H.R. 6183

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6183 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6183

To establish an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives within 
the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 2, 2023

Mr. Cuellar (for himself, Ms. Escobar, and Ms. Crockett) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives within 
the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Office of Colonias and Farmworker 
Initiatives Establishment Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER INITIATIVES.

(a) In General.--Title III of the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and 
Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by 
adding after section 309 (7 U.S.C. 6921) the following:

``SEC. 310. OFFICE OF COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER INITIATIVES.

``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain in 
the Department an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives 
(referred to in this subsection as the `Office') to--
``(1) improve engagement with, and service to, border 
colonias communities, farmworkers, and the family members and 
children of farmworkers;
``(2) improve collaboration between the Department and 
National, State, and local colonias and farmworker programs and 
nonprofit organizations; and
``(3) carry out other such functions as the Secretary 
determines appropriate.
``(b) Duties.--The Office shall ensure that border colonias 
communities, farmworkers, the family members and children of 
farmworkers, and nonprofit organizations representing or assisting such 
communities and individuals have equitable access to, and equitable 
participation in, programs and services of the Department by--
``(1) establishing and monitoring the goals and objectives 
of the Department to increase participation of such 
communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations in 
Department programs;
``(2) assessing the effectiveness of Department outreach 
programs to such communities, individuals, and nonprofit 
organizations;
``(3) developing and implementing a plan to coordinate 
outreach activities and services to such communities, 
individuals, and nonprofit organizations provided by--
``(A) the Department; and
``(B) other Federal agencies, including services 
related to housing, education, health care, and 
infrastructure development;
``(4) providing input to the Department and other Federal 
agencies on programmatic and policy decisions relating to such 
communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations, 
including--
``(A) identifying obstacles for access to programs 
and resources; and
``(B) elevating Federal, State, and local best 
practices;
``(5) measuring outcomes of the programs and activities of 
the Department to serve such communities and individuals;
``(6) recommending new initiatives and programs to the 
Secretary;
``(7) providing technical assistance to such organizations 
with respect to Departmental programs and resources; and
``(8) carrying out any other related duties that the 
Secretary determines appropriate.
``(c) Colonias Coordinator.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish within the 
Office the position of Colonias Coordinator (referred to in 
this subsection as the `Coordinator').
``(2) Duties.--The Secretary shall delegate to the 
Coordinator responsibility for the following:
``(A) Serving as a liaison to nonprofit 
organizations that represent and have demonstrated 
experience serving and working in colonias communities.
``(B) Coordinating with the Department, other 
Federal agencies, and State and local governments to 
ensure that the needs of colonias communities are 
assessed and met, including during declared disasters 
and other emergencies.
``(C) Consulting within the Office and with other 
entities to better integrate perspectives, concerns, 
and interest of colonias communities into the ongoing 
programs of the Department.

``SEC. 311. COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER INITIATIVES COORDINATING COMMITTEE.

``(a) Establishment of Committee.--The Secretary shall establish 
and convene a Federal coordinating committee, to be known as the 
Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives Coordinating Committee (referred to 
in this subsection as the `Committee') to provide advice and guidance 
to the Secretary on matters relating to colonias and farmworker 
affairs.
``(b) Membership and Composition.--The Committee shall be 
composed--
``(1) of such representatives not described in subparagraph 
(B) as the Secretary determines appropriate; and
``(2) of representatives from each of the following:
``(A) The Department of Housing and Urban 
Development.
``(B) The Department of the Treasury.
``(C) The Environmental Protection Agency.
``(D) The Department of Health and Human Services.
``(E) The Department of Education.
``(F) The Small Business Administration.
``(G) The Department of Labor.
``(H) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
``(c) Duties of Committee.--The Committee shall--
``(1) direct a working group composed of members of the 
Committee (or designees of such members) and representatives 
from other Federal agencies and mission areas within the 
Department (such as the Rural Housing Service, Rural Utilities 
Service, Rural Business Service, Food and Nutrition Service, 
and the Farm Service Agency);
``(2) engage stakeholders and identify State and municipal 
best practices to assist colonias communities, farmworkers, and 
farmworkers' family members and children;
``(3) submit to the Secretary recommendations or, and 
solutions to--
``(A) the issues identified raised under 
subparagraph (B); and
``(B) issues raised at the local, regional, or 
national level; and
``(4) identify and propose solutions to any 
interdepartmental barrier between the Department and other 
Federal agencies.
``(d) Federal Advisory Committee Act Exemption.--Section 1013 of 
title V, United States Code, shall not apply to the Committee.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $2,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2024 through 2029 to carry out this section.''.
(b) Transfer of Position of Farmworker Coordinator.--
(1) In general.--The Farmworker Coordinator position 
established under section 226B(f) of the Department of 
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6934(f)) is 
transferred to the Office of Colonias and Farmworker 
Initiatives under section 310 of the Federal Crop Insurance 
Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 
1994, as added by this Act.
(2) Transfer of legal provisions.--Subsection (f) of 
section 226B of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization 
Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6934) is transferred so as to read as 
subsection (d) of section 310 of the Federal Crop Insurance 
Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 
1994, as added by this Act.
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