Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
Floor Speech
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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Freedom from Intimidation in Elections Act of 2024.
This legislation would amend section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act to establish a rebuttable presumption that carrying a visible firearm around election-related activities, such as voting or counting ballots, constitutes intimidation within the meaning of the VRA.
This bill empowers voters and election workers to seek an emergency civil injunction against individuals or groups engaged in such intimidating conduct.
Importantly, the bill provides an exemption for appropriate law enforcement officials and allows any group or individual facing suit to present evidence that they did not, in fact, intimidate any voters or election workers.
Given the increasing political polarization this country faces and the Supreme Court's everchanging interpretation of the Second Amendment, the risk of violence at polling places and election offices has never been higher. This bill is essential to ensure that eligible individuals can continue to exercise their right to vote without fear of retribution or harm.
It is imperative to protect our voters and dedicated election workers from threats of political violence by updating the Voting Rights Act's anti-intimidation provisions to address the specific threat posed by firearms around election activities. ______
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Hawley):
S. 5172. A bill to amend the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to ensure that businesses and organizations that work with vulnerable populations are able to request background checks for their contractors who work with those populations, as well as for individuals that the businesses or organizations license or certify to provide care for those populations; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act. This legislation would expand the boundary of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge by approximately 5,658 acres to conserve additional land in Solano, Marin, and Sonoma Counties of California.
The San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge consists of more than 19,000 acres located along the northern edge of San Pablo Bay in Northern California. It was established in 1974 to support wetland habitat; endangered species, like the salt marsh harvest mouse and the Ridgeway's Rail; and migratory birds, including the largest wintering population of Canvasbacks on the west coast.
In addition to providing habitat and wildlife conservation, the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge offers numerous recreation opportunities, including wildlife viewing, wildlife photography, hiking, boating, fishing, and hunting. Regulation of these recreation activities allows for public enjoyment of the refuge while still protecting the wildlife and their habitats.
The bill would expand the San Pablo Bay National Refuge by 5,658 acres, which is more than 28 percent of its current size. The bill would also authorize the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire lands within the modified boundary from willing sellers or donors and allow other Federal Agencies to transfer federally owned land within the modified boundary to the Service without administrative hurdles. Finally, the bill would encourage the Service to allocate Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars to acquire any private inholdings within modified National Wildlife Refuge boundary.
The Fish and Wildlife Service recently reported that 221 million acres of wetlands were destroyed between 2009 and 2019, representing a 50-percent increase in the rate of loss from the previous decade. The loss of wetlands across the country has reduced the amount of critical habitat for wildlife, endangered species, and migratory birds. Given these trends and its prime location within the Pacific Flyway, expanding the boundaries of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge offers a unique opportunity to protect both critical wetland habitat and priority public uses on Federal lands.
Importantly, expanding the refuge would also contribute to the State of California's and the Biden-Harris Administration's goals to conserve 30 percent of our public lands and waters by 2030.
I would like to thank my colleagues Representatives John Garamendi, Mike Thompson, and Jared Huffman for championing this bill in the House.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act as quickly as possible. ______
By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Booker, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Murphy):
S. 5209. A bill to require the Attorney General to make publicly available a list of federally licensed firearms dealers with a high number of short time-to-crime firearm traces, and to prohibit Federal departments and agencies from contracting with such dealers; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Clean Hands Firearm Procurement Act.
This legislation addresses a critical need to ensure that Federal resources do not inadvertently support gun dealers whose business practices may contribute to the proliferation of firearms used in criminal activities.
The Clean Hands Firearm Procurement Act would withhold Federal contracts from Federal firearm, licensees, FFLs, who have been listed in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' AFT Demand 2 Program twice in the preceding 3 calendar years. The Demand 2 Program targets gun dealers who have sold 25 or more firearms within a year that are subsequently traced to crimes within 3 years of their sale.
Under this act, dealers identified under the Demand 2 Program will be prohibited from entering into Federal contracts for a period of 3 years following their last appearance on the list. However, the Attorney General would have the discretion to waive this prohibition for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security if it is deemed necessary to protect national security.
Over the past two decades, the ATF's Demand 2 Program has been instrumental in identifying gun dealers whose sales practices may be contributing to the diversion of firearms to criminal activities. While the vast majority of an FFLs operate responsibly, a small fraction-- about 2 percent--of these dealers have been shown to be a significant source of crime guns.
Between 202l and 2023, only approximately 1,500 of the Nation's 75,000-plus FFLs were subject to the Demand 2 Program. This small group of dealers has a disproportionate impact on gun violence in our communities. It is deeply troubling that some of these dealers have continued to receive lucrative Federal contracts despite their track record.
The Clean Hands Firearm Procurement Act aims to incentivize better business practices among gun dealers by ensuring that those with a history of contributing to gun violence through irresponsible sales are not rewarded with Federal contracts. This bill is a critical step towards reducing gun violence and ensuring that Federal procurement practices do not inadvertently support the diversion of firearms to criminal activities.
Americans deserve to feel safe in their communities, and our government has a responsibility to ensure that its resources are used to promote public safety, not undermine it. By passing this legislation, we can take meaningful action to address the gun violence epidemic that continues to plague our Nation.
Public safety is paramount, and this bill represents an important measure to strengthen our efforts in combating the illegal use of firearms. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Clean Hands Firearm Procurement Act as swiftly as possible. ______
By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. Rounds):
S. 5216. A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to the Western Dakota Regional Water System, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
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