Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2023

Madam President, it is a privilege to be here today, joined by my colleague from Wyoming, Senator Cynthia Lummis, and my colleague from Delaware, the chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senator Tom Carper, to honor this incredible woman, Dessie Bebout.

Senator Lummis is absolutely right. I attended the funeral of this 102-year-old just a couple of weeks ago. We were in Riverton, WY, for the services as she was laid to rest with military honors in Hudson, WY, and thought what an opportunity to name a post office after someone who has given so much to their country, as well as to the Postal Service.

It is wonderful to be working with Senator Tom Carper again on an issue of great interest to both of us because he was a senior partner when, a few years ago, we named a post office in Thermopolis, WY, after Bob Brown, a World War II hero who then was awarded the Purple Heart for his service in Korea and served 41 years at the Thermopolis Post Office before he retired as the postmaster. So I come to the floor today, along with our colleagues, to introduce a bill to honor the legacy of this remarkable woman, Dessie A. Bebout of Shoshoni, WY.

She was really a trailblazer for women in Wyoming because she was a patriot. She honorably served our

country during World War II. She was one of the first to raise her hand, take the oath, and volunteer as she did for this remarkable group of individuals who volunteered: the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service in World War II, the WAVES.

She was born in Hudson, WY--a very small community--in 1920. If you haven't ever been to Hudson, there is a small Main Street. And since Hudson didn't have a doctor, Dessie was born with the help of a midwife. She was the fourth of nine children. They worked very hard supporting the family business that was the Svilar family. Her maiden name was Svilar. They had the Svilar's bar and restaurant, the Svilars' Light and Power company--they provided libations as well as electricity--and the Svilars' derby bar. It is a small town, but two bars make for a smalltown charm. The Svilars' bar and restaurant is still open today. So, if you ever get to Hudson, stop in because they have the best steaks you are going to ever find anywhere.

Her life experience is one, really, that highlighted her legendary work ethic. After graduating from Fremont County Vocational High School in Lander, she worked for the Fremont County Extension service and at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 changed the United States and the world forever, and it certainly changed her. Being willing to serve the country, to step forward, is part of the Wyoming bloodstream.

When she joined and went to New York City for basic training and was then stationed in Seattle, WA, she reconnected with a young man who she had met previously in Hudson, Herbert ``Hugh'' Bebout. After a few months of writing letters, they were married in 1943. He was an enlisted man in the U.S. Air Force.

After World War II ended, he was discharged; and, along with Dessie, they came home to Wyoming. They started a family and had four children: Eli, Ruby, Nick, and David. Eli was speaker of the house in the Wyoming Legislature. Ruby runs the Wyoming public television. Nick played football for the University of Wyoming and then for the NFL.

Dessie's life and family and giving just continued to grow. She started her career in the Postal Service in 1962. She rose to postmaster for Shoshoni, WY, where she served for 13 years. In 1975, Dessie retired as the Shoshoni postmaster, where she had earned the Order of the Vest. It is the highest award given to postmasters.

Although she had retired from the Postal Service, her work and community service didn't stop. She served as a Fremont County election judge, for the Shoshoni Chamber of Commerce, on the Shoshoni PTA, on the Wyoming women's commission, on the Veterans of Foreign Wars Women's Auxiliary, and on the Riverton hospital board, among many organizations.

As a result of her military and civic service, she was awarded with the Wyoming Woman of Distinction award from the Wyoming women's commission, and she received the Medal of Honor from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her accolades and awards didn't stop there. She even had her own holiday because, in 2022, the mayor of Hudson, Mike Anderson, declared May 30 as Dessie Bebout Day.

Now, she had--I think the Senator from Wyoming said--13 grandchildren. As they spoke at the funeral--as a number of them did-- there were those who claimed to be the favorite grandchild, but since Kara Calvert is here today, the granddaughter of Dessie Bebout, I think we will let Kara put upon herself that accolade.

Dessie Bebout truly exemplifies the Code of the West, which is, in Wyoming, you live each day with courage; you take pride in your work; and you do what needs to be done. Cowboys never complain. Cowboys never quit. If somebody were hungry, she would feed them--a remarkable woman. If they were sick, she would care from them.

I am proud to be joined by both Senator Carper and Senator Lummis today in introducing this legislation to rename the post office in Shoshoni, WY, as the ``Dessie A. Bebout Post Office.'' Naming it after Dessie is going to ensure her legacy carries on for future generations of Wyoming's men and women.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, folks that are back in Delaware are probably wondering as they are watching on C-SPAN, What is our Senator doing there giving a floor speech and talking about a woman from Wyoming? There is a Wyoming, DE. It is in Kent County, which is just south of Dover. We have great restaurants, plenty of restaurants. In fact, the Senator from Wyoming described that Svilar's--is it Svilar's? I think it is Svilar's--still exists.

We have a huge Air Force base in Dover, the Dover Air Force Base. They fly huge airplanes and have a mortuary there to receive the remains of our fallen heroes. That is part of our State. We just have very strong support for military personnel and all things Air Force. I am Navy.

So it is the idea that we have a woman here--you know, it is one thing for a guy to have done some of this stuff that Dessie did, but it is another to have a woman in World War II volunteer and enlist on the heels of the attack on Pearl Harbor and to go on and serve, really, with distinction.

In my family, we believe in the Navy blue. My dad was a chief petty officer, and my uncles were chief petty officers. My mother's youngest brother died in a kamikaze attack on his aircraft carrier, and my grandmother got the Gold Star for the Great Green Fleet Navy blue. So I just get inspired by Dessie's heroism that we are hearing about here today.

For the people who might have been listening carefully when Senator Barrasso was talking about the restaurant that she opened, he said that, when the people were hungry, she fed them. That is a line out of the Bible. It is actually a line out of Matthew 25: When I was hungry, you did feed me. When I was naked, you did clothe me. When I was sick and in prison, you did visit me. When I was thirsty, you did give me drink.

This is a woman who not only served her country in uniform and who not only ran a successful business--it sounds like--for over 100 years for family but who actually felt a moral responsibility to make sure that people did not go hungry.

I also am the senior Democrat--I am the senior, actually, member of a committee called Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. We have jurisdiction, among other things on that committee, over the Postal Service. We have, literally, tens of thousands of people who serve in the Postal Service across the country today. It is a tough job and sometimes a thankless job, but we are grateful to them for their service. A lot of them, it turns out, served in the military. They may have served in the Korean war, and they may have served in Vietnam; they may have served in Afghanistan, and they may have served in Iraq. But they wore the uniform of our country, and they wore or wear the uniform of the Postal Service. In either instance, they are serving this country. They are serving their communities and are doing so, in some cases, at great risk to themselves.

There is a little bit of a love story in this as well. It is kind of a mixed marriage of a Navy woman and an Air Force man who get married and raise a family--have all of these kids--and go on to do amazing things as a family in their own community. It is a story that I am inspired by, and I am honored that Senator Barrasso would ask me to join him and Senator Lummis to tell the story, too.

I remember a couple of years ago when we were on the floor here-- Senator Barrasso and myself and a fellow named Mike Enzi, the late Mike Enzi, who held the seat that Senator Lummis now holds today--hearing them talk about the naming of a post office in Wyoming in a place called Thermopolis, which I had never heard of but that I will never forget. The question was, Should they rename that post office there after Bobbi Barrasso's dad? They didn't have a Democratic cosponsor for the bill. I talked to Senator Barrasso and to Senator Enzi and said: I would be honored. If you are looking for a bipartisan bill, I would be happy to be your wingman on this particular flight. And they were good enough to let me join the team.

So, to Dessie Bebout, your family members are out there, watching and listening. I want to just say thank you

for sharing a remarkable person, not just with the folks in the town in which she and her family have lived, worked, and served for all of those years, but thank you for sharing her with our country in a broader way. Thank you for serving as an inspiration. We are in your debt, and I am honored to be part of this trio to offer this legislation today and to ask for its passage.

Madam President, I rise today to introduce the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2023 and thank my colleague Senator Padilla for joining as an original cosponsor.

Our bill would allow the U.S. Forest Service to approve removal of hazardous trees near power lines on Federal forest lands without a timber sale, thereby reducing administrative burden and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

Californians are all too familiar with the potential for electrical power lines to cause devastating wildfires. Three of the largest and most destructive wildfires in California history--the 2017 Thomas Fire, the 2018 Camp Fire, and the 2021 Dixie Fire--were started by electrical equipment. Together, these wildfires burned more than 1.2 million acres, destroyed more than 15,000 homes, and killed 87 people.

When power lines cross Federal land, the Forest Service generally requires utility companies to keep the area around them free of trees that could touch or fall on the lines or otherwise ignite. Removing those cut trees, however, requires the Forest Service to hold a timber sale, which imposes administrative costs. Meanwhile, cut trees often linger on the landscape, posing a continued risk of igniting during a wildfire or damaging other infrastructure during a flood.

Our bill would make targeted changes to existing Forest Service authorities to encourage quicker and less costly removal of the trees. Specifically, we would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to grant utilities permission to cut and remove trees or other vegetation near their power lines without a separate timber sale, provided that that removal is consistent with existing forest management plans.

Included in this legislation is a requirement that any proceeds obtained from timber or forest products removed under this authority be returned to the Forest Service. This removes any financial incentive to remove trees other than those necessary for wildfire mitigation. After all, the goal is to streamline actions that protect against devastating wildfires--protecting, not removing, our Nation's forests.

Congress has an opportunity this year to make this small change to Forest Service authorities to ensure better stewardship of our national forests and prevent catastrophic wildfires. I thank Senator Padilla for his partnership on this bill, and I urge the full Senate to take it up and and pass it as soon as possible.

Madam President, I rise today to introduce the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2023 and thank my colleague Senator Padilla for joining as an original cosponsor.

Our bill would allow the U.S. Forest Service to approve removal of hazardous trees near power lines on Federal forest lands without a timber sale, thereby reducing administrative burden and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

Californians are all too familiar with the potential for electrical power lines to cause devastating wildfires. Three of the largest and most destructive wildfires in California history--the 2017 Thomas Fire, the 2018 Camp Fire, and the 2021 Dixie Fire--were started by electrical equipment. Together, these wildfires burned more than 1.2 million acres, destroyed more than 15,000 homes, and killed 87 people.

When power lines cross Federal land, the Forest Service generally requires utility companies to keep the area around them free of trees that could touch or fall on the lines or otherwise ignite. Removing those cut trees, however, requires the Forest Service to hold a timber sale, which imposes administrative costs. Meanwhile, cut trees often linger on the landscape, posing a continued risk of igniting during a wildfire or damaging other infrastructure during a flood.

Our bill would make targeted changes to existing Forest Service authorities to encourage quicker and less costly removal of the trees. Specifically, we would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to grant utilities permission to cut and remove trees or other vegetation near their power lines without a separate timber sale, provided that that removal is consistent with existing forest management plans.

Included in this legislation is a requirement that any proceeds obtained from timber or forest products removed under this authority be returned to the Forest Service. This removes any financial incentive to remove trees other than those necessary for wildfire mitigation. After all, the goal is to streamline actions that protect against devastating wildfires--protecting, not removing, our Nation's forests.

Congress has an opportunity this year to make this small change to Forest Service authorities to ensure better stewardship of our national forests and prevent catastrophic wildfires. I thank Senator Padilla for his partnership on this bill, and I urge the full Senate to take it up and and pass it as soon as possible.

Madam President, I rise to speak in support of the Fairness for Farmworkers 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, more than one-third of our country's vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts come from California. During COVID-19, a time of incredible hardship, farmworkers put food on the tables of millions of Americans despite working in extreme conditions and facing deep-rooted inequities in the workforce. 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, who were 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, is the same model as 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 will 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 to greater prosperity to historically marginalized workers.

This legislation will also boost farming community economies as increased wages are spent in local businesses.

I want to thank Congressman Grijalva for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us in support of this bill that would provide a measure of long overdue fairness for our Nation's farmworkers.