Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act

Madam President, I rise to introduce a bill with my colleague, Senator King, that will help the hard-working loggers across this country affected by severe storms and natural disasters. In Maine alone, logging has a roughly $582 million annual economic impact and is the backbone of the forest products economy.

In Maine and in many places across the country, the logging industry has felt the effects of severe weather events and warmer than normal winters. This past winter, Maine experienced many storms, including two December and January that were designated Federal disasters. These storms were detrimental to many industries but especially logging, as the winter months are usually the best months for loggers to harvest timber when the frozen ground makes access easier. The rainstorms saturated the ground, and the mud made it much more difficult to operate and transport heavy logging equipment without disturbing the soil underneath.

These storms also closed bridges and roads on vital trucking routes, hindering the movement of equipment and employees to logging sites. For example, the December 18 storm washed out a bridge on a vital trucking route that forced an 80-mile detour for wood being distributed to both northern and southern markets. According to the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, this December wind and rainstorm in Maine resulted in more than $2.5 million in losses.

Despite these documented losses, there is currently no Federal program to assist loggers who have been affected by federally declared disasters. That is why I am introducing the Logger Economic Assistance and Relief Act, which would authorize income replacement for logging contractors equal to 10 percent of eligible gross lost revenue from the previous calendar year. Funds received under this program can only be used for operating expenses. Our legislation is modeled off of the successful Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers Program, which I created during the COVID pandemic to provide much needed aid to our timber harvesters.

I am grateful for the Professional Logging Council of the Northeast and the American Logging Council's support of our legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join in this effort to support one of our country's core economic drivers.

Madam President, I rise to introduce a bill with my colleague, Senator King, that will help the hard-working loggers across this country affected by severe storms and natural disasters. In Maine alone, logging has a roughly $582 million annual economic impact and is the backbone of the forest products economy.

In Maine and in many places across the country, the logging industry has felt the effects of severe weather events and warmer than normal winters. This past winter, Maine experienced many storms, including two December and January that were designated Federal disasters. These storms were detrimental to many industries but especially logging, as the winter months are usually the best months for loggers to harvest timber when the frozen ground makes access easier. The rainstorms saturated the ground, and the mud made it much more difficult to operate and transport heavy logging equipment without disturbing the soil underneath.

These storms also closed bridges and roads on vital trucking routes, hindering the movement of equipment and employees to logging sites. For example, the December 18 storm washed out a bridge on a vital trucking route that forced an 80-mile detour for wood being distributed to both northern and southern markets. According to the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, this December wind and rainstorm in Maine resulted in more than $2.5 million in losses.

Despite these documented losses, there is currently no Federal program to assist loggers who have been affected by federally declared disasters. That is why I am introducing the Logger Economic Assistance and Relief Act, which would authorize income replacement for logging contractors equal to 10 percent of eligible gross lost revenue from the previous calendar year. Funds received under this program can only be used for operating expenses. Our legislation is modeled off of the successful Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers Program, which I created during the COVID pandemic to provide much needed aid to our timber harvesters.

I am grateful for the Professional Logging Council of the Northeast and the American Logging Council's support of our legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join in this effort to support one of our country's core economic drivers.

Madam President, I rise to introduce the Pediatric Access to Critical Health Care, PATCH Act. This legislation would boost our continued efforts to support our Nation's healthcare safety net for kids across America.

The PATCH Act would provide $6 billion over 10 years to increase pediatric healthcare capacity and improve dedicated children's hospitals and pediatric preparedness response. These funds will prioritize increased critical care capacity and telehealth technology, as well as address attentive care workforce shortages, particularly for high Medicaid providers who serve child populations with the greatest health disparities. Matching requirements supporting contributions from the private sector would double the impact of this Federal investment, greatly increasing pediatric healthcare capacity for all children across the country.

Children represent over 20 percent of the Nation's population and have unique health needs. As a result, pediatric hospital facilities, which are at the frontline of care for children, require separate investments to provide appropriate treatment and care and have not kept up with the level of need.

I would like to thank Congressman Cardenas for leading this legislation in the House of Representatives, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Pediatric Access to Critical Health Care Act as soon as possible.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.