Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Airport Energy Resiliency and Renewable Energy Act, which I introduced today.

While some airports are already using renewable energy systems to enhance the energy efficiency of their power sources, our Nation's airports still have incredible opportunities to lower emissions and improve energy resiliency by further investing in renewable energy sources and energy storage solutions.

For example, commercial solar panels are bigger and more efficient than residential ones and can generate substantially more power without presenting a threat to aviation operations.

Furthermore, battery storage and microgrids would allow energy to be stored and used later during peak demand, when it is most needed. In the event of a power disruption or outage as a result of a natural disaster or other emergency, deploying solar generation coupled with battery storage would allow airports to power essential facilities using renewable resources instead of generators, which often run on fossil fuels.

In concert with the resources being delivered by the bipartisan infrastructure law, providing new dedicated funding would help kickstart existing interest in reducing carbon footprint and improving the energy resiliency at airports.

That is why I am proud to introduce this bill to create a new FAA grant program to help airports invest in renewable generation resources such as solar panels, battery storage systems, and microgrids.

I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this bill to unlock the opportunity to leverage our Nation's airports to modernize our electric grid and implement clean energy technologies.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Airport Energy Resiliency and Renewable Energy Act, which I introduced today.

While some airports are already using renewable energy systems to enhance the energy efficiency of their power sources, our Nation's airports still have incredible opportunities to lower emissions and improve energy resiliency by further investing in renewable energy sources and energy storage solutions.

For example, commercial solar panels are bigger and more efficient than residential ones and can generate substantially more power without presenting a threat to aviation operations.

Furthermore, battery storage and microgrids would allow energy to be stored and used later during peak demand, when it is most needed. In the event of a power disruption or outage as a result of a natural disaster or other emergency, deploying solar generation coupled with battery storage would allow airports to power essential facilities using renewable resources instead of generators, which often run on fossil fuels.

In concert with the resources being delivered by the bipartisan infrastructure law, providing new dedicated funding would help kickstart existing interest in reducing carbon footprint and improving the energy resiliency at airports.

That is why I am proud to introduce this bill to create a new FAA grant program to help airports invest in renewable generation resources such as solar panels, battery storage systems, and microgrids.

I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this bill to unlock the opportunity to leverage our Nation's airports to modernize our electric grid and implement clean energy technologies.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise to proudly recognize the outstanding public service of Ackley Padilla, my brother, who is retiring after nearly two decades of helping to lead the city of Los Angeles.

Ackley is a proud son of Pacoima, CA--and I know that Pacoima takes incredible pride in him. Ackley, my sister Julie, and I all learned to value public service from our parents, Santos and Lupe Padilla. Ackley made his career serving the people of the San Fernando Valley while working for a number of local elected officials.

Ackley worked for the first Latino and the first Latina presidents of the Los Angeles City Council. And, yes, that means that I was once his boss. For the past 9 years, he has worked for council president Nury Martinez. As her chief of staff, he has been crucial to Los Angeles's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including getting testing and vaccination sites up and running, as well as food distribution sites and other assistance for families in need.

In addition to his public service, Ackley is a passionate fan of the Angels and the Clippers--and known hater of the Lakers and the Dodgers. He clearly followed his father instead of his brother on those decisions. Ackley is a proud dad to three wonderful girls--Kaylyn, Kathryn and Khloey--and a proud handyman. He has come to love his minivan, ``Pony Boy,'' and will surely drive into many adventures in the years ahead.

The people of Pacoima, the San Fernando Valley, and all of Los Angeles have benefited from Ackley's public

service. I wish him the best in his next chapter. And I promise an extra cold refreshment on the next trip to Canelo's.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Fairness for Farmworkers Act, which I introduced today.

Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, farmworkers continued to keep our country going. This was 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 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 with overtime protections. The California overtime law, which ensures farmworkers have an equal right to overtime pay, is a model for this Federal bill.

Farmworkers in California and across the Nation deserve an end to discrimination in labor laws. As we work to rebuild from the pandemic, we must also 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 and 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 Representative Grijalva for joining me in introducing this bill, 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.

Mr. President, the first thing you need to know about picking radishes is that it is hard work. You have to work literally on your knees, and you pick each radish out of the ground by hand--no machines, no tools.

I learned how to pick radishes and parsley about 3 weeks ago when I received an invitation from the United Farm Workers and the UFW Foundation to spend a day working alongside them in California.

Now, I have said countless times that, day in and day out, farmworkers show up to some of the hardest jobs in America. I have always believed that farmworkers are essential, but not until that day did I appreciate the physical demands of long hours on one's knees under the Sun.

Many of the workers picking radishes are older than I am and have worked in the fields for decades. They have labored through heat waves, through storms, wildfire smoke, and more. They have labored through a global health pandemic, and they are the backbone of our economy in helping to keep food on our tables. Yet the majority of farmworkers don't have legal status to live and work in the United States of America. That includes those I worked alongside who were picking radishes--people like Efren, who has worked on American farms for more than 40 years, and Patricia, who has raised her children here.

Several of them told me that one of the hardest parts of being undocumented was being cut off from their families in Mexico or in other countries, being denied the opportunity of seeing their mothers or their fathers one last time before passing away or being able to attend their funerals to pay their last respects.

Imagine that heartbreaking choice of never seeing your parents again because doing so means risking not being able to see your children ever again. That is the fate that we are forcing on countless undocumented farmworkers who fill our grocery stores with fruits and vegetables. This is the choice that

we exacerbate every time we push immigration reform off for another month, another year, another session of Congress. And this is why we must pass legislation that creates a pathway to citizenship for farmworkers.

Did you know that when you pick radishes, you get paid by the number of crates that you fill? On the day that I worked the fields, it comes as no surprise that I picked at a slower rate than the highly skilled and experienced farmworkers, who depend on speed for their livelihoods.

Yet laws across the country leave farmworkers in a position of uncertainty that few other workers have to face. If you are a farmworker and you miss a day of work, there is no paid sick leave. If you are a farmworker and you are injured on the job, you can't get disability insurance. And living and working while undocumented means worrying constantly about your status.

So when the Senate says that immigration reform can wait, we are not seeing the people whose lives are at stake: Isidro, Armando, Isabel, Epigemio. As they pick radishes, these workers are not taking jobs from American citizens. I repeat: They are not taking the jobs of American citizens. In fact, the opposite is true. We don't have enough farmworkers to meet the demand, not just for radishes but for countless other crops. As different produce comes into season, growers need skilled labor on tight timelines.

Corporate leaders, small business owners, and economists agree that we need more immigrants with more protections. The stakes for our economy are high. Right now, American families are paying higher prices not just at the gas pump but at the grocery store. Our labor shortage is contributing to higher inflation. Over $1 trillion of America's GDP is linked to agriculture.

All across the Nation, we rely on immigrant farmworkers. In North Carolina, agriculture is the top industry, aided by tens of thousands of undocumented workers in growing soybean, corn, and peanuts. In Idaho, agriculture accounts for 17 percent of the economic output, including a booming dairy industry. Around 90 percent of Idaho's dairy workers are foreign born, the vast majority undocumented. In Texas, agriculture is worth more than $20 billion each year. More than 100,000 immigrant workers, mostly undocumented, are employed on Texas's ranches, farms, and fields.

I can go on and on, but I think the point is clear: This is truly a national issue. The majority of all farmworkers lack legal status, and growers say that more help is needed.

Congress can make a difference. We can do so by passing the laws that farmworkers need and deserve. Our country cannot afford to wait. That is why it was the first bill I introduced--the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act--when I joined the Senate last year. I am talking about the workers who keep us healthy and safe and fed, the workers we as the Federal Government have deemed to be essential. They deserve dignity; they deserve respect; and they have earned a pathway to citizenship.

Today, I am also proud to introduce the Fairness for Farmworkers Act. This bill will support fair pay for agricultural workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In 1 day, I had just a small dose of the physically demanding life of a farmworker. Still, there is so much more that I could tell you about the kind, funny, generous individuals whom I worked alongside that day.

As we shared a lunch of homemade tortillas, beans, and carne con chiles, they told me about their hometowns that they miss, their favorite music, and their dreams for their children. They had one more message that they asked me to deliver, that they implored me to deliver to all of you, and that is that you should come too. I was the first U.S. Senator to accept an invitation to work in the fields. Last week, my friend and colleague Senator Booker became the second.

I urge you, each and every Member of the Senate, to take this opportunity, take a day to work alongside the heroes who feed America, and then come back here, as I have, humbled and inspired to do our job. Let's come together behind a solution so farmworkers can finally live and work with dignity and security.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Helping People Experiencing Substance Use Disorder and Homelessness Act, which I introduced today.

Housing is a fundamental social determinant of health, and unhoused individuals are often the victims of stark health disparities. Of the more than 580,000 people experiencing homelessness in the United States, an estimated 20 percent have a substance use and/or a mental health disorder. Mental health concerns, including substance use disorders, can cause and exacerbate homelessness.

A lack of affordable housing is the primary driver of homelessness, and we are working to address this issue. Another piece of the puzzle is to ensure housing and social service providers have the resources to work together to ensure access to supportive services.

That is why I am proud to introduce this bill to provide essential funding and tools for frontline organizations to coordinate health and homelessness services.

If enacted, it will create a Federal interagency working group to advise grantees on best practices. The grants will invest in programs to build the capacity necessary to combat the United States' dual homelessness and mental health crises.

I want to thank Representative Madeleine Dean for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us in taking this key step to addressing challenges that have been exacerbated by the COVID- 19 pandemic.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Fairness for Farmworkers Act, which I introduced today.

Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, farmworkers continued to keep our country going. This was 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 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 with overtime protections. The California overtime law, which ensures farmworkers have an equal right to overtime pay, is a model for this Federal bill.

Farmworkers in California and across the Nation deserve an end to discrimination in labor laws. As we work to rebuild from the pandemic, we must also 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 and 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 Representative Grijalva for joining me in introducing this bill, 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.

Mr. President, the first thing you need to know about picking radishes is that it is hard work. You have to work literally on your knees, and you pick each radish out of the ground by hand--no machines, no tools.

I learned how to pick radishes and parsley about 3 weeks ago when I received an invitation from the United Farm Workers and the UFW Foundation to spend a day working alongside them in California.

Now, I have said countless times that, day in and day out, farmworkers show up to some of the hardest jobs in America. I have always believed that farmworkers are essential, but not until that day did I appreciate the physical demands of long hours on one's knees under the Sun.

Many of the workers picking radishes are older than I am and have worked in the fields for decades. They have labored through heat waves, through storms, wildfire smoke, and more. They have labored through a global health pandemic, and they are the backbone of our economy in helping to keep food on our tables. Yet the majority of farmworkers don't have legal status to live and work in the United States of America. That includes those I worked alongside who were picking radishes--people like Efren, who has worked on American farms for more than 40 years, and Patricia, who has raised her children here.

Several of them told me that one of the hardest parts of being undocumented was being cut off from their families in Mexico or in other countries, being denied the opportunity of seeing their mothers or their fathers one last time before passing away or being able to attend their funerals to pay their last respects.

Imagine that heartbreaking choice of never seeing your parents again because doing so means risking not being able to see your children ever again. That is the fate that we are forcing on countless undocumented farmworkers who fill our grocery stores with fruits and vegetables. This is the choice that

we exacerbate every time we push immigration reform off for another month, another year, another session of Congress. And this is why we must pass legislation that creates a pathway to citizenship for farmworkers.

Did you know that when you pick radishes, you get paid by the number of crates that you fill? On the day that I worked the fields, it comes as no surprise that I picked at a slower rate than the highly skilled and experienced farmworkers, who depend on speed for their livelihoods.

Yet laws across the country leave farmworkers in a position of uncertainty that few other workers have to face. If you are a farmworker and you miss a day of work, there is no paid sick leave. If you are a farmworker and you are injured on the job, you can't get disability insurance. And living and working while undocumented means worrying constantly about your status.

So when the Senate says that immigration reform can wait, we are not seeing the people whose lives are at stake: Isidro, Armando, Isabel, Epigemio. As they pick radishes, these workers are not taking jobs from American citizens. I repeat: They are not taking the jobs of American citizens. In fact, the opposite is true. We don't have enough farmworkers to meet the demand, not just for radishes but for countless other crops. As different produce comes into season, growers need skilled labor on tight timelines.

Corporate leaders, small business owners, and economists agree that we need more immigrants with more protections. The stakes for our economy are high. Right now, American families are paying higher prices not just at the gas pump but at the grocery store. Our labor shortage is contributing to higher inflation. Over $1 trillion of America's GDP is linked to agriculture.

All across the Nation, we rely on immigrant farmworkers. In North Carolina, agriculture is the top industry, aided by tens of thousands of undocumented workers in growing soybean, corn, and peanuts. In Idaho, agriculture accounts for 17 percent of the economic output, including a booming dairy industry. Around 90 percent of Idaho's dairy workers are foreign born, the vast majority undocumented. In Texas, agriculture is worth more than $20 billion each year. More than 100,000 immigrant workers, mostly undocumented, are employed on Texas's ranches, farms, and fields.

I can go on and on, but I think the point is clear: This is truly a national issue. The majority of all farmworkers lack legal status, and growers say that more help is needed.

Congress can make a difference. We can do so by passing the laws that farmworkers need and deserve. Our country cannot afford to wait. That is why it was the first bill I introduced--the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act--when I joined the Senate last year. I am talking about the workers who keep us healthy and safe and fed, the workers we as the Federal Government have deemed to be essential. They deserve dignity; they deserve respect; and they have earned a pathway to citizenship.

Today, I am also proud to introduce the Fairness for Farmworkers Act. This bill will support fair pay for agricultural workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In 1 day, I had just a small dose of the physically demanding life of a farmworker. Still, there is so much more that I could tell you about the kind, funny, generous individuals whom I worked alongside that day.

As we shared a lunch of homemade tortillas, beans, and carne con chiles, they told me about their hometowns that they miss, their favorite music, and their dreams for their children. They had one more message that they asked me to deliver, that they implored me to deliver to all of you, and that is that you should come too. I was the first U.S. Senator to accept an invitation to work in the fields. Last week, my friend and colleague Senator Booker became the second.

I urge you, each and every Member of the Senate, to take this opportunity, take a day to work alongside the heroes who feed America, and then come back here, as I have, humbled and inspired to do our job. Let's come together behind a solution so farmworkers can finally live and work with dignity and security.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Helping People Experiencing Substance Use Disorder and Homelessness Act, which I introduced today.

Housing is a fundamental social determinant of health, and unhoused individuals are often the victims of stark health disparities. Of the more than 580,000 people experiencing homelessness in the United States, an estimated 20 percent have a substance use and/or a mental health disorder. Mental health concerns, including substance use disorders, can cause and exacerbate homelessness.

A lack of affordable housing is the primary driver of homelessness, and we are working to address this issue. Another piece of the puzzle is to ensure housing and social service providers have the resources to work together to ensure access to supportive services.

That is why I am proud to introduce this bill to provide essential funding and tools for frontline organizations to coordinate health and homelessness services.

If enacted, it will create a Federal interagency working group to advise grantees on best practices. The grants will invest in programs to build the capacity necessary to combat the United States' dual homelessness and mental health crises.

I want to thank Representative Madeleine Dean for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us in taking this key step to addressing challenges that have been exacerbated by the COVID- 19 pandemic.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, today, I am proud to celebrate two district judges joining the Federal bench for the State of California.

We are scheduled to vote shortly on the confirmation of Judge Ana de Alba, who is nominated to become a judge for the Eastern District of California.

Judge de Alba brings a lifelong commitment to advancing justice in California's Central Valley. The daughter of immigrants from Mexico, she was born in Merced, CA, and grew up in a family of farmworkers.

Judge de Alba watched her mother and her grandmother struggle with unfair treatment, as they worked together in some of the hardest jobs in the world.

She decided at a young age that one day--one day--she would become a lawyer to help families like her own.

Judge de Alba is a first-generation high school graduate. She went on to earn her bachelor's degree and her J.D. from UC Berkeley. And after graduating, she built a successful career in private practice in the Central Valley, and she realized her childhood dream of service by establishing a Workers' Rights Clinic for low-wage workers to learn their rights and to seek legal advice.

In 2018, based on her extensive legal experience and proven commitment to the public good, Judge de Alba was appointed by then- Governor Brown to serve as a superior court judge for Fresno County.

Judge de Alba is a dedicated, fair, and universally respected public servant, respected by her colleagues.

I also want to note that if confirmed, Judge de Alba will be the first Latina to sit on the Eastern District bench. She will bring a deep knowledge of the Central Valley and a passion for equal justice, informed and inspired by her own family's story.

So I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Judge de Alba's confirmation today.

Mr. President, I would also like to take this moment to celebrate the confirmation last month of Judge Robert Huie, now serving in the Southern District of California.

Judge Huie is a resident of San Diego, where he has lived and worked for nearly 20 years, but his roots in California, in fact, began generations ago. His grandfather immigrated to San Francisco from China in the 1930s, making his home there until joining the U.S. Army.

Judge Huie is a talented lawyer who has continually sought out opportunities to promote justice.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Calvin College and his J.D. from Yale Law School. His career includes 12 years of service as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California.

During that time, he investigated and prosecuted more than 600 district court cases and two dozen appeals on matters ranging from public corruption to securities fraud, to bank robberies.

And at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Judge Huie took the initiative to create a districtwide working group that combated pandemic-related fraud.

Judge Huie's commitment to service, his strong work ethic, and his insightful legal thinking will benefit the community of the Southern District.

Mr. President, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am proud of the work that we continue to do to confirm outstanding, effective, and diverse judges across the Federal court system. That is especially important in places like the Southern District and Eastern District of California--two of the busiest Federal judicial districts in the entire country. As we confirm more nominees like Judge de Alba and Judge Huie, we are building a Federal court system that can better deliver on the promise of equal justice for all.

I yield the floor.

I ask unanimous consent that the order with respect to Judge de Alba's nomination be executed at 5:30 p.m. today; further, that if the nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan Recreation and Public Purposes Tribal Parity Act to correct a long- standing and unjust oversight that prevents Tribal governments from having the same opportunities as State and local governments do to buy and lease public lands for recreational purposes.

Current law allows the Bureau of Land Management to lease or sell certain public lands to State and local governments or qualifying nonprofits if those lands will be used for explicit public and recreational purposes. These lands are used for a variety of public and recreational purposes, like historic monument sites, schools, firehouses, law enforcement facilities, courthouses, health facilities, hospitals, and parks. However, the law does not allow the BLM to sell or lease these lands to Tribal governments.

Our bill would allow Tribal governments to participate in the program in the same way that State and local governments do. Doing so would help ensure Tribal nations enjoy the same opportunities for land acquisition as State and local governments and nonprofit organizations do.

Tribal governments were not considered when the Recreation and Public Purposes Act became law in 1926. The omission leaves Tribes without the same opportunities as other governments to use public lands for these beneficial purposes. This disadvantage is clear, as the sale and lease of public lands is often at a discount compared to fair market value. This issue is part of the greater need to correct longstanding barriers that undermine the sovereignty of Tribal governments and our efforts to right historic wrongs.

The Federal Government owns about 640 million acres of land, about 28% of the total land in the United States. Public lands potentially available for disposal by the Bureau of Land Management alone are located across at least 18 States. The exclusion of Indian Tribes from qualifying for acquisition of these lands is not based on any clear policy rationale.

As our Nation works to strengthen Tribal sovereignty and self- determination, it is important that we ensure our laws treat Tribal governments in equal regard as State and local governments and ensure they have the opportunity for positive and productive land use activity.

I thank Senator Feinstein for introducing this legislation with me in the Senate, and Congressman LaMalfa for championing this effort in the House of Representatives. I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this commonsense bill as quickly as possible.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan Recreation and Public Purposes Tribal Parity Act to correct a long- standing and unjust oversight that prevents Tribal governments from having the same opportunities as State and local governments do to buy and lease public lands for recreational purposes.

Current law allows the Bureau of Land Management to lease or sell certain public lands to State and local governments or qualifying nonprofits if those lands will be used for explicit public and recreational purposes. These lands are used for a variety of public and recreational purposes, like historic monument sites, schools, firehouses, law enforcement facilities, courthouses, health facilities, hospitals, and parks. However, the law does not allow the BLM to sell or lease these lands to Tribal governments.

Our bill would allow Tribal governments to participate in the program in the same way that State and local governments do. Doing so would help ensure Tribal nations enjoy the same opportunities for land acquisition as State and local governments and nonprofit organizations do.

Tribal governments were not considered when the Recreation and Public Purposes Act became law in 1926. The omission leaves Tribes without the same opportunities as other governments to use public lands for these beneficial purposes. This disadvantage is clear, as the sale and lease of public lands is often at a discount compared to fair market value. This issue is part of the greater need to correct longstanding barriers that undermine the sovereignty of Tribal governments and our efforts to right historic wrongs.

The Federal Government owns about 640 million acres of land, about 28% of the total land in the United States. Public lands potentially available for disposal by the Bureau of Land Management alone are located across at least 18 States. The exclusion of Indian Tribes from qualifying for acquisition of these lands is not based on any clear policy rationale.

As our Nation works to strengthen Tribal sovereignty and self- determination, it is important that we ensure our laws treat Tribal governments in equal regard as State and local governments and ensure they have the opportunity for positive and productive land use activity.

I thank Senator Feinstein for introducing this legislation with me in the Senate, and Congressman LaMalfa for championing this effort in the House of Representatives. I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this commonsense bill as quickly as possible.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Transportation Assistance for Olympic Cities Act and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coin Act, which I introduced today.

While the eyes of the world will be on the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, the work preparing our region for this grand stage is already starting. That is why I am proud to introduce these bills that will help carry out the Games and make investments in the region and across our Nation.

The Transportation Assistance for Olympic Cities Act would ensure the Federal Government provides critical assistance for surface transportation projects and plans relating to international Olympic, Paralympic, and Special Olympics events. The transportation plans made in the coming years will not only make the Olympics and Paralympics run smoothly but will also be an investment in infrastructure that will benefit commuters and the region for years to come.

This bill would also allow the Department of Transportation to prioritize Federal transportation grants for projects relating to an Olympic, Paralympic, or Special Olympics International event and to provide funding for temporary facilities, equipment, operations, and maintenance that meet the extraordinary needs associated with hosting such events.

The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coin Act would direct the Treasury Department to mint coins in commemoration of the ninth time that the United States will host the modern Olympics and the third time that our Nation will host the Paralympics. This bill would come at no cost to the Federal Government. Any surcharges from the sale of the coins would support the hosting of the 2028 Games and aid in the execution of legacy programs, including the promotion of youth sports in the United States.

I want to thank Representative Brownley and Representative Sherman for co-leading these bills with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us in support of these bills that will help Los Angeles, California, and our entire Nation prepare for the successful administration of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Transportation Assistance for Olympic Cities Act and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coin Act, which I introduced today.

While the eyes of the world will be on the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, the work preparing our region for this grand stage is already starting. That is why I am proud to introduce these bills that will help carry out the Games and make investments in the region and across our Nation.

The Transportation Assistance for Olympic Cities Act would ensure the Federal Government provides critical assistance for surface transportation projects and plans relating to international Olympic, Paralympic, and Special Olympics events. The transportation plans made in the coming years will not only make the Olympics and Paralympics run smoothly but will also be an investment in infrastructure that will benefit commuters and the region for years to come.

This bill would also allow the Department of Transportation to prioritize Federal transportation grants for projects relating to an Olympic, Paralympic, or Special Olympics International event and to provide funding for temporary facilities, equipment, operations, and maintenance that meet the extraordinary needs associated with hosting such events.

The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coin Act would direct the Treasury Department to mint coins in commemoration of the ninth time that the United States will host the modern Olympics and the third time that our Nation will host the Paralympics. This bill would come at no cost to the Federal Government. Any surcharges from the sale of the coins would support the hosting of the 2028 Games and aid in the execution of legacy programs, including the promotion of youth sports in the United States.

I want to thank Representative Brownley and Representative Sherman for co-leading these bills with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us in support of these bills that will help Los Angeles, California, and our entire Nation prepare for the successful administration of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.