Senator Clinton Welcomes Senate Passage of Farm Bill

Press Release

Senator Clinton Welcomes Senate Passage of Farm Bill

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today welcomed Senate passage of the 2008 Farm Bill conference report. The bill, which includes several measures that Senator Clinton cosponsored, provides needed funding for conservation, nutrition and renewable energy programs for American farmers and consumers. Having been approved by both houses of Congress, the bill will now go to the President for signature.

"I'm pleased that the Congress has come together in a bipartisan manner to do the right thing for millions of American farmers and consumers. From providing nutritious food in our schools, to expanding rural access to broadband, to protecting our farmers against the devastation of natural disasters, this legislation covers a wide range of needs that affect countless Americans. This bill will make a real difference in people's lives, and I urge the President to sign it into law," said Senator Clinton.

The Farm Bill includes several of Senator Clinton's agricultural priorities. As Senator Clinton has advocated, the bill changes the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program from a counter-cyclical exclusive safety net to a program that fluctuates with the cost of production. Additionally, the bill contains a provision to strengthen and properly implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for meat and produce in the United States.

The bill includes the Healthy Food Enterprise Development (HFED) program, earlier introduced by Senator Clinton and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) as part of the FOOD for a Healthy America Act. HFED, included in the bill's nutrition title, is an initiative to bring healthier food to new markets and underserved parts of the country. The bill also includes an expansion of the Community Food Grants Program to $50 million, similar to a provision introduced by Senators Clinton and Brown.

The bill further reflects rural development legislation that Senator Clinton introduced last year. The Rural Collaborative Investment Program included in the Farm Bill employs a similar framework to Senator Clinton's Rural Investment to Strengthen our Economy (RISE) Act to help rural areas collaboratively develop plans to bring quality jobs and improve the quality of life through local investment. The Farm Bill also adopts language to commission a Comprehensive Rural Broadband Strategy, which Senator Clinton proposed as part of the Rural Broadband Initiative Act.

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