[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 181 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 76391-76392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21445]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 18, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 76391]]


                Proclamation 10810 of September 13, 2024

                
National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America's farmers, farmworkers, and ranchers work 
                around the clock to nourish our Nation and power our 
                economy, allowing us to feed our communities and 
                compete in markets worldwide. They also steward lands 
                and provide meaningful jobs in our rural and Tribal 
                communities. During National Farm Safety and Health 
                Week, we recognize the incredible contributions of 
                everyone working on farms, and we recommit to improving 
                their safety and well-being.

                Our Nation's farms are a source of prosperity, but 
                working on them can be exhausting and hazardous. The 
                agriculture sector is one of America's most dangerous 
                industries. Climate change and intensifying extreme 
                heat puts the lives of agricultural workers at risk and 
                decrease productivity and profits. Uncertainty in the 
                industry heightens stress and takes a toll on our 
                farmworkers' mental health. And unfortunately, many 
                rural communities lack accessible health care, as 
                nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed in the past 20 
                years.

                I believe health care should be a right, not a 
                privilege. To that end, my Administration is investing 
                in rural health care services, training the next 
                generation of rural health care providers, and 
                expanding mental health resources in rural communities. 
                We established the Rural Emergency Hospital Designation 
                to make it easier for struggling hospitals to stay open 
                and help ensure that rural communities have access to 
                emergency services. With $500 million from my American 
                Rescue Plan and $65 billion from my Bipartisan 
                Infrastructure Law, we are making it easier for people 
                in rural areas to access health care, including 
                telehealth services and affordable mental health care. 
                We launched 988--the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline--so 
                that anyone dealing with a crisis can connect to 
                trained counselors by phone, text, or chat. We also 
                finalized a rule that strengthens mental health parity 
                by requiring health insurers to cover mental health 
                care just as they do physical health care. And we added 
                more than 140 Certified Community Behavioral Health 
                Clinics across the Nation, which provide mental health 
                and crisis services to anyone in need, regardless of 
                their ability to pay.

                I have maintained my commitment to be the most pro-
                labor and pro-worker President in history by making 
                sure our workers are safe and secure. Under my 
                leadership and the leadership of Vice President Kamala 
                Harris, the Department of Labor proposed the Nation's 
                first-ever Federal safety standard for excessive heat 
                in the workplace, which would require employers to 
                implement rest breaks, provide access to shade and 
                water, and develop a plan to respond to heat illness. 
                The Department of Labor also finalized a Farmworker 
                Protection Rule to strengthen protections for temporary 
                agricultural workers to ensure all farmworkers in the 
                United States are treated fairly and have safe work 
                environments.

                My Administration is providing farms with the resources 
                they need to grow and thrive. Through the Farm Labor 
                Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program, the 
                Department of Agriculture awarded $50 million from my 
                American Rescue Plan to agricultural employers, many of 
                which were small and mid-

[[Page 76392]]

                sized farms, helping ensure they can hire and retain 
                the workers they need to be competitive while improving 
                labor standards for workers. We are working to extend 
                crop insurance coverage to give financial security to 
                farmers who practice double cropping. We have made $900 
                million available to boost fertilizer production for 
                farms, and I signed an Executive Order to increase 
                competition and make sure that family farms are on a 
                level playing field with corporate farms.

                During National Farm Safety and Health Week, we honor 
                farmers, farmworkers, and ranchers for putting food on 
                our tables, powering our economy, and supporting our 
                communities. And we recommit to ensuring they have the 
                resources they need to continue this work and live 
                full, healthy lives.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 15 
                through September 21, 2024, as National Farm Safety and 
                Health Week. I call upon the people of the United 
                States--including America's farmers; ranchers; and 
                agriculture-related institutions, organizations, and 
                businesses--to reaffirm a dedication to farm safety and 
                health. I also urge all Americans to express 
                appreciation and gratitude to our farmers, farmworkers, 
                and ranchers for their tireless service to our Nation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of 
                the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                ninth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-21445
Filed 9-17-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P