c) Technical Amendments.--Paragraphs (7) and (33) of
section 454 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 654) are
each amended by striking ``450b'' and inserting ``5304''.
______
By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms.
Baldwin, Ms. Warren, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Van Hollen, and Mr.
Sanders):
S. 3155. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand
the denial of deduction for certain excessive employee remuneration,
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. REED. Madam President, I am reintroducing the Stop Subsidizing
Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act with Senators Blumenthal,
Whitehouse, Merkley, Baldwin, Warren, Van Hollen, and Sanders. This
legislation would finally fully close a loophole that allows publicly
traded corporations to deduct the cost of multimillion-dollar bonuses
from their corporate tax bills. At a time when the gulf in pay between
CEOs and average workers is 272 to 1, it is infuriating that U.S.
taxpayers are being forced to subsidize lavish executive compensation
packages, but that is what is happening.
Under section 162(m) of the Tax Code, publicly traded corporations
cannot deduct more than $1 million in compensation paid to their top
executives. But section 162(m) does not cover compensation paid to all
public company employees, and corporations have long exploited this
loophole to claim tax deductions for executive compensation packages
that far exceed $1 million. Indeed, publicly traded corporations are
offering these lucrative compensation deals to ever increasing numbers
of executives--not just a few at the very top of the organization.
Both Republican and Democratic administrations have recognized the
need to close loopholes in section 162(m). Indeed, both President Trump
and President Biden signed laws based on earlier versions of my
legislation in order to curtail the abuse of this deduction. This
includes ensuring that performance-based compensation is actualjy
counted as compensation under section 162(m) and increasing the number
of highly paid executives who are subject to section 162(m). Partially
tightening the law in these ways has saved taxpayers well over $9.2
billion. But the full loophole has still not been closed and taxpayers
continue to subsidize billions of dollars in extravagant compensation.
The Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act would
address the remaining gaps by applying section 162(m) restrictions to
all employees of publicly traded corporations so that all compensation
is subject to a deductibility cap of $1 million per employee.
To be clear, under my bill, publicly traded corporations would still
be able to pay their executives as much as they desire, but individual
compensation packages above and beyond $1 million would no longer be
subsidized through our Tax Code. This is a matter of fairness. It
ensures that corporations and shareholders--not hard-working
taxpayers--are shouldering the cost of the multimillion-dollar
compensation packages they provide to their top earners.
I thank Public Citizen, Americans for Financial Reform, the AFL-CIO,
the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, MIT Professor Simon
Johnson, Take On Wall Street, and the Institute for Policy Studies,
Global Economy Project for their support. I urge our colleagues to join
us in cosponsoring this legislation and pressing for its passage.
____________________