Disaster Relief for Farm Workers Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8765 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8765

  To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 
 with respect to emergency assistance for farm workers, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 14, 2024

  Ms. Salinas (for herself and Ms. Lofgren) introduced the following 
        bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 
 with respect to emergency assistance for farm workers, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Disaster Relief for Farm Workers 
Act''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR FARM WORKERS.

    Section 2281 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act 
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 5177a) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 2281. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR FARM WORKERS.

    ``(a) Emergency Relief.--For fiscal year 2024 and each succeeding 
fiscal year, during any period where the Secretary determines there is 
a covered disaster, the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary 
for Rural Development, shall make grants to eligible farm worker 
organizations to provide emergency relief to farm workers affected by 
such covered disaster.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--An eligible farm worker organization may use 
funds received pursuant to a grant awarded under subsection (a) to--
            ``(1) provide emergency relief (including through direct 
        distribution of funding) to farm workers to address loss and 
        damage due to a covered disaster;
            ``(2) build capacity to provide such emergency relief;
            ``(3) build resiliency in farm worker communities to 
        address future losses and damages due to covered disasters;
            ``(4) provide infrastructure support, including shelter; 
        and
            ``(5) provide emergency services (including such types of 
        assistance the Secretary determines appropriate) to farm 
        workers in response to a covered disaster.
    ``(c) Availability of Funds.--Any funds provided to an eligible 
farm worker organization under this section shall remain available 
until expended.
    ``(d) Promotional Plan.--The Secretary shall develop and execute a 
promotional plan prior to, and throughout the distribution of, 
emergency relief grants under subsection (a).
    ``(e) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary 
shall consult with eligible farm worker organizations.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this subsection:
            ``(1) Covered disaster.--The term `covered disaster' 
        means--
                    ``(A) an adverse weather event, such as a drought, 
                wildfire, earthquake, hurricane, flood, derecho, 
                excessive heat, tornado, winter storm, freeze, hail, 
                polar vortex, smoke exposure, or excessive moisture;
                    ``(B) an unexpected health crisis, such as a 
                pandemic; and
                    ``(C) such other event or condition--
                            ``(i) that has caused farm workers to lose 
                        income, be unable to work, or stay home or 
                        return home in anticipation of work shortages; 
                        or
                            ``(ii) as the Secretary determines 
                        appropriate.
            ``(2) Eligible farm worker organization.--The term 
        `eligible farm worker organization' means an organization that 
        is--
                    ``(A) a farm worker membership-based organization; 
                or
                    ``(B) an organization--
                            ``(i) described in section 501(c)(3) of the 
                        Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt 
                        from taxation under section 501(a) of such 
                        Code; and
                            ``(ii) that has experience in providing 
                        support or relief services to farm workers, 
                        including migrant or seasonal farm workers.
            ``(3) Migrant or seasonal farm worker.--The term `migrant 
        or seasonal farm worker' means an individual--
                    ``(A) who has, during any consecutive 12-month 
                period within the preceding 24-month period, performed 
                farm work for wages; and
                    ``(B) who has received not less than one-half of 
                such individual's total income, or been employed at 
                least one-half of total work time in farm work.''.
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