Baltic Security Initiative Act

Mr. President, I rise today to talk about something that I have spoken about on this floor before.

Last September, an incredible young woman named Lulu Gribbin really came on to the scene with regard to a piece of legislation that we put forth before this body. You see, her life changed forever in July of last year. She is an incredible young woman from Mountain Brook, AL. She brought her entire community, her State, and now our Nation together.

On June 7 of last year, out of the blue, she was attacked by a shark. She and a friend were looking for sand dollars, and obviously all of this came unexpectedly. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. The doctors, nurses, EMTs, and everyday people on the beach that day saved Lulu's life.

But the real miracle was just beginning. When Lulu woke up from surgery that day and got taken off of her ventilator, her very first words were ``I made it.'' That has become a mantra not just in how she reemerged but in the way that she has pushed forward.

After a long rehabilitation, she came back to Alabama 3 months after the accident. She was determined. When you talk with her parents, they tell you about her aggressiveness. When other amputees would come and visit her and tell her how long it took them to walk or to do other things, she would say: I am going to do it faster. I am going to do it better.

She was back outclassing golfers there at a driving range, not too long after. She refused letting losing an arm or a leg stop her.

Just last week, Lulu spoke publicly for the very first time since the shark attack. Her grace, her faith, her strength, her perseverance--it was an inspiration to all of us. Lulu told a crowd that morning that she wakes up ready to conquer the day every day, and that she is motivated to keep getting better.

She launched a foundation called Lulu Strong to help others in need get the prosthetic technologies that will make their lives easier. After visiting Walter Reed just a few weeks ago, you can tell how this advocacy can actually change lives.

When the unimaginable changed her world, what Lulu decided to do was change our world for the better. Lulu is a modern-day American hero. The courage she has shown, the fight, the resolve that she has demonstrated are truly remarkable, and not just for a 16-year-old but for anyone.

But it shouldn't have to be this way. Lulu is, indeed, an inspiration, but this tremendous battle that she has fought and won could have been prevented in the first place. You see, when I heard Lulu's story, I learned that there was another shark attack that happened just right down the shore, 90 minutes earlier. Elisabeth Foley, a mother of three, from Virginia, tragically lost her hand to a shark bite and suffered other terrible injuries resulting in 26 surgeries.

After talking with Lulu and her family, we said: It doesn't have to be this way. They knew there was something that could have been done. And after talking, we knew that there had to be a better way to get information out there to warn beachgoers about shark attacks in the area. That is when we introduced Lulu's Law, and it is why I am reintroducing this bill in this Congress today.

This bill, which I am proud to share, has bipartisan support. It would empower local authorities to issue wireless emergency alerts warning beachgoers of potential shark attacks through the already existing wireless emergency system. This has the potential to make a real difference in Americans' lives. When we are given the opportunity to do something simple that can make such a big difference, I believe we have to take it.

So, Lulu, I want you to know how much you inspire all of us. Your bravery in the face of the unimaginable is just amazing, and your taking what happened to you and saying: How can I make others' lives better? How can we make sure that this doesn't happen to someone else?

We want to honor the strength that you have shown over the past 9 months.

To Lulu's parents Ann Blair and Joe Gribbin, the way you have all rallied our State and our country to support Lulu on her road to recovery is truly unbelievable.

To my colleagues in the Senate on both sides of the aisle, whether you represent a State on the coast or you represent citizens of the interior, there is no doubt we want to keep our citizens safe, whether they live there or they are visiting. Making sure that we put safeguards in place that can prevent another tragedy from occurring is imperative.

Let's pass this law. Let's celebrate this amazing young woman, and let's prevent this from happening again.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act. This legislation would ensure all farmers can access critical U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster relief programs.

Increasingly frequent and catastrophic floods, fires, freezes, and other disasters are threatening the long-term sustainability of agriculture across the country.

The impact has been particularly acute for California's agricultural communities, who face year-round threats from drought, heat, floods, and fires--even in January.

The farm bill authorizes safety net programs to help producers recover, but outdated adjusted gross income, AGI, limits exclude many specialty crop growers, despite facing the same extreme weather challenges as other farmers.

As a result, producers from California to North Carolina are blocked from vital disaster assistance.

The Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act adopts flexibility used in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to waive the AGI limitation for producers that derive 75 percent of their AGI from farming, ranching, or related farming practices.

What are referred to as specialty crops are just that--special. Specialty crops, which include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops that are cultivated for food and medicine, require overall higher input costs and specialized processes for planting, growing, and harvesting.

Did you know that it costs more than $30,000 to produce an acre of strawberries? The cost of production for specialty crops is typically thousands of dollars per acre.

As a result, both large and small producers of specialty crops end up exceeding the AGI limitations put in place to means-test critical disaster assistance.

That is why we need to pass the Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act to ensure farmers and ranchers can access agricultural safety net programs in the wake of increasingly more frequent and catastrophic disasters.

I would like to thank Senator Tillis for joining me to introduce this bill, and I forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act as quickly as possible.

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

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

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