Apr 19, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture convened yesterday to consider H.R. 2, The Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018. The mark-up process for the proposed version of the 2018 Farm Bill lasted nearly five hours, with the Committee approving 20 amendments. Of those amendments, 18 are simply meant to clarify the intent of the original bill language and were approved by a single vote, while the remaining two, that do not affect rice, were considered and adopted by the panel individually.
Discussion surrounding most titles of the draft Farm Bill were positive, and there was a consensus that the bill should be a safeguard for producers and consumers alike against adverse conditions. The most contentious issue debated, that ultimately led to the bill passing on a straight party line vote, were the proposed changes to the nutrition title.
As reported last week, several provisions advocated for by USA Rice were included in this version of the bill: maintenance and enhancement of a strong farm safety net for producers, expansion to the definition of family in determining actively engaged participants on the farm, and reduction of burdensome paperwork and increased access to conservation programs for producers.
The bill also provides continued funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and a much needed fix that would maintain funding for the Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program. If the fix does not become law or the 2014 Farm Bill is extended, then the FMD program will have no funding beginning October 1, the beginning of the federal government’s fiscal year.
“USA Rice appreciates the bill’s positive provisions included for the rice industry, and thanks Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and all members of the Committee for their hard work navigating this first step in the legislative process of bringing the 2018 Farm Bill to fruition,” said Joe Mencer, Arkansas rice farmer and chairman of the USA Rice Farmers. “USA Rice stands at the ready in support of those provisions we have advocated for since the beginning of this process nearly three years ago.”
The current Farm Bill expires on September 30. A vote on H.R. 2 in the full House could occur in early May. The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to unveil its draft of the 2018 Farm Bill in the coming weeks.