Bill Summary
The "Disaster Relief for Farm Workers Act" amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to establish a framework for providing emergency assistance to farm workers affected by disasters. Under the act, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to grant funds to eligible farm worker organizations during declared disasters, such as adverse weather events or health crises.
These organizations can use the funds for various purposes, including direct financial relief to farm workers, building community resilience, improving infrastructure, and providing emergency services. The act ensures that funds will remain available until fully expended and mandates the development of a promotional plan to guide the distribution of assistance. Additionally, the Secretary is required to consult with eligible organizations to effectively implement the provisions of the act. Overall, the legislation aims to support farm workers in times of crisis and enhance their ability to recover from disasters.
Possible Impacts
The "Disaster Relief for Farm Workers Act" as outlined in the provided legislation can have several impacts on individuals and communities. Here are three examples:
1. **Financial Support for Farm Workers**: The act allows for grants to be distributed to eligible farm worker organizations, which can provide direct financial assistance to farm workers affected by disasters. This support can help individuals cover essential expenses such as food, housing, and medical costs during times when they are unable to work due to disasters like droughts or hurricanes.
2. **Capacity Building and Resilience**: The funds can be used by organizations to enhance their capacity to provide emergency relief and build long-term resilience within farm worker communities. This could lead to better preparedness for future disasters, such as improved infrastructure or training programs that equip farm workers with skills to respond to adverse conditions. For example, organizations might develop programs to educate workers on disaster preparedness and recovery strategies.
3. **Infrastructure and Emergency Services**: The legislation allows for the provision of infrastructure support, such as shelters during emergencies, and other emergency services tailored to the needs of farm workers. This could be crucial in times of crises, ensuring that farm workers have access to safe housing and necessary services (like healthcare) when they are displaced or affected by a disaster. This support could mitigate the impact of disasters and promote faster recovery for these communities.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3254 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3254
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
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. Barragan, 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.
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 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.''.
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