[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 43 (Thursday, March 6, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1605-S1609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
______
By Mr. SCHUMER (for himself and Mrs. Capito):
S. 877. A bill to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint
commemorative coins in recognition of the life and legacy of Roberto
Clemente; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Mr. SCHUMER. 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:
S. 877
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 ``Roberto Clemente
Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Roberto Clemente Walker was born on August 18, 1934, to
Don Melchor Clemente and Luisa Walker in Barrio San Anton,
Carolina, Puerto Rico, as the youngest of 7 children.
(2) Clemente excelled in athletics as a youngster and, at
the age of 17, was playing for the Santurce Cangrejeros
``Crabbers'' of the Puerto Rican Baseball League.
(3) In 1954, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Clemente in
the first round of the Major League Baseball Rule 5 draft.
(4) Pirates center fielder Earl Smith wore jersey number 21
until he parted ways with the team in April 1955, and
Clemente wore number 13 until then.
(5) In 1955, Clemente made his Major League debut as he
went on to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, starting as a
right fielder.
(6) When the team traveled to Richmond, Virginia, for games
or Florida for spring training, Clemente encountered Jim Crow
[[Page S1606]]
laws for the first time when the Black players had to stay at
a separate, inferior hotel and were refused the option to
dine with their White counterparts.
(7) Clemente was known for being a proud Afro-Latino and
protested the discrimination that Latin and Black ball
players encountered.
(8) Clemente was known for defending the rights of Black
and Brown people, both on the field and in the streets.
(9) After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in
1968, Clemente and his teammates refused to play until after
the funerals and even wrote a public statement showing their
respect for Dr. King.
(10) Clemente became a union leader in the incipient Major
League Baseball Players Association and defended players'
rights to demand better working conditions and benefits.
(11) In every city where the Pirates played, Clemente
visited sick children in hospitals.
(12) Clemente established training clinics, providing
baseball lessons and fun for boys and girls in Pittsburgh,
his home island of Puerto Rico, and throughout Latin America.
(13) In 1958, Clemente enlisted in the United States Marine
Corps Reserve after the 1958 season and spent 6 months on
active duty at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Camp
LeJeune, North Carolina.
(14) Clemente served until 1964 and was inducted into the
Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
(15) By the end of his career, Clemente had joined the
exclusive 3,000-hit club, was selected to 15 All-Star teams,
and won 12 Gold Gloves, 2 World Series, and a National League
MVP award.
(16) In Clemente's 18 seasons with Pittsburgh he won 4
batting titles, hit 240 home runs, and posted a lifetime .317
batting average.
(17) In late 1972, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake ravaged
Managua, Nicaragua, and killed 5,000 people.
(18) In his philanthropic spirit, Clemente sent shipments
of humanitarian aid to the country.
(19) After learning that 3 previous shipments had been
diverted by corrupt Somoza Government officials, Clemente
decided to accompany one of the aid shipments.
(20) The four-engine DC-7 plane Clemente chartered for a
flight on New Year's Eve crashed in the Atlantic Ocean
immediately after takeoff from the coast of Isla Verde,
Puerto Rico.
(21) On December 31, 1972, Clemente died in the plane crash
at the age of 38 years young.
(22) Since 1973, Major League Baseball gives out the
Roberto Clemente Award to one player in the league who ``best
exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community
involvement and the individual's contribution to his team''.
(23) In 2002, Major League Baseball declared the first
annual Roberto Clemente Day.
(24) In 2021, Major League Baseball announced September 15
would be the permanent date of Roberto Clemente Day to
coincide with the beginning of Hispanic Heritage month.
(25) Clemente was the first Latino player to accomplish
many feats in Major League Baseball.
(26) Clemente was the first Puerto Rican, and first person
of Latino heritage, to win a World Series as a starter, be
named league MVP, be named World Series MVP, and be elected
to the Hall of Fame.
(27) Clemente was posthumously elected to the National
Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, being the first National
League baseball player to receive the mandatory 5-year
waiting period waiver.
(28) Clemente was a legend in life and death, a baseball
star, a humanitarian activist, and a symbol of Latin American
pride.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--The Secretary of the Treasury
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'')
shall mint and issue the following coins:
(1) $5 gold coins.--Not more than 50,000 $5 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 8.359 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
(C) contain not less than 90 percent gold.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 400,000 $1 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(C) contain not less than 90 percent silver.
(3) Half-dollar clad coins.--Not more than 750,000 half-
dollar coins which shall--
(A) weigh 11.34 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and
(C) be minted to the specifications for half-dollar coins
contained in section 5112(b) of title 31, United States Code.
(b) Legal Tender.--The coins minted under this Act shall be
legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, United
States Code.
(c) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and
5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under
this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.
(a) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The designs of the coins minted under this
Act shall be emblematic of the life of Roberto Clemente,
including his human rights activism and baseball stardom
legacy. At least 1 obverse design shall bear the image of
Roberto Clemente.
(2) Designation and inscriptions.--On each coin minted
under this Act, there shall be--
(A) an inscription of Roberto Clemente;
(B) a designation of the value of the coin;
(C) an inscription of the year ``2027''; and
(D) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God We
Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E Pluribus
Unum''.
(b) Selection.--The designs for the coins minted under this
Act shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the
Roberto Clemente Foundation, Roberto Clemente's living family
members, and the Commission of the Fine Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
(a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be
issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins
under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning on
January 1, 2027.
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.
(a) Sale Price.--The coins issued under this Act shall be
sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum of--
(1) the face value of the coins;
(2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with respect to
such coins; and
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins (including
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses,
marketing, and shipping).
(b) Bulk Sales.--The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the
coins issued under this Act at a reasonable discount.
(c) Prepaid Orders.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders
for the coins minted under this Act before the issuance of
such coins.
(2) Discount.--Sale prices with respect to prepaid orders
under paragraph (1) shall be at a reasonable discount.
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.
(a) In General.--All sales of coins issued under this Act
shall include--
(1) a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coins;
(2) a surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coins; and
(3) a surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dollar coins.
(b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31,
United States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary
from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be paid to
the Roberto Clemente Foundation to be used for general
expenses associated with the fulfillment of the mission of
the Roberto Clemente Foundation, including for costs
associated with educational, youth sports, and disaster
relief historic preservation.
(c) Audits.--The Roberto Clemente Foundation, shall be
subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of
title 31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts
received under subsection (b).
(d) Limitation.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), no
surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance under
this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as of the
time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin would result
in the number of commemorative coin programs issued during
such year to exceed the annual 2 commemorative coin program
issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31,
United States Code (as in effect on the date of the enactment
of this Act). The Secretary may issue guidance to carry out
this subsection.
SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.
The Secretary shall take such actions as may be necessary
to ensure that--
(1) minting and issuing coins under this Act will not
result in any net cost to the United States Government; and
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, shall be
disbursed to any recipient designated in section 7 until the
total cost of designing and issuing all of the coins
authorized by this Act (including labor, materials, dies, use
of machinery, overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping) is
recovered by the United States Treasury, consistent with
sections 5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code.
______
By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Markey, Mr. Sanders, Mr.
Blumenthal, Ms. Warren, and Mr. Wyden):
S. 893. 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, longstanding challenges persist 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.
[[Page S1607]]
Our Nation has made historic investments in our port and supply chain
infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law, but we should
also improve wages and working conditions for critical 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. Requiring overtime will create an incentive for the shippers,
receivers, and carriers to get cargo loaded and unloaded, keeping
truckers and our supply chain moving.
The motor carrier exemption exacerbates trucking workforce
challenges. In fact, a February 2022 freight and logistics supply chain
assessment by the U.S. Department of Transportation urged Congress to
repeal this exemption. 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 coleading this bill with me, and I
hope our colleagues will join us to ensure that trucker compensation
reflects the fact that these jobs are essential.
______
By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. Lujan):
S. 904. A bill to improve disaster assistance programs of the
Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes; to the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
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:
S. 904
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 ``Livestock Disaster
Assistance Improvement Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. EMERGENCY CONSERVATION PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS.
(a) Additional Requirements.--Title IV of the Agricultural
Credit Act of 1978 is amended by inserting after section 402B
(16 U.S.C. 2202b) the following:
``SEC. 402C. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR EMERGENCY
CONSERVATION PROGRAM.
``(a) Eligibility of Federal, State, and Local Land
Users.--
``(1) In general.--An agricultural producer eligible to
receive payments under sections 401 and 402 includes a person
that--
``(A) holds a permit from the Federal Government to conduct
agricultural production or grazing on Federal land; or
``(B) leases land from a State or unit of local government
to conduct agricultural production or grazing on that land.
``(2) Effect.--Nothing in this subsection authorizes the
Secretary to make a payment under section 401 or 402 to a
State or unit of local government.
``(b) Permanent Improvements.--Emergency measures eligible
for payments under sections 401 and 402 include--
``(1) new permanent measures, including permanent water
wells and pipelines; and
``(2) replacement or restoration of existing emergency
measures with permanent measures, including permanent water
wells and pipelines.
``(c) Streamlining Application Process.--
``(1) Waiver of public comment.--During a drought
emergency, as determined by the Secretary, the 30-day public
comment period required under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) shall be waived
with respect to an application to carry out emergency
measures under section 401 or 402 on land administered by the
Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the
Bureau of Land Management (referred to in this subsection as
the `Secretary of the Interior').
``(2) Acceptance of nrcs reviews.--With respect to an
application to carry out emergency measures under section 401
or 402 on land administered by the Secretary of the Interior,
the Secretary of the Interior may accept--
``(A) during a drought emergency, as determined by the
Secretary, an archeological review conducted by the
Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, for purposes of an archeological review
required to be conducted;
``(B) an environmental review under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.)
conducted by the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the
Natural Resources Conservation Service, for purposes of such
an environmental review required to be conducted; and
``(C) a review under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) conducted by the Secretary, acting
through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation
Service, for purposes of such a review required to be
conducted.''.
(b) Emergency Forest Restoration Program.--Section 407 of
the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (3) as
paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively;
(B) by inserting before paragraph (3) (as so redesignated)
the following:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) with respect to nonindustrial private forest land, an
owner of the nonindustrial private forest land;
``(B) with respect to Federal land, a person that holds a
permit from the Federal Government to conduct agricultural
production or grazing on the Federal land; and
``(C) with respect to land owned by a State or a unit of
local government, a person that leases land from the State or
unit of local government to conduct agricultural production
or grazing on that land.
``(2) Eligible land.--The term `eligible land' means--
``(A) nonindustrial private forest land;
``(B) Federal land; and
``(C) land owned by a State or unit of local government.'';
and
(C) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking
``nonindustrial private forest land'' and inserting
``eligible land''; and
(II) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses
(I) and (II), respectively, and indenting appropriately;
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses
(i) and (ii), respectively, and indenting appropriately;
(iii) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so
redesignated), by striking ``The term'' and inserting the
following:
``(A) In general.--The term''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Inclusions.--The term `emergency measures' includes--
``(i) new permanent measures described in subparagraph (A),
including permanent water wells and pipelines; and
``(ii) replacement or restoration of existing emergency
measures with permanent measures described in subparagraph
(A), including permanent water wells and pipelines.'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) by striking ``an owner of nonindustrial private forest
land who'' and inserting ``an eligible entity that''; and
(B) by striking ``restore the land'' and inserting
``restore eligible land'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking ``owner must'' and inserting ``eligible
entity shall''; and
(B) by striking ``nonindustrial private forest land'' and
inserting ``eligible land'';
(4) in subsection (d), by striking ``an owner of
nonindustrial private forest land'' and inserting ``an
eligible entity'';
(5) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (g); and
(6) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Streamlining Application Process.--
``(1) Waiver of public comment.--During a drought
emergency, as determined by the Secretary, the 30-day public
comment period required under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) shall be waived
with respect to an application to carry out emergency
measures under this section on land administered by the
Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the
Bureau of Land Management (referred to in this subsection as
the `Secretary of the Interior').
``(2) Acceptance of nrcs reviews.--With respect to an
application to carry out emergency measures under this
section on land administered by the Secretary of the
Interior, the Secretary of the Interior may accept--
``(A) during a drought emergency, as determined by the
Secretary, an archeological review conducted by the
Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, for purposes of an archeological review
required to be conducted;
``(B) an environmental review under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.)
conducted by the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the
Natural Resources Conservation Service, for purposes of such
an environmental review required to be conducted; and
``(C) a review under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) conducted by the Secretary, acting
through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation
Service, for purposes of such a review required to be
conducted.
``(f) Effect.--Nothing in this section authorizes the
Secretary to make a payment under this section to a State or
unit of local government.''.
(c) Clerical Improvements.--
(1) Repeal.--Section 406 of the Agricultural Credit Act of
1978 (16 U.S.C. 2201 note; Public Law 95-334) is repealed.
(2) Heading format corrections.--
(A) Section 402 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16
U.S.C. 2202) is amended--
(i) by striking the section designation and all that
follows through ``authorized'' and inserting the following:
[[Page S1608]]
``SEC. 402. WATER CONSERVATION AND WATER ENHANCING MEASURES
DURING SEVERE DROUGHT.
``The Secretary is authorized''; and
(ii) by striking ``during'' and all that follows through
``of'' and inserting ``during a period of''.
(B) Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16
U.S.C. 2203) is amended by striking the section designation
and all that follows through ``authorized'' in subsection (a)
and inserting the following:
``SEC. 403. EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized''.
(C) Section 405 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16
U.S.C. 2205) is amended by striking the section designation
and all that follows through ``authorized'' and inserting the
following:
``SEC. 405. REGULATIONS.
``The Secretary is authorized''.
(3) Reordering.--Title IV of the Agricultural Credit Act of
1978 (16 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.) is amended--
(A) by redesignating sections 402C (as added by subsection
(a)), 403, 404, 405, and 407 (as amended by subsection (b))
as sections 403, 405, 407, 408, and 406, respectively, and
moving the sections so as to appear in numerical order;
(B) in section 402B (16 U.S.C. 2202b), by striking the
section designation and heading and all that follows through
``maximum'' and inserting the following:
``(d) Maximum Payment.--The maximum''; and
(C) by moving that subsection (d) (as so redesignated) so
as to appear after subsection (c) of section 402A (16 U.S.C.
2202a).
(4) Clerical amendments.--Section 402A of the Agricultural
Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2202a) (as amended by paragraph
(3)(C)) is amended--
(A) in subsection (b), by striking ``2279)'' and inserting
``2279))'';
(B) in subsection (c), in the subsection heading, by
striking ``Limitation'' and inserting ``Total Payment for
Single Event'';
(C) by striking the section designation and heading and
inserting the following:
``SEC. 404. COST-SHARE REQUIREMENT; MAXIMUM PAYMENT.''; AND
(D) by moving that section 404 (as so redesignated) so as
to appear after section 403 (as redesignated by paragraph
(3)(A)).
(5) Conforming amendment.--Section 1241(f)(9)(B) of the
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(f)(9)(B)) is
amended by striking ``403'' and inserting ``405''.
SEC. 3. LIVESTOCK FORAGE DISASTER PROGRAM.
Section 1501(c)(3)(D)(ii)(I) of the Agricultural Act of
2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(c)(3)(D)(ii)(I)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``at least 8 consecutive'' and inserting
the following: ``not less than--
``(aa) 4 consecutive weeks during the normal grazing period
for the county, as determined by the Secretary, shall be
eligible to receive assistance under this paragraph in an
amount equal to 1 monthly payment using the monthly payment
rate determined under subparagraph (B); or
``(bb) 8 consecutive''; and
(2) in item (bb) (as so designated), by striking ``1
monthly payment'' and inserting ``2 monthly payments''.
SEC. 4. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR LIVESTOCK, HONEY BEES, AND
FARM-RAISED FISH.
(a) In General.--Section 1501(d) of the Agricultural Act of
2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(d)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``drought,'' after
``adverse weather,'';
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``to reduce losses'' and
all that follows through the period at the end and inserting
``to reduce losses caused by feed or water shortages
(including transportation costs for feed, water, livestock,
and honey bees), disease, adverse weather, drought, or other
factors, as determined by the Secretary, including
inspections of cattle tick fever.'';
(3) in paragraph (4)--
(A) by striking ``In the case'' and inserting the
following:
``(A) In general.--In the case''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Requirements for honey bees.--
``(i) In general.--In the case of eligible producers of
honey bees, the payment rate under subparagraph (A) shall
incorporate per-hive and per-colony rates of loss, subject to
clause (ii).
``(ii) Determination of colony losses.--
``(I) In general.--For purposes of clause (i), in
determining honeybee colony losses eligible for assistance
under this subsection, the Secretary shall--
``(aa) review the normal mortality rate used for the
calculation of that assistance; and
``(bb) adjust the normal mortality rate described in item
(aa) as necessary to exclude losses caused by colony collapse
disorder, as determined by the Secretary.
``(II) Insufficient data.--In the absence of sufficient
data to establish the adjusted mortality rate described in
subclause (I)(bb), the Secretary shall use the normal
mortality rate for honey bees applied for the first fiscal
year for which emergency relief was provided to eligible
producers of honey bees under section 531(e) of the Federal
Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1531(e)).''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Documentation.--
``(A) In general.--Any requirements for the submission of
documentation by an eligible producer to receive a payment
under this subsection shall be consistent nationwide.
``(B) Producers of honey bees.--The Secretary, in
consultation with eligible producers of honey bees, shall
establish a standard, for purposes of this subsection, for--
``(i) collecting data; and
``(ii) setting an annual rate for replacing colonies and
hives of honey bees.''.
(b) Applicability to Producers of Honey Bees.--The
Secretary of Agriculture shall apply the amendments made by
subsection (a) to producers of honey bees such that there is
no limit on the size of a beekeeping operation with respect
to those amendments.
SEC. 5. DROUGHT MONITOR INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall
establish an interagency working group (referred to in this
section as the ``working group'') to improve the availability
of consistent, accurate, and reliable data for use in
producing the United States Drought Monitor in accordance
with section 12512 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018
(7 U.S.C. 5856).
(b) Membership.--The working group shall consist of not
fewer than--
(1) 3 representatives from the Department of Agriculture,
including 1 representative from each of--
(A) the Office of the Chief Economist, who shall serve as
the Chair of the working group;
(B) the Forest Service; and
(C) the Farm Service Agency;
(2) 4 representatives from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, including 1 representative from
each of--
(A) the Climate Prediction Center;
(B) the National Centers for Environmental Information;
(C) the National Integrated Drought Information System; and
(D) the National Mesonet Program;
(3) 1 representative from the National Drought Mitigation
Center;
(4) 1 representative from the Department of the Interior;
(5) 1 representative from the Cooperative Institute for
Research to Operations in Hydrology of the University of
Alabama; and
(6) 3 representatives from mesonet programs in States--
(A) that have experienced severe drought, as determined by
the United States Drought Monitor, in not less than 5
calendar years during the period of calendar years 2012
through 2023; and
(B) more than 50 percent of the land area of which is
designated by the Economic Research Service as a Level 1
frontier and remote area.
(c) Duties.--The working group shall--
(1) develop a means for the inclusion of additional in-situ
data into the process of developing the United States Drought
Monitor, including--
(A) determining minimum requirements for data to be
included in the United States Drought Monitor;
(B) identifying data available from other government
agencies, including through portals managed by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and
(C) identifying gaps in coverage and determining solutions
to address those gaps;
(2) identify and address potential barriers to the use of
existing data, including--
(A) identifying Federal datasets that would be of immediate
use in developing the United States Drought Monitor where
access is restricted to some or all authors of the United
States Drought Monitor; and
(B) developing proposed accommodations, modifications to
contractual agreements, or updates to interagency memoranda
of understanding to allow for incorporation of datasets
identified under subparagraph (A);
(3) develop an open and transparent methodology for vetting
data products developed using remote sensing or modeling;
(4) if determined appropriate by the working group, develop
a methodology for inclusion of data that may otherwise be
excluded from the United States Drought Monitor due to
shorter periods of record; and
(5) identify and address any other issues relating to data
availability and quality, as determined appropriate by the
Chair of the working group.
(d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the working group shall submit a
report containing recommendations for changes in policies,
regulations, guidance documents, or existing law to meet the
objectives described in subsection (c) to--
(1) the Secretary of Agriculture;
(2) the Secretary of Commerce;
(3) the Secretary of the Interior;
(4) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate;
(5) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate;
(6) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives; and
(7) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
House of Representatives.
(e) Action by Secretary.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of submission of the report under subsection (d), the
Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary
of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior, shall
incorporate, to the extent practicable, the recommendations
of the working group to improve the United States Drought
Monitor in accordance with section 12512 of the Agriculture
Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 5856).
[[Page S1609]]
(f) Termination.--The working group shall terminate on the
date that is 90 days after the date on which the report is
submitted under subsection (d).
SEC. 6. ALIGNMENT OF FARM SERVICE AGENCY AND FOREST SERVICE
DROUGHT RESPONSE.
(a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
submission of the report under section 5(d), the
Administrator of the Farm Service Agency and the Chief of the
Forest Service shall enter into a memorandum of understanding
to better align drought response activities of the Farm
Service Agency and the Forest Service (referred to in this
section as the ``agencies'').
(b) Contents.--The memorandum of understanding entered into
under subsection (a) shall include--
(1) a commitment to better align practices of the agencies
with respect to determining the severity of regional drought
conditions;
(2) a strategy for amending those determinations to ensure
consistent policy with respect to drought response in cases
where the agencies are making inconsistent determinations
within the same spatial scale;
(3) an agreement to utilize, to the extent practicable, the
United States Drought Monitor in making those determinations;
and
(4) an agreement to provide consistent information to
grazing permittees, operators, and other stakeholders
affected by determinations relating to drought.
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Ms. Duckworth, Ms.
Ernst, and Mr. Cotton):
S. 905. A bill to require the establishment within the Department of
Defense of a pilot program on arsenal workload sustainment, and for
other purposes; to the Committee on Armed Services.
Mr. DURBIN. 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:
S. 905
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 ``Arsenal Workload Sustainment
Act''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON ARSENAL WORKLOAD SUSTAINMENT.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States has a long and proud history of
manufacturing defense products.
(2) Factories and arsenals of the Department of the Army
that are owned and operated by the United States Government
are a critical component of the organic industrial base.
(3) The first ever National Defense Industrial Strategy
released in 2024 recognized the need of the Department of
Defense to more strategically utilize the organic industrial
base in order to maintain a competitive military advantage.
(4) Sufficient workload at arsenals of the Department of
the Army that are owned and operated by the United States
Government ensure cost efficiency and technical competence in
peacetime, while preserving the ability to provide an
effective and timely response to mobilizations, national
defense contingency situations, and other emergency
requirements.
(b) Establishment of Pilot Program.--Not later than 90 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Defense shall establish a pilot program to be known as the
``Arsenal Workload Sustainment Pilot Program'' (in this
section referred to as the ``pilot program'').
(c) Duration.--The pilot program shall be conducted for a
period of five years.
(d) Preferences for Procurement Actions or Solicitations.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the pilot program, the
Secretary of Defense shall give a preference described in
paragraph (2) for any procurement action or solicitation by a
non-public partner who has entered into a public-private
partnership with the Secretary in the source selection
process if such non-public partner uses an arsenal of the
Department of the Army that is owned and operated by the
United States Government as a partner in any type of
contractual agreement with the United States Government.
(2) Preference described.--A preference described in this
paragraph is the addition of 20 percent to the price of any
offer by a non-public partner that does not use an arsenal of
the Department of the Army that is owned and operated by the
United States Government as a partner in its bid for the same
procurement action or solicitation described in paragraph
(1).
(3) Further preference.--In selecting non-public partners
under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall give
preference to non-public partners that--
(A) utilize the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence
of the Army; and
(B) ensure not less than 25 percent of the activities under
the partnership are performed by employees of the Department
of Defense.
(e) Report Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report
on the activities carried out under the pilot program,
including a description of any operational challenges
identified.
(2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall include the following:
(A) A breakout, by relevant budget accounts, of workload at
an arsenal of the Department of the Army that is owned and
operated by the United States Government that was achieved in
the prior fiscal year, whether directly or through public-
private partnerships under the pilot program.
(B) An assessment of relevant budget accounts where such an
arsenal can be utilized to meet future procurement needs of
the Department of Defense, irrespective of cost.
(C) An outlook of expected workload at each such arsenal
during the period covered by the future-years defense program
submitted to Congress under section 221 of title 10, United
States Code.
(D) The capital investments required to be made at each
such arsenal to ensure compliance and operational capacity.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Subcommittee on
Defense of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Subcommittee on
Defense of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Non-public partner.--The term ``non-public partner''
means a corporation, individual, university, or nonprofit
organization that is not part of the United States
Government.
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