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May 4, 2024 - The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) reports on May 1st, leaders of the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committees released conflicting legislative outlines of their Farm Bill priorities.
Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow‘s (D-MI) 94-page summary came approximately five hours after the House Agriculture Committee, led by Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA), released a much shorter 5-page bill summary.
Committee leaders plan to meet in the coming weeks to discuss progress and address key differences; however, both committee proposals outline provisions that are framed as non-starters. As lawmakers struggle to find compromise, they face a September 30th deadline which is complicated by political posturing before the November election. The Farm Bill, which is historically a bipartisan five-year reauthorization filled with priorities of both parties—from nutrition aid to crop subsidies—was temporarily extended last year as parties failed to reach a five-year agreement.
Senator Stabenow told reporters she hopes her bill, which captures more than 100 bipartisan bills, kickstarts “serious bipartisan negotiations” on the Farm Bill. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) said that Senate Republicans will release their own framework after the House Agriculture Committee considers its bill, which is slated for markups on May 23.
Republicans hope to make Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds available for an undefined expanded range of conservation practices; however, Democrats have strongly opposed any funding redirection that does not directly address climate change. The Senate proposal would tie in IRA conservation funding, but limit it to climate-related actions including cover crops and no-till farming.
The Senate proposal would also permanently extend the authority of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to direct funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation to conservation efforts, an ability the House proposal seeks to limit. In addition, it would double the eligibility period new farmers have to access subsidies for crop insurance premiums to ten years and raise reference prices for commodities, including rice, by 5%.
ABOUT RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA (RCRC)
The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-seven member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Source: RCRC
