Congressman Gonzalez Lauds Passage of Bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill

Texas Border Business

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WASHINGTON – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) today issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 2, the Agriculture Important Act of 2018. Congressman Gonzalez supported H.R. 2 alongside 369 fellow representatives. The measure passed the Senate yesterday by a vote of 87-13 and now heads to the President’s desk for signature.

“I am proud to support the 2018 Farm Bill, a product of true bipartisanship and compromise that will bring certainty and relief to the farmers and ranchers, families, seniors, and veterans that call Central and South Texas home. By passing this bill, Congress has signaled its support for cattle, citrus, cotton, sorghum, and sugar; committed to investments in rural broadband, healthcare, and infrastructure; and preserved the integrity of vital risk management, conservation, and nutrition programs that sustain and lift up our communities. I would like to thank my friend, Ranking Member Collin Peterson, and the entire Conference Committee for their work to deliver a Farm Bill that works for the 15th District of Texas.”

The Farm Bill Conference Report supports good-paying rural jobs, strengthens the critical farmer safety net and bolsters opportunity in America’s small towns through rural development, sustainable conservation, research and energy initiatives. It:

• Extends Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP) to cover the inspection of cattle fever tick;

• Extends Sugar Policy in continued support of sugar growers in the Rio Grande Valley;

• Establishes a $25 Million Citrus Trust Fund to support the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program and combat harmful pests and diseases that are harmful to the citrus industry;

• Creates the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, which serves to address the risk of introduction and the spread of animal pests and disease affecting livestock;

• Includes a Cattle Fever Tick Program that is designed to receive research and extension grants to assist ranchers and landowners and develop advanced methods for eradication of cattle fever ticks;

• Improves the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs and allows farmers to update their program yields;

• Increases marketing loan rates to improve farmers’ cash flow and access to credit;

• Updates overall limits on FSA farm loans to keep pace with increasing costs and land values;

• Makes no cuts to the conservation title – maintains Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program, the nation’s largest working lands conservation program, with separate funding;

• Improves water quality and soil health by encouraging farmers to plant cover crops, targets infrastructure investments to small town water systems to protect drinking water, and funds the Small Watershed Program and Dam Rehab;

• Combines and establishes mandatory funding to help farmers stay globally competitive through initiatives that help to develop and expand their business in overseas markets;

• Expands high-speed internet access in rural communities, expands telemedicine and community facility investments to help combat the opioid abuse epidemic, and strengthens mental health resources within the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance network;

• Increases job training opportunities to help SNAP participants find and keep good-paying jobs.

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