Farm Bill Update!
At long last, we have an update on the Farm Bill!
House Agriculture Committee Chair, Glenn Thompson (PA) released a five page summary of all proposed legislation for the entire Farm Bill, and shared that there will be a markup of the House version on May 23rd. The House summary currently suggests that the SNAP program can be adjusted for inflation but will not be expanded for any other reason.
Senate Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (MI) also announced that the Senate has prepared legislative texts on all of the Farm Bill policies. While this is being filed, she released a lengthy summary, detailing each of the 12 sections of the Farm Bill. This summary includes over 100 proposals!
What is the Farm Bill?
The Farm Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation in this country. A Farm Bill is written every five years and manages everything from food production and agricultural practices, to water use, and nutrional assistance programs. This package deals with the intersection of many of our priorities and is an instrumental part of getting food to our hungry neighbors.
The Farm Bill expired in the fall of 2023 and Congress has not yet agreed on a new one, despite many pieces of legislation having been debated and endorsed last summer. LAMA has been vocal about our support for some of the most important and influential pieces of legislation relating to hunger.
What do these updates mean?
These new drafts are exciting! It means that we once again are on the path to seeing a finished Farm Bill. We have a chance to shape upcoming policy to meet the world we live in; the last Farm Bill was written in 2018, before the COVID-19 Pandemic and recent inflation. As such, we hope to see many programs expanded and participation guidelines for SNAP be made more equitable. Our friends at the Arizona Food Systems Network shared more about these updates during their monthly Advocacy call, and we are sharing the highlights of this presentation with you!
This slide outlines the updates announced by the House Agriculture Committee (HAC) and the Senate Agriculture Committee (SAC), along with the path the pending bills must take.
What all is in these new proposals?
Over the coming weeks, LAMA will be working with out D.C. office to identify the most important and relevant pieces of legislation included in these announcements, as well as bring up action alerts on them! We already see several relevant proposals about SNAP, including a repeal of the ban on formerly incarcerated people who have been convicted of drug-related felonies! Today, we encourage you to read through AzFBN’s key points on each proposal.
Stay tuned! Thank you for your advocacy.
