[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S173-S175]
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, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Coons,
and Mr. Cassidy):
S. 158. A bill to increase United States jobs through greater United
States exports to Africa and Latin America, and for other purposes; to
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
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. 158
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 ``Increasing American Jobs
Through Greater United States Exports to Africa and Latin
America Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. INVESTMENT, TRADE, AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA AND
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.
(a) Strategy Required.--
(1) In general.--The President shall establish a
comprehensive United States strategy for public and private
investment, trade, and development in Africa and Latin
America and the Caribbean.
(2) Focus of strategy.--The strategy required by paragraph
(1) shall focus on increasing exports of United States goods
and services to Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean by
200 percent in real dollar value
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by the date that is 10 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act.
(3) Consultations.--In developing the strategy required by
paragraph (1), the President shall consult with--
(A) Congress;
(B) each agency that is a member of the Trade Promotion
Coordinating Committee;
(C) the relevant multilateral development banks, in
coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury and the
respective United States Executive Directors of such banks;
(D) each agency that participates in the Trade Policy Staff
Committee established;
(E) the President's Export Council;
(F) each of the development agencies;
(G) any other Federal agencies with responsibility for
export promotion or financing and development; and
(H) the private sector, including businesses,
nongovernmental organizations, and African and Latin American
and Caribbean diaspora groups.
(4) Submission to congress.--
(A) Strategy.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to
Congress the strategy required by subsection (a).
(B) Progress report.--Not later than 3 years after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to
Congress a report on the implementation of the strategy
required by paragraph (1).
(b) Special Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean
Export Strategy Coordinators.--The President shall designate
an individual to serve as Special Africa Export Strategy
Coordinator and an individual to serve as Special Latin
America and the Caribbean Export Strategy Coordinator--
(1) to oversee the development and implementation of the
strategy required by subsection (a); and
(2) to coordinate developing and implementing the strategy
with--
(A) the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee;
(B) the Assistant United States Trade Representative for
African Affairs or the Assistant United States Trade
Representative for the Western Hemisphere, as appropriate;
(C) the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs or
the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere
Affairs, as appropriate;
(D) the Export-Import Bank of the United States;
(E) the United States International Development Finance
Corporation; and
(F) the development agencies.
(c) Trade Missions to Africa and Latin America and the
Caribbean.--It is the sense of Congress that, not later than
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Commerce and other high-level officials of the
United States Government with responsibility for export
promotion, financing, and development should conduct joint
trade missions to Africa and to Latin America and the
Caribbean.
(d) Training.--The President shall develop a plan--
(1) to standardize the training received by United States
and Foreign Commercial Service officers, economic officers of
the Department of State, and economic officers of the United
States Agency for International Development with respect to
the programs and procedures of the Export-Import Bank of the
United States, the United States International Development
Finance Corporation, the Small Business Administration, and
the United States Trade and Development Agency; and
(2) to ensure that, not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this Act--
(A) all United States and Foreign Commercial Service
officers that are stationed overseas receive the training
described in paragraph (1); and
(B) in the case of a country to which no United States and
Foreign Commercial Service officer is assigned, any economic
officer of the Department of State stationed in that country
receives that training.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Development agencies.--The term ``development
agencies'' means the United States Department of State, the
United States Agency for International Development, the
Millennium Challenge Corporation, the United States
International Development Finance Corporation, the United
States Trade and Development Agency, the United States
Department of Agriculture, and relevant multilateral
development banks.
(2) Multilateral development banks.--The term
``multilateral development banks'' has the meaning given that
term in section 1701(c)(4) of the International Financial
Institutions Act (22 U.S.C. 262r(c)(4)) and includes the
African Development Foundation.
(3) Trade policy staff committee.--The term ``Trade Policy
Staff Committee'' means the Trade Policy Staff Committee
established pursuant to section 2002.2 of title 15, Code of
Federal Regulations.
(4) Trade promotion coordinating committee.--The term
``Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee'' means the Trade
Promotion Coordinating Committee established under section
2312 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4727).
(5) United states and foreign commercial service.--The term
``United States and Foreign Commercial Service'' means the
United States and Foreign Commercial Service established by
section 2301 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C.
4721).
______
By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Ms. Klobuchar):
S. 174. A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve the
conservation reserve program, and for other purposes; to the Committee
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
S. 174
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 ``Conservation Reserve Program
Improvement Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS.
(a) State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Continuous
Enrollment.--Section 1231(d)(6)(A)(i) of the Food Security
Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(d)(6)(A)(i)) is amended--
(1) in subclause (II), by striking ``and'' at the end; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(IV) land that will be enrolled under the State acres for
wildlife enhancement practice established by the Secretary;
and''.
(b) Cost Sharing Payments for Establishment of Grazing
Infrastructure.--
(1) In general.--Section 1234(b)(1) of the Food Security
Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(b)(1)) is amended--
(A) by striking ``establishing water'' and inserting the
following: ``establishing--
``(A) water'';
(B) in subparagraph (A) (as so designated), by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) grazing infrastructure, including interior cross
fencing, perimeter fencing, and water infrastructure (such as
rural water connections, water wells, pipelines, and water
tanks), under each contract, for all practices, if grazing is
included in the conservation plan and addresses a resource
concern.''.
(2) Reenrollment of land with grazing infrastructure.--
Section 1231(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3831(h)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Land with grazing infrastructure.--On the expiration
of a contract entered into under this subchapter that covers
land that includes grazing infrastructure established with
cost sharing assistance under section 1234(b)(1)(B)--
``(A) the Secretary shall consider that land to be planted
for purposes of subsection (b)(1)(B); and
``(B) that land shall be eligible for reenrollment in the
conservation reserve, subject to the requirements of this
subchapter.''.
(c) Mid-Contract Management for Activities Not Relating to
Haying or Grazing.--
(1) Definition of management.--Section 1232(a)(5) of the
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3832(a)(5)) is amended
by inserting ``(as defined in section 1231A(a))'' after
``management''.
(2) Management payments.--Section 1234(b)(2) of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(b)(2)) is amended by
striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:
``(B) Management payments.--The Secretary shall make cost
sharing payments to an owner or operator under this
subchapter for any management activity described in section
1232(a)(5), except for those management activities relating
to haying or grazing.''.
(d) Payment Limitation for Rental Payments.--Section
1234(g)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3834(g)(1)) is amended by striking ``$50,000'' and inserting
``$125,000''.
______
By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Daines, and Mr.
Wyden):
S. 188. A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to select and
implement landscape-scale forest restoration projects, to assist
communities in increasing their resilience to wildfire, and for other
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise to speak in support of the
Wildfire Emergency Act, bipartisan legislation that Senators Padilla,
Daines, Wyden, and I are introducing today, to help address the threat
of catastrophic wildfire throughout the West.
Wildfires have always been a part of life in California and other
Western States, but climate change and drier forests have increased the
threat of catastrophic wildfire. The new fire season is nearly year-
round, and the wildfires themselves are more destructive as they spread
faster and burn hotter.
The new reality of the wildfire threat requires transformative action
to protect our forests and neighboring communities. Our bill would do
just that, empowering Federal, State, and local land managers to make
both our forests and infrastructure more resilient.
[[Page S175]]
The most recent National Climate Assessment, conducted by leading
scientists from the research community and across the Federal
Government, found that the number of acres burned in the Western United
States is double what would have burned without climate change.
My home State of California knows this all too well as it is the
epicenter of this destructive phenomenon. The top three worst wildfire
seasons in California were all in the last 5 years, including the
largest single wildfire in California history in 2021. Since 2017,
wildfires have burned more than 11 million acres, killed nearly 200
people, and destroyed more than 32,000 homes.
Worryingly, these wildfires are predicted to only grow worse as
climate conditions continue to change, and the Federal Government has
not yet adequately responded. Important investments in wildfire
resilience were included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
and the Inflation Reduction Act, which were enacted in the last
Congress, but stakeholders are nearly unanimous in supporting
additional policy changes to improve the pace and scale of wildfire
resiliency treatments.
At the same time, the urgency of this crisis should not prompt
Congress to vitiate important environmental safeguards. Throughout my
time in the Senate, I have consistently championed the preservation and
careful stewardship of our treasured forests, and this bill will be no
different.
Our Wildfire Emergency Act is the result of a considered approach to
the wildfire crisis and includes feedback from conservationists, public
and private stakeholders, and the U.S. Forest Service.
First, it would provide the U.S. Forest Service with a pilot
authority to leverage private financing options to increase the pace
and scale of forest restoration projects. These projects would involve
a collaborative approach to forest management to ensure that the
forests are protected.
This conservation finance model would be a new way of implementing
forest restoration work, but the principle at its core is that forests
are vital to a healthy environment and populace. Forests provide shade
and wind breaks, stabilize steep mountain slopes, and help purify our
water. These benefits have tangible value, and the financing model we
develop here would make those benefits plain for all to see.
In addition, the bill makes energy resilience a priority across the
Federal Government. It would help develop and fund backup power for
critical infrastructure like drinking water or hospitals, and put a
renewed focus on wildfire detection and monitoring. As vulnerable as
our forests are, it takes just one spark to ignite an entire mountain.
The sooner our firefighters can detect and respond to these fires, the
better our chances of preventing more communities from devastation.
In addition, the bill would provide grants to low-income households
to make fire-resilient upgrades to their homes. Thanks to home
insurance regulatory changes taking place in California, wildfire
retrofits could also help lower insurance premiums and reduce the
financial burden on rural homeowners. The bill would also make grants
available to low-income communities to help involve them in planning
and implementing forest restoration projects on the lands surrounding
their homes.
Lastly, our bill recognizes that the forest management workforce is
also in crisis. The U.S. Forest Service and Department of Interior have
experience chronic staffing shortages in wildland firefighters for
years. And even though the bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation
Reduction Act provided historic levels of funding for forest
conservation work, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an overall
decline in the forest conservation workforce in the next 10 years.
To address these issues, our bill would create new funding sources
for forest management education and firefighter training. It would also
establish a prescribed fire training center in the Western United
States, to train the next generation of firefighters and forestry
technicians in the landscapes where their skills are most needed.
The simple reality is that wildfires will continue to happen in the
West. They are an integral part of the West's ecology, even if climate
change has exacerbated their scale and intensity. Our job must be to
prepare for these wildfires to the extent we are able, to use the best
available science to make our forests more resilient, and ensure that
our communities remain safe.
That is why Senators Padilla, Daines, Wyden, and I have introduced
this bill today, and I urge my colleagues to support and pass it as
soon as possible.
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