Disaster Relief for Farm Workers Act

119 HR 3254 IH: Disaster Relief for Farm Workers Act U.S. House of Representatives 2025-05-07 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3254 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 7, 2025 Ms. Salinas (for herself, Ms. Lofgren , Ms. DelBene , Ms. Tlaib , Mr. Doggett , Ms. Strickland , Mr. Mullin , Mr. Carson , Mr. Frost , Ms. Stansbury , Mr. Tonko , Ms. Chu , Ms. Barragán , Mr. Huffman , Mr. Costa , Mr. Garcia of California , Ms. Ocasio-Cortez , and Mr. Vargas ) 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. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Disaster Relief for Farm Workers Act . 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: 2281. Emergency assistance for farm workers (a) Emergency relief For fiscal year 2026 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 that has caused farm workers to lose income, be unable to work, or stay home or return home in anticipation of work shortages. (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 that— (i) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code; and (ii) 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. .