| House Approves Farm Bill
A New Direction for Farmers and Rural Economies
Thursday, July 26, 2007
 Printable Format
WASHINGTON, DC—House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn today praised the passage of H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007, which makes real reforms to protect family farmers and rural economies in a fiscally responsible way.
“Democrats have crafted a bill to help America’s farmers compete and succeed in local and global markets and provide food, fiber and fuel for all Americans.
“The Farm Bill imposes the first-ever limit on farm subsidy benefits for affluent corporate farms, and offers complete transparency so the public knows taxpayer dollars are getting to the family farmers who need them, specifically those who produce fruits and vegetables who have not traditionally seen Farm Bill benefits.
“Not only does this bill include fiscal reforms, it also improves commodity programs by making them more diverse and fairer to farmers all across the country. It rebalances loan rates and target prices among commodities, achieving greater regional access to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
“This legislation improves funding and access to conservation programs that take environmentally sensitive land out of farming and encourages environmentally friendly practices on working farmland.
“I’m most proud of the investment the Farm Bill makes in home-grown American-owned energy sources. This bill takes critical steps to expand renewable fuel production needed to encourage American energy independence and protect the environment by boosting renewable energy programs. It also provides loan guarantees for the development of refineries that process renewable fuels.
“The Farm Bill specifically helps black farmers and HBCUs, by providing funding for research and research facilities with each state’s land grant College of Agriculture and for outreach and education in rural areas.
“It also helps out families in need by reforming the Food Stamp program which now increases the minimum benefit for the first time in 30 years and indexes the benefit amount to inflation. Within the food stamp provisions, it eliminates the current cap on childcare costs, provides incentives for families to save for retirement or education, and makes sure that families of soldiers in combat aren’t penalized under the program.
“This bill invests in rural communities all across America by making key provisions to include economic development programs and access to broadband telecommunication services to bridge the digital divide in rural, underserved areas.
“Even with broad support in the house and from farming organizations, the President is still threatening a veto. I hope he will reconsider and support this bill which positively impacts our economy, farmers, and communities nationwide.”
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