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LaMalfa Supports Passage of Farm Bill

June 21, 2018
Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act, known as the Farm Bill.
LaMalfa said: "After three years of listening to the concerns and ideas of farmers not just in the North State, but across the entire country, I'm certain this Farm Bill will be good for American Agriculture. This legislation will impact nearly every American in some manner. We've included meaningful forestry reforms to help properly manage our public lands and curtail the spread of wildfires. We've included resources to boost economic growth and development in rural areas, streamlined the application process for broadband deployment on federal land, and we're finally treating biomass as a higher priority source for renewable energy. Congress also improved the SNAP program to make it run more efficiently. SNAP will still provide a helping hand for those in need, but it'll also assist able-bodied adults with transitioning back into the workplace. This is exactly what the program was intended for in the first place - helping people become self-sufficient. This bill is the culmination of years of listening and learning. I'm pleased with the results."
Top priorities of Congressman LaMalfa included in the 2018 Farm Bill:
  • Gives farmers the tools they need to manage risks and stay competitive during difficult economic years.
  • Maintains and strengthens incentives for beginning farmers and ranchers.
  • Provides the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to help communities combat opioid addiction by prioritizing assistance to direct medical services where it is needed.
  • Maintains funding for agriculture-based renewable energy with a specific focus on biomass.
  • Provides new authorities to allow the Forest Service to work with their neighbors to address wildfire threats.
  • Establishes and invests SNAP resources to assure individuals have access to a workforce and training program that will actually help to lift more people out of poverty, and ensure they have skills they need to climb the economic ladder and help them reach self-sufficiency.
    • Excluding elderly, individuals with disabilities, caregivers of young children, and pregnant mothers.
  • Improves and maintains disaster assistance programs.
  • Provides resources for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and Specialty Crop Research Initiative.
  • Streamlines trade promotion efforts and increases overall funding by $255 million annually.
  • Promotes and incentivizes programs to improve broadband connectivity in rural areas.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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Issues:Agriculture