Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Voice for Farm Workers Act, which I introduced today.

Our Nation's farmworkers are the backbone of the U.S. food supply chain. In the 2008 farm bill, Congress created the Farmworker Coordinator position: one person statutorily dedicated to serving as a liaison between the more than 2 million farm workers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unfortunately, Congress has never provided the resources necessary to support a position of this magnitude. The time to fix this injustice is now.

The 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture Equity Commission Interim Report included a strong recommendation for the USDA to fund and elevate roles for professional staff solely dedicated to farm workers' concerns and perspectives.

That is why I am introducing this bill to expand and strengthen the Coordinator position to carry out the responsibilities necessary to better meet the needs of our farmworkers. This bill would also support increased collaboration within the Department, with farmworkers, and with relevant stakeholders to create recommendations for new initiatives and programs to support farmworkers.

As we negotiate a new farm bill, I urge my colleagues to prioritize and support the workers that ensure our families and loved ones remain fed and healthy. Farmworkers' voices must be and deserve to be heard. ______

By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Markey, Mr. Booker, Mr. Wyden, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Rosen, and Mr. Lujan):

S. 5303. A bill to amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish the Office of the Farm and Food System Workforce; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Supporting Our Farm and Food System Workforce Act, which I introduced today.

Farm and food system workers feed our Nation, We know this well in California--the agricultural heart of the Nation--where we have one of the largest populations of farmworkers and food system workers in the United States. Throughout pandemic, these workers put food on our tables and kept our grocery store shelves stocked despite facing deep- rooted inequities in the workforce and often experiencing food insecurity themselves.

Right now, just one person in the Federal Government is statutorily dedicated to serving as a liaison between farm workers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture--the Farmworker Coordinator. While the 2008 farm bill created this position, Congress has never provided the proper resources to support or staff this position. The 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture Equity Commission Interim Report included a strong recommendation for the USDA to fund and elevate roles for professional staff solely dedicated to farmworkers' concerns and perspectives.

It is time that we give those who provide the food for our Nation a voice in the national conversation. We must give farm and food system workers a dedicated office within the USDA to integrate their invaluable perspectives into the decisions that directly affect their lives and livelihoods.

That is why I am proud to introduce this bill, which would create the USDA Office of the Farm and Food System Workforce to not only serve as a liaison for farm and food system workers but also to provide a platform for their concerns and interests to assist in the creation of recommendations and new initiatives for the Department.

The bill would also create a Farm and Food System Worker Advisory Committee, composed of a diverse cross-section of members representing these workers' varied interests and perspectives--such as workers themselves, labor unions, higher education professionals, civil rights advocates, women worker-focused groups, and trusted community-based non-profits.

The legislation would also establish a Farm and Food System Workforce Interagency Council, comprised of representatives from various Federal Agencies to improve coordination, planning, program development, and policymaking across Cabinet-level leadership. The Office would also appoint staff to various USDA entities to serve as liaisons on matters related to farm and food system workers within the Department.

Finally, the bill would require annual, publicly available reports, in multiple languages, about the Office's work, including recommendations to improve the work and livelihood of farm and food system workers, the climate change impacts on the food system, and the barriers workers face to accessing Federal programs.

During this year's farm bill negotiations, I urge my colleagues to remember the workers behind the American food system, the workers who keep our families and communities fed and healthy. These workers deserve a seat at the table. ______

By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Warren, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Markey, Mr. Booker, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Gallego, Ms. Alsobrooks, Ms. Rosen, and Mr. Lujan):

S. 5304. A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide increased labor law protections for agricultural workers, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Fairness for Farm Workers Act, which I am reintroducing today.

Farmworkers feed our Nation. This is especially true in California-- the agricultural heart of the Nation. California is the most successful State in agricultural production and has the largest population of farmworkers. In fact, nearly half of the country's vegetables and over three-quarters of the country's fruits and nuts are grown in California.

Farmworkers put food on the tables of millions of Americans despite working through extreme weather conditions, injuries, disasters, pandemics, and more. Yet farmworkers have been unjustly excluded from labor laws. The time to address these inequities is now.

While the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act established Federal standards for minimum wage and overtime pay, the law excluded millions of domestic and agricultural workers--workers who were and remain overwhelmingly people of color. In 2016, California recognized the need to provide farmworkers overtime protection. The California overtime law, which ensures farmworkers will have an equal right to overtime pay, serves as the model for this Federal bill.

Farmworkers in California and across the Nation deserve an end to discrimination in labor laws. We must undo the discriminatory exclusion of farmworkers by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act.

That is why I am proud to introduce this bill, which would improve the lives of farmworkers and their families, create equity in our food system, and benefit farming communities as the increased wages are spent in local businesses.

This bill will gradually implement overtime pay over the course of 4 years and bring greater equity to the American agricultural industry and greater prosperity to historically marginalized workers.

I want to thank Congresswoman Grijalva for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us to provide a measure of long-overdue fairness for our Nation's farmworkers. ______

By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, and Mr. Schiff):

S. 5309. A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to provide payments for alternative manure management practices under the environmental quality incentives program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act. This legislation will help dairy and livestock producers reduce methane emissions, improve air and water quality, and implement more sustainable alternative manure management practices.

As the leading dairy State in the country and the second in cheese production, California is the largest producer of milk, butter, and cheeses like mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and queso fresco. Dairy operations contribute billions to California's economy but are also a significant source of California's methane emissions.

Recognizing the urgency of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions like methane, California and the dairy industry are working to reduce dairy methane emissions by 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030, largely due to the successes of California's own Alternative Manure Management Program, AMMP.

The COWS Act would allow alternative manure management practices to be eligible under USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP, to help dairy and livestock producers transition towards pasture- based management, alternative treatment and storage practices, solid separation systems, and scrape technologies.

These practices, which have proven to be effective through the AMMP, will provide more resources for the dairy and livestock industry to modernize technologies for manure management that help boost profitability, improve water quality, and reduce methane and nitrogen oxide emissions.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural operations is critical for addressing the climate crisis. Because of the high construction and operation costs associated with anaerobic digesters, nondigester manure management practices can provide a more cost- effective alternative for family dairy and livestock operators seeking to improve air and water quality for their communities.

I would like to thank Congressman Costa for leading this bill in the House, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the COWS Act. ______

By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Kim, Ms. Alsobrooks, and Ms. Blunt Rochester):

S. 5320. A bill to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit certain securities trading and related communications by those who possess material, nonpublic information, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Desalination Reauthorization Act.

This bill would reauthorize BOR's programmatic approval to provide grants for desalination projects, which will otherwise expire this year. It would also allow public- private partnerships to compete for this funding.

The bill would also reauthorize the desalination and water purification research program and amend it to authorize advanced pilot projects. Advanced pilots can cover the gap in developing new technologies known as the Valley of Death between a successfully validated laboratory prototype and a commercially viable, scalable product. During this phase, public grants typically dry out, while private investors demand proven market traction before committing capital.

The Federal cost-share under the program is limited to 24 percent of the cost of any desalination project. The bill would direct the Reclamation cannot administratively impose a maximum funding amount that each desalination project can receive, which would allow large desalination plants to receive the full 25 percent cost-share. I believe it is important that the bill support desalination projects of varying sizes. Large projects can allow multiple water districts in a region to participate and can lower the unit cost of the water produced.

The desalination projects supported by these Bureau of Reclamation programs have supplemented local supplies, provided flexibility during water shortages, and diversified the water supply.

Desalination offers a drought-proof water supply alternative, and we need to keep funding both commercial desalination projects and research to lower its costs and reduce its environmental impacts.

I would like to thank Senator Cornyn for coleading this bill.

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