Floor Statements

Mr. President, I submit the following statement to the record in recognition of the lifelong career of Jaime Jarrin, the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers en espanol for over half a century.

A native of Ecuador, Jaime moved to Los Angeles in 1955 at the age of 19 and worked as a news and sports director for KWKW, a Spanish language radio station that is now the Spanish radio home for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Soon after, in 1959, Jarrin called his first Dodger game, launching what would become an over six-decade career with the Dodgers that would make him the longest tenured announcer in Major League Baseball, second only to the legendary Vin Scully, and earning him the respect of generations of Angelenos whose fandom will forever be measured by Jarrin's play-by-play and home run calls, ``Se va, se va, se va, y despidala con un beso. Se fue de cuadrangular!''

Among his long list of accomplishments from a lifetime in baseball, some of his most impressive include his streak of nearly 4,000 consecutive games called between 1962--84--spanning 22 seasons without missing a single game. And they include any number of games he has called that read like headlines straight from baseball's history books: he has called three perfect games--Sandy Koufax in 1965, Tom Browning in 1988, and Dennis Martinez in 1991--as well as 22 no-hitters, 30 World Series, and 30 All-Star Games.

In 1998, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for ``major contributions to baseball,'' becoming only the second Spanish- language announcer to achieve the honor.

And during ``Fernandomania,'' the young Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela's rise to become the first and only player to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in one season, Jarrin was there side-by-side, introducing Valenzuela to Los Angeles and to the world. ``Fernandomania'' also helped introduce Jarrin to an English-speaking audience--not only in Los Angeles, but across the country--helping bridge communities through a shared love of the game.

Through years of hard work, dedication, and passion for the game he loves, Jarrin will have gone on to call games for 64 years in the booth after he retires at the end of this season. Five of those years were alongside his son, Jorge Jarrin, forming the first father-son duo to broadcast baseball on MLB Spanish-language radio. Jaime truly brought Dodger stadium to life inside the homes of Californians each and every night. He has become a legend in his own right, and the entire baseball community will miss his voice once he retires this year.

Outside of baseball, it was clear that Jaime was listening to the community that supported him. With the love and support of his late wife Blanca Jarrin--who is survived by Jaime's sons Jorge and Mauricio, three sisters, and three grandchildren--they launched the Jaime and Blanca Jarrin Foundation committed to serving and supporting educational and athletic programs in the Los Angeles area.

On behalf of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area and the worldwide baseball community that listened to Jaime's voice for decades: thank you Jaime, ``y gracias,'' for your lifetime service to the Dodgers and to the beautiful game of ``beisbol.''

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Veteran Service Recognition Act of 2022.

This legislation would ensure that noncitizen service members have access to the information and resources they need to apply for citizenship in the United States and avoid deportation from the country they have promised to protect and fight for.

The Veteran Service Recognition Act of 2022 would implement important changes to ensure that servicemembers as well as their spouses and children are not removed from the United States after leaving the military because they were never provided support and resources to help them adjust their status.

Specifically, this bill would require the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense to create a program to help ensure that servicemembers and their families have a pathway to naturalization. The program would also include training for JAG officers and recruiter training on the naturalization process for servicemembers.

The bill would also create a Military Family Immigration Advisory Committee that would provide recommendations to DHS on whether a noncitizen who has served in the military or their family members should be granted a stay of removal, deferred action, parole, or be removed from the country.

Finally, the bill would require DHS to establish a program that allows removed veterans and their family members to be admitted back into the United States as lawful permanent residents and directs DOJ to reopen their removal cases.

Our noncitizen servicemembers have risked their lives in service to our country. For over a century, the United States has recognized the contributions that noncitizens make in the military. They deserve a clear path to citizenship for themselves and their spouses and children.

Over the past several years, programs to help facilitate these processes have diminished, and this lack of support from Federal Agencies has made it more difficult for noncitizen servicemembers to become U.S. citizens. Veterans who are unable to naturalize are at risk of deportation if they commit certain crimes and are forced to leave the country they promised to defend. Many believe that they are citizens already due to their service and are shocked to learn years later that they are not.

It is imperative that we work to protect our noncitizen veterans from deportation and that we bring back those veterans who were removed from the United States. These veterans have shown nothing but loyalty to the United States, and they deserve to stay here, receive their benefits, and live fulfilling lives alongside their family members.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Veteran Service Recognition Act of 2022.

This legislation would ensure that noncitizen service members have access to the information and resources they need to apply for citizenship in the United States and avoid deportation from the country they have promised to protect and fight for.

The Veteran Service Recognition Act of 2022 would implement important changes to ensure that servicemembers as well as their spouses and children are not removed from the United States after leaving the military because they were never provided support and resources to help them adjust their status.

Specifically, this bill would require the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense to create a program to help ensure that servicemembers and their families have a pathway to naturalization. The program would also include training for JAG officers and recruiter training on the naturalization process for servicemembers.

The bill would also create a Military Family Immigration Advisory Committee that would provide recommendations to DHS on whether a noncitizen who has served in the military or their family members should be granted a stay of removal, deferred action, parole, or be removed from the country.

Finally, the bill would require DHS to establish a program that allows removed veterans and their family members to be admitted back into the United States as lawful permanent residents and directs DOJ to reopen their removal cases.

Our noncitizen servicemembers have risked their lives in service to our country. For over a century, the United States has recognized the contributions that noncitizens make in the military. They deserve a clear path to citizenship for themselves and their spouses and children.

Over the past several years, programs to help facilitate these processes have diminished, and this lack of support from Federal Agencies has made it more difficult for noncitizen servicemembers to become U.S. citizens. Veterans who are unable to naturalize are at risk of deportation if they commit certain crimes and are forced to leave the country they promised to defend. Many believe that they are citizens already due to their service and are shocked to learn years later that they are not.

It is imperative that we work to protect our noncitizen veterans from deportation and that we bring back those veterans who were removed from the United States. These veterans have shown nothing but loyalty to the United States, and they deserve to stay here, receive their benefits, and live fulfilling lives alongside their family members.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to Calendar No. 482, S. 3092.

I further ask that the Padilla amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to, the committee-reported substitute amendment, as amended, be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I rise to discuss and explain the matter we just took action on. It is relative to wildfires. All across the Western United States, historic wildfires continue to grow both more frequent and more severe. Every year, in recent years, entire communities have been destroyed by wildfires in a matter of hours. We have seen this in California, New Mexico, and Colorado. Families are forced to flee with only the belongings they could quickly pack into their vehicles.

Last year, I visited the incident command center in Quincy, CA, to see firsthand the real-time response to the devastating Dixie fire. Separately, I met with local leaders in Santa Rosa, CA, to hear about problems with recovery from previous catastrophic wildfires.

So my bill--the bill we just took action on, the FEMA Improvement, Reform, and Efficiency Act or the FIRE Act--will help ensure FEMA better addresses the unique and increasing danger of wildfires.

FEMA's current procedures and requirements don't always work for postwildfire recovery needs. And this bill will close those gaps.

I give a lot of credit to FEMA. They have gotten pretty good at anticipating and responding to other types of disasters. We are seeing it, as we speak, with the hurricane impact in Florida. They do the same with tornadoes, floods, other disasters.

In all these scenarios, we know that it begins with preparation. The FIRE Act will begin the process of allowing FEMA to predeploy resources during times of extremely high risk. In the West, we know it as red flag warnings.

When it is hot, conditions are dry, and the wind kicks up, it is a recipe for disaster. And so to have FEMA be able to deploy in advance-- just as they do already during hurricane warnings, as we are seeing in Florida at this very moment--is a smart thing to do.

Then, as communities rebuild after a devastating wildfire, this bill will work to ensure that FEMA takes wildfire-specific issues into account, like melted infrastructure and burned trees. It will also help local governments work with FEMA to more effectively relocate critical infrastructure away from fire-prone areas.

Now, in the aftermath of a fire, the bill will help provide better housing assistance, case management, and crisis counseling for survivors with a focus on equity for underserved communities and Tribal governments. Oftentimes these underserved communities and Tribal governments suffer the disproportionate impact of these wildfires.

So with the FIRE Act, we will be able to better prepare for and respond to the unique challenges of wildfires in California and throughout the Western United States.

The FIRE Act passed out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee by a voice vote on February 2 of this year. And I want to take a moment to thank both Chairman Peters and Ranking Member Portman and their staffs who contributed to this bill, as well as our partners at FEMA.

This is an overdue, commonsense bill to help communities on the frontlines of our wildfire crisis. And I thank my colleagues for joining me in supporting it.

With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 Act.

There are currently 11 million noncitizens in the United States. It is not feasible or productive to remove all them. The vast majority of these noncitizens have established roots in the United States and are law-abiding citizens. They have made contributions to

their communities and have served as essential workers during the pandemic. Leaving them without a path to permanent residence denies them the opportunity to become full participants in our society.

This legislation would ensure that long-term residents who have lived in the United States continuously for at least 7 years are able to apply for lawful permanent residence.

The Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 Act would amend the existing registry statue in the Immigration and Nationality Act by establishing a rolling cutoff date of 7 years prior to the date that an immigrant files an application to register permanent or adjusted status.

This bill would ensure that long-term residents already in the United States who have been waiting for a visa number to become available for over 7 years can immediately file an application to register permanent or adjust status.

This legislation also provides a much needed pathway to a green card for Dreamers and forcibly displaced citizens, such as TPS holders, who have been in legal limbo for many years.

Finally, the bill would preempt the need for further congressional action by making the eligibility cutoff rolling, instead of tying it to a specific date, as it is now.

Advancing the registry date is not unprecedented. Congress has updated the registry in a bipartisan fashion four times since it was first codified in 1929. As a result of the 1958 changes, the registry mechanism became available to immigrants who had entered the country improperly or who had overstayed or who violated the terms of a temporary period of entry. With this change, Congress intended the registry to be a mechanism for noncitizens to adjust to lawful permanent resident status.

Currently, the eligibility cutoff date is January 1, 1972, more than 50 years ago. Fewer and fewer immigrants are able to meet this cutoff entry date requirement, rendering this provision all but useless. From 2015 to 2019 only 305 individuals were able to adjust their status based on the registry, down from 58,914 from 1985 to 1989.

It is imperative that we provide immigrants who have been

living with uncertainty about their futures a path to

permanent residence status.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 Act.

There are currently 11 million noncitizens in the United States. It is not feasible or productive to remove all them. The vast majority of these noncitizens have established roots in the United States and are law-abiding citizens. They have made contributions to

their communities and have served as essential workers during the pandemic. Leaving them without a path to permanent residence denies them the opportunity to become full participants in our society.

This legislation would ensure that long-term residents who have lived in the United States continuously for at least 7 years are able to apply for lawful permanent residence.

The Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 Act would amend the existing registry statue in the Immigration and Nationality Act by establishing a rolling cutoff date of 7 years prior to the date that an immigrant files an application to register permanent or adjusted status.

This bill would ensure that long-term residents already in the United States who have been waiting for a visa number to become available for over 7 years can immediately file an application to register permanent or adjust status.

This legislation also provides a much needed pathway to a green card for Dreamers and forcibly displaced citizens, such as TPS holders, who have been in legal limbo for many years.

Finally, the bill would preempt the need for further congressional action by making the eligibility cutoff rolling, instead of tying it to a specific date, as it is now.

Advancing the registry date is not unprecedented. Congress has updated the registry in a bipartisan fashion four times since it was first codified in 1929. As a result of the 1958 changes, the registry mechanism became available to immigrants who had entered the country improperly or who had overstayed or who violated the terms of a temporary period of entry. With this change, Congress intended the registry to be a mechanism for noncitizens to adjust to lawful permanent resident status.

Currently, the eligibility cutoff date is January 1, 1972, more than 50 years ago. Fewer and fewer immigrants are able to meet this cutoff entry date requirement, rendering this provision all but useless. From 2015 to 2019 only 305 individuals were able to adjust their status based on the registry, down from 58,914 from 1985 to 1989.

It is imperative that we provide immigrants who have been

living with uncertainty about their futures a path to

permanent residence status.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022.

This legislation recognizes the need to protect the public during active shooter situations while our country experiences an unconscionable epidemic of mass shootings.

This legislation would establish a voluntary public safety alert system for use by law enforcement to notify individuals of active shooter situations occurring within their communities. It would also appoint an Active Shooter Alert Coordinator at the Department of Justice who would direct Federal training, technical support, and best practices efforts across the country.

Additionally, this legislation would establish an Advisory Panel to coordinate with FEMA, the Department of Transportation, and the FCC. The panel would develop guidance on how alerts should be sent, how they should be designed, and what language should be used.

Americans deserve to feel safe in their communities. The tragedies in Highland Park, Memphis, and Uvalde are reminders that we have to address the pressing issues surrounding mass shootings.

The House has already passed this bill with strong bipartisan support from 43 Republicans who recognized that political affiliation should never jeopardize our obligation to protect Americans from harm.

Public safety is paramount, and our country's law enforcement officers, first responders, and healthcare providers deserve every tool available as they carry out their work.

This bill is an important step to strengthen our public safety infrastructure, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022 as quickly as possible.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022.

This legislation recognizes the need to protect the public during active shooter situations while our country experiences an unconscionable epidemic of mass shootings.

This legislation would establish a voluntary public safety alert system for use by law enforcement to notify individuals of active shooter situations occurring within their communities. It would also appoint an Active Shooter Alert Coordinator at the Department of Justice who would direct Federal training, technical support, and best practices efforts across the country.

Additionally, this legislation would establish an Advisory Panel to coordinate with FEMA, the Department of Transportation, and the FCC. The panel would develop guidance on how alerts should be sent, how they should be designed, and what language should be used.

Americans deserve to feel safe in their communities. The tragedies in Highland Park, Memphis, and Uvalde are reminders that we have to address the pressing issues surrounding mass shootings.

The House has already passed this bill with strong bipartisan support from 43 Republicans who recognized that political affiliation should never jeopardize our obligation to protect Americans from harm.

Public safety is paramount, and our country's law enforcement officers, first responders, and healthcare providers deserve every tool available as they carry out their work.

This bill is an important step to strengthen our public safety infrastructure, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022 as quickly as possible.

Madam President, I submit the following statement to the Record in memory of Maury Wills, who passed away on September 19, 2022, at the age of 89.

Before there was Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson, there was Maury Wills. When he stole 104 bases in 1962, he not only beat out Willie Mays for the National League MVP award, he broke the single season stolen base record held by Ty Cobb that had stood for 47 years. That year, he was also named the first Black captain in the history of the Dodgers organization.

A native of Washington, DC, Maury was inspired to pursue a Major League career after attending a youth baseball clinic held by Jerry Priddy of the Washington Senators.

Maury was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers at the age of 17. He spent a decade in their Minor League system, honing his skills and working his way to the Major League.

When Maury finally made it to the big league, he quickly became a foundational part of the Dodgers teams that went to four World Series from 1959 to 1966. During that time, he won two Gold Gloves and was named to five All Star teams. Maury, and so many other Dodgers legends from the era, helped Los Angeles fall in love with professional baseball.

In the years following his playing career, Maury had stints as an announcer, manager, and even entertainer. He was also able to overcome addiction with the help of his future wife Angela George and support of the Dodgers organization. Maury was open about his challenges with addiction in hopes that others could learn from his journey to sobriety.

Maury remained a member of the Dodgers family until his death. For years, he served as a base stealing and bunting instructor. He even helped mentor a young outfielder named Dave Roberts, who would go on to have one of the most famous stolen bases in MLB history in the 2004 American League Championship Series. Maury's intensity and passion for the game was evident when I visited Dodgers Spring Training a few years ago; it was clear why they referred to his spot in the facility as Maury's Pit.

I join Dodger fans across the Nation in remembering Maury and sending our condolences to his family.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the bipartisan American Music Fairness Act, which I introduced with Senator Blackburn today.

Artists pour their heart and soul into the music we enjoy. Unfortunately, our current copyright laws do not adequately reflect the value of what they have produced.

Currently, the United States is the only democratic country in the world in which artists are not compensated for the use of their music on AM/FM radio.

By requiring broadcast radio corporations to pay performance royalties to creators for AM/FM radio plays, the American Music Fairness Act would close an antiquated loophole in our copyright law which has prevented artists from receiving compensation for the use of their music for far too long.

This royalty stream would be particularly meaningful for the thousands of working-class artists who are a critical part of our country's vibrant music industry, and it would also be particularly meaningful for artists who are not readily able to tour and perform, as has unfortunately been the case for artists during the COVID pandemic.

Additionally and importantly, when American-made music is played overseas, other countries collect royalties for American artists and producers but never pay those royalties to our artists because we do not reciprocate. This inequity costs the American economy and artists more than $200 million each year. This is a serious injustice considering that America is the origin of so much of the music listened to around the world.

So it is time once and for all to create a regime that is platform neutral and which respects the hard work and dignity of our artists.

But I also want to be clear about something. I am a huge fan of and true believer in the importance of local radio to the music industry and to communities all across the United States that rely on radio to receive timely and relevant news, entertainment, and emergency response information. The American Music Fairness Act recognizes and acknowledges the important role that locally-owned radio stations play by including protections for small, college, and noncommercial stations.

I want to thank Senator Blackburn for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us in supporting the thousands of artists across this country who create the music that contributes to the soundtrack of our lives.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the bipartisan American Music Fairness Act, which I introduced with Senator Blackburn today.

Artists pour their heart and soul into the music we enjoy. Unfortunately, our current copyright laws do not adequately reflect the value of what they have produced.

Currently, the United States is the only democratic country in the world in which artists are not compensated for the use of their music on AM/FM radio.

By requiring broadcast radio corporations to pay performance royalties to creators for AM/FM radio plays, the American Music Fairness Act would close an antiquated loophole in our copyright law which has prevented artists from receiving compensation for the use of their music for far too long.

This royalty stream would be particularly meaningful for the thousands of working-class artists who are a critical part of our country's vibrant music industry, and it would also be particularly meaningful for artists who are not readily able to tour and perform, as has unfortunately been the case for artists during the COVID pandemic.

Additionally and importantly, when American-made music is played overseas, other countries collect royalties for American artists and producers but never pay those royalties to our artists because we do not reciprocate. This inequity costs the American economy and artists more than $200 million each year. This is a serious injustice considering that America is the origin of so much of the music listened to around the world.

So it is time once and for all to create a regime that is platform neutral and which respects the hard work and dignity of our artists.

But I also want to be clear about something. I am a huge fan of and true believer in the importance of local radio to the music industry and to communities all across the United States that rely on radio to receive timely and relevant news, entertainment, and emergency response information. The American Music Fairness Act recognizes and acknowledges the important role that locally-owned radio stations play by including protections for small, college, and noncommercial stations.

I want to thank Senator Blackburn for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us in supporting the thousands of artists across this country who create the music that contributes to the soundtrack of our lives.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Expanding Financial Access for Underserved Communities Act, which I introduced today.

Over the past decade, affordable banking services have become more difficult for many Americans to access due to the closure of physical bank branches. Addressing banking deserts is an important element to promoting equity across our entire economy.

I believe that credit unions can play a significant role in improving access to affordable banking services in underserved communities throughout our Nation.

That is why I am proud to introduce this legislation to allow all federally chartered credit unions to expand their field of membership to underserved areas. The bill would exempt business loans made to borrowers located in underserved areas from the credit union member business lending cap.

I am proud to join Chairwoman Maxine Waters in this effort. I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this bill to promote economic opportunity in low-income communities and communities of color.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Expanding Financial Access for Underserved Communities Act, which I introduced today.

Over the past decade, affordable banking services have become more difficult for many Americans to access due to the closure of physical bank branches. Addressing banking deserts is an important element to promoting equity across our entire economy.

I believe that credit unions can play a significant role in improving access to affordable banking services in underserved communities throughout our Nation.

That is why I am proud to introduce this legislation to allow all federally chartered credit unions to expand their field of membership to underserved areas. The bill would exempt business loans made to borrowers located in underserved areas from the credit union member business lending cap.

I am proud to join Chairwoman Maxine Waters in this effort. I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this bill to promote economic opportunity in low-income communities and communities of color.

Mr. President, I rise today because today is a bittersweet day for me. I rise to recognize and express my gratitude for the outstanding work of Vanessa Valdivia, who has served as my communications director since my first day here in the Senate. I speak for everybody in my office when I say we are going to miss her.

But I am also proud. Next week, she will begin work at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and as Press Secretary to the First Lady. I have no doubt that she will do great things in her new role.

Since our first days in the Russell basement, in an office I had when I was transitioning, Vanessa has brought her incredible experience, her unique personality, and her tremendous passion to the job in helping me communicate our work to the people of California. From my maiden speech here on the Senate floor, during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, to crisscrossing the State on an infrastructure listening tour as we were negotiating the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act here in Washington, to ensuring that Californians were consistently informed of the historic progress that we have made in this Congress, Vanessa has been a key leader in my office and an adviser to me.

She is a California native and is the proud daughter of Mexican- Nicaraguan immigrants. Now, some of you may remember some of my remarks during the confirmation hearings of now-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson when I said that, often, Americans of color needed to work twice as hard to garner half the respect. Well, it comes as no surprise that Vanessa has gained the utmost respect from her former bosses and colleagues on the various Presidential and Senate campaigns that she has been a part of and from the Senate offices that she has worked in, including those of Senators Booker, Heinrich, and Peters in addition to mine, and I have no doubt that she will bring the same work ethic and savvy to serving the First Lady and the Biden administration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to deliver the next part of my remarks in Spanish.

(English translation of statement made in Spanish is as follows:)

Vanessa, I wish you all the luck in your next chapter.

Don't forget your friends here in the Senate. I have no doubt

that you will continue to do great things working for the

First Lady and the Biden administration. Thank you for your

work for all of California.

Mr. President, let the record reflect that Vanessa Valdivia will be deeply missed and that the State of California and the U.S. Senate thank her for her service.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Tule River Tribe Reserved Water Rights Settlement Act of 2022. This legislation would finalize this multidecade effort by the Tule River Tribe to provide clean drinking water to their people and uphold the Federal Government's trust and treaty responsibilities.

The Tule River people are descendants of the Yokuts Indians, a large group of Native Americans who occupied what is now known as the San Joaquin Valley in California for thousands of years prior to contact with settlers.

In 1856, the Federal Government established their reservation in Tulare County, with the specific goal of providing the Tribe with arable farmland and the water resources necessary to establish self- sufficiency. However, their land was fraudulently stolen from them, and in 1873, President Grant issued an Executive order to create a new reservation for the tribe. This land, which is the Tribe's current reservation, is comprised of mostly mountainous lands that do not provide sufficient irrigation opportunities or water storage facilities. Today, the Tule River Tribe struggles to provide clean drinking water to their people, and Tule Tribal citizens suffer from a low standard of living as a result.

Since 1971, the Tribe has worked to establish its federally reserved water rights to create the viable homeland they were promised and to ensure that their citizens have enough water to meet their current and future water needs. For decades, the Tribe has worked with the Departments of the Interior and Justice as well as downstream water users to advance a settlement agreement, thereby avoiding costly litigation for both the Tribe and the U.S. Government.

I am proud to introduce this legislation to quantify the Tribe's water right of 5,828 acre-feet per year of surface water and fund $568 million towards the construction of a water storage project. Our legislation would also codify what is known as the 2007 Agreement with downstream water users, who support this legislation. Finally, the legislation would transfer approximately 9,000 acres of Federal land currently in the Sequoia National Monument to allow the Tribe to protect the watershed headwaters and 800 acres of grazing land to the north and south of the reservation boundary.

It is long past time for the Federal Government to live up to its trust and treaty responsibilities to the Tule River Tribe. We must codify this water settlement and settle the Tule River Tribe's claims against the United States. Access to clean drinking water now and in the future is essential to the continued strength of Tribal nations and to ensuring the sustainability and viability of future generations.

Water is a sacred and necessary resource for Tribal nations and for all people. As California and the West continue to experience a historic megadrought, enactment of our legislation would provide water security to Tule River citizens now and into the future.

I thank Senator Feinstein for introducing this legislation with me in the Senate. I would also like to thank the Tule River Tribe for their decades of hard work to finalize this settlement and the downstream water users, including the Tule River Association and the South Tule Independent Ditch Company, for working with the Tribe to settle this issue and avoid litigation.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Tule River Tribe Reserved Water Rights Settlement Act of 2022 as quickly as possible.