Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

The bill, H.R. 3157, which passed the House by voice vote, establishes a liaison from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a member of future federal disaster response teams. Cardoza joined Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-MO, in supporting the bipartisan legislation that was first introduced in the House in September.

The Blunt-Cardoza bill provides for the liaison to assist state and local employees of the USDA in coordinating with other agencies as they respond to a federal declared disaster. Currently, the law does not provide for a single voice to be heard from the USDA when a disaster takes place. The lack of such an authority has created bureaucratic obstacles for farmers who experience major crop losses.

"The experience of Central Valley farmers with crop damage this spring revealed that the USDA struggles to serve those who have suffered losses from disasters," Cardoza said. "We’re now seeing the same thing with those who lost crops in the Southern California fires. With this bill, farmers can seek help more efficiently through a designated liaison. It’s one-stop shopping."

When a disaster happens now, multiple USDA agencies involved with numerous programs actively assess damage in a disaster area, while compiling information from hundreds of phone calls and by talking to numerous disaster victims. This information is then assembled and then sent to representatives of the state, often causing lengthy delays and leaving farmers wondering what to do next.