Hill Stands with Arkansas's Farm Families

Press Release

Congressman French Hill (AR-02) made the following statement regarding the comprehensive farm bill agreed to by the House and Senate:

"Agriculture is Arkansas's number one economic industry, and I am proud to support the passage of this year's comprehensive farm bill that brings much needed security and support to hardworking Arkansas farm families. Farmers benefit from programs funded through this bill including commodity, conservation, and research programs. We take pride in what we produce in our state, and I will continue supporting our farmers and ranchers who produce agricultural products that are second to none.

"With that said, while the bill makes significant improvements to the nutrition title and the SNAP program, I was disappointed that a statutory framework for enhancing opportunities for work was not included. I look forward to the United States Department of Agriculture's approach to help able-bodied recipients find work, get the education they need, or volunteer."
Background
This farm bill does the following:

Reauthorizes and strengthens the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC), and Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL) options for the next five years.

Provides a strengthened safety net for farmers and ranchers, authorizing and restoring funding for vital tools for trade promotion and market development, and maintains long-standing legal authority for the secretary to aid farmers and ranchers affected by unfair foreign trading practices.

Prioritizes working-land conservation by retaining and folding the best features of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) into the nation's flagship incentive-based program for voluntary conservation -- the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

Protects crop insurance as well as streamlining and reducing regulatory burdens.

Authorizes substantial annual appropriations for rural broadband.

Requires the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish broadband standards. It would also strengthen the suite of rural development initiatives to promote jobs and economic activity in rural America.

Establishes a new National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program designed to protect the health of the nation's livestock sector.
Reduces catastrophic wildfire risk and will provides more timber management tools at the state and county levels.
Preserves the Administration's regulatory flexibility on SNAP, including USDA's ability to reign in states who abuse the waiver process.
Establishes a National Accuracy Clearinghouse to prevent SNAP recipients from receiving SNAP benefits from multiple states.
Authorizes the USDA to audit and inspect state records related to SNAP.

Source