Rep. Negrete McLeod Praises Passage of Farm Bill in House

Press Release

Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Montclair) praises today's passage of HR 2642, The Agricultural Act of 2014:

"After two long years in negotiations, Congress did what is best for the nation by creating a farm bill that restores confidence for America's farmers and local governments," said Rep. Negrete McLeod. "It was a difficult but necessary vote."

Rep. Negrete McLeod, a member of the Farm Bill conference committee, helped negotiate the final bill's language. Notable provisions in the Farm Bill benefitting the Inland Empire include:

Cutting Waste and Abuse from SNAP
The conference agreement would reauthorize the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) for five years while giving states new authority to test innovative approaches to boost employment and earnings among SNAP households. It would not include any of the highly contentious House provisions that would have eliminated SNAP eligibility for 3.8 million people in 2014 or cut SNAP spending by nearly $40 billion. It closes a loophole related to how Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) payments interact with SNAP benefit calculation. This reform saves $8.6 billion over ten years.

"The nutrition title of the Farm Bill represents a solid outcome after long negotiations. While it unfortunately doesn't make progress in addressing hunger and poverty by investing new resources to SNAP, it includes necessary bipartisan reforms that should strengthen SNAP over time while saving billions in taxpayer dollars," said Rep. Negrete McLeod.

Local County Funding Restored
HR 2642 restores vital local funding. The Payment in Lieu of Taxes program provides federal payments to local governments to help offset losses in property taxes due to nontaxable federal land within their boundaries. San Bernardino County, the geographically largest county in the United States, received $3.2 million in PILT funding for 2013 alone. Negrete McLeod led a bipartisan push to extend the PILT program after it was left out of the budget passed earlier this month.

"Across the country, many communities rely on the PILT program to help fund basic services such as police and fire protection and road maintenance. This extension means San Bernardino County can move forward with its budget and plan for the rest of this year, while giving Congress more time to create a long-term solution," Rep. Negrete McLeod said.

California Farmers Protected
Efforts to impose far-reaching measures on a state's farm production known as the "King Amendment" were defeated. The King Amendment would have prohibited states from enacting laws governing the production of any agricultural product.

"Excluding the King Amendment in the final Farm Bill agreement is good for California, its residents should retain their power to choose their state's agricultural production standards and ensure their highest level of food safety," said Rep. Negrete McLeod.

Supports Local Colleges & Universities
HR 2642 includes language that would help college and universities in the Inland Empire compete for federal dollars, allowing students to gain the necessary resources to learn.

"For the first time, Hispanic Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities, such as Cal-Poly Pomona, may opt-in to be considered for non-Land Grant funding meaning more funding for our local university and its agricultural learning programs," concluded Rep. Negrete McLeod.

The bill passed the House today by a vote of 251 to 166. The Senate is expected to take up the bill later this week.

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