Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

“It is difficult to understand how we could pass legislation with only $15.5 million in block grants to support an industry that contributes 53 percent of the farm gate value of all agricultural crops,” Cardoza said.  “Block grants work in California and they work in the United States, but only if we actually fund them.”

Cardoza’s amendment was withdrawn because it became clear that the bill, which also includes funding for methyl bromide research, would have been blocked if amended.  However, Cardoza believes that his amendment will raise the bar for future negotiations on similar legislation.

“We’re starting to make some progress,” Cardoza said.  “We need to support growers in a proactive way, with block grants and research dollars to promote consumption of specialty crops and increase the competitiveness of growers in the aggressive global market.”

H.R. 3242 passed the Agriculture Committee by voice vote.  The bill’s sponsors remain hopeful that it will considered on the House floor before the end of the session.