LaMalfa Supports Final Farm Bill Passage

Press Release

Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the House agreed to the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 2, the Agriculture Improvement Act -- also known as the Farm Bill.

LaMalfa said: "This Farm Bill is important for North State farmers, ranchers, and Ag producers who help feed and clothe the entire nation. The farm bill protects U.S. agricultural trade interests, makes significant improvements to rural broadband, and includes modest positive forestry reforms to help prevent catastrophic wildfires. The importance of this bipartisan legislation should not be understated -- all Americans stand to benefit from it in some meaningful way. California is one of the largest producers of agriculture commodities in the world, and it's our job in Congress to ensure our producers have the tools and protections in place to succeed, while working to protect and improve safety net programs for those in real need."

Highlights of H.R. 2:

Strengthens the safety net and provides more certainty and flexibility to America's farmers.
Improves opportunities within conservation programs and shifts more resources into the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Preserves the administration's ability to strengthen SNAP work requirement waivers for able bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs).
Improves program integrity and transparency within SNAP to reduce program abuses.
Expands resources to improve broadband deployment to rural areas.
Strengthens trade resources by streamlining market promotion initiatives under one umbrella and providing $470 million in additional funding.
Provides an increase of over $600 million in funding for research and education programs to improve innovation and productivity.
Increases resources to rural health projects to help Americans struggling with opioid addictions, including creating a Rural Health Liaison at USDA, and providing additional resources for distance learning and telemedicine grants.
Expands the guaranteed lending programs that bring private capital into rural America to allow rural communities to build and upgrade essential infrastructure such as hospitals, water systems, schools, and telecommunications.
Expands existing Good Neighbor Authority to include counties and Tribes to provide more localized forest management and timber removal.
Authorizes the USFS to implement a rights-of-way vegetation management pilot to conduct management activities near electivity infrastructure to reduce fuel load and decrease wildfire risk near power lines.
Continues funding for the Healthy Forest Reserve Program.
Reauthorizes and expanding the Community Wood Energy Program and the Timber Innovation Act.
Expands existing authorities to allow for cross-boundary projects to address wildfire risk on bordering non-federal lands.
Streamlines Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) appointment process to allow more effective local collaboration on management projects.
Reauthorizes the Biomass Crop Assistance program.

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