Lucas: Agricultural Act of 2014 Marks a New Era for Farm & Food Policy

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WASHINGTON – Chairman Frank Lucas issued the following statement today after President Obama signed the Agricultural Act of 2014 into law.
“The amazing reality about farm bills is that they reflect the times in which we live. They are reviewed, written, debated, and reauthorized nearly every five years. Today our concerns are rightly placed on reducing the size and cost of the federal government. With the president signing the Agricultural Act of 2014 into law, we mark a new era of farm and food policy that values saving money, reforming or repealing government programs, and yet still providing an effective safety net for the production of our national food supply and for those Americans who are struggling.

“I am pleased we have a new farm bill in place to provide certainty for the next five years to America’s farmers, ranchers, and consumers, and I appreciate the efforts of everyone who helped make it possible,” said Chairman Frank Lucas.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the conference report on January 29 by a vote of 251-166. The U.S. Senate passed it on February 4 with 68-32 vote.

Farm Policy Reforms

The Agricultural Act of 2014 includes the most significant reduction to farm policy spending in history by improving agricultural programs.

  • Repeals Direct Payments and limits producers to risk management tools that offer protection when they suffer significant losses.
  • Limits on payments are reduced, eligibility rules are tightened, and means tests are streamlined to make farm programs more accountable.
  • Strengthens crop insurance, a successful public/private partnership that ensures farmers invest in their own risk management.
  • Provides historic reforms to dairy policy by repealing outdated and ineffective dairy programs. Offers producers a new, voluntary, margin protection program without imposing government-mandated supply controls.
  • Supports small businesses and beginning farmers and ranchers with training and access to capital.

Food Stamp Reforms

The Agricultural Act of 2014 makes the first reforms to the food stamp program since the welfare reforms of 1996 while maintaining critical food assistance to families in need.

  • Closes the “heat-and-eat” loophole that artificially increases benefit levels when states provide nominal LIHEAP assistance.
  • Establishes a 10-state pilot to empower states to engage able-bodied adults in mandatory work programs.
  • Prohibits USDA from engaging in SNAP recruitment activities, and advertising SNAP on TV, radio, billboards and through foreign governments.
  • Ensures illegal immigrants, lottery winners, traditional college students, and the deceased do not receive benefits.
  • Ensures SNAP recipients are not receiving benefits in multiple states.
  • Prevents abuses such as water dumping to exchange bottles for cash.
  • Demands outcomes from existing employment and training programs.
  • Prohibits states from manipulating SNAP benefit levels by eliminating medical marijuana as an allowable medical expense.
  • Allows states to pursue retailer fraud through a pilot investigation program and crack down on trafficking through data mining, terminal ID, and other measures.
  • Increases assistance for food banks.

Additional Reforms & Regulatory Relief

The Agricultural Act of 2014 includes multiple regulatory relief provisions benefiting agricultural and forestry industries.

  • Consolidates 23 duplicative and overlapping conservation programs into 13.
  • Provides one year of full funding for the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, which provides funding for vital services in communities containing federal lands.
  • Provides certainty to the forest products industry by clarifying that forest roads and related silvicultural activities should not be treated as a point source under the Clean Water Act.
  • Creates a permanent subcommittee within the EPA Science Advisory Board to conduct peer review of EPA actions that would negatively impact agriculture.
  • Enhances coordination between USDA, EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regarding the conflict between laws governing pesticide use and the Endangered Species Act.
  • Enhances coordination between USDA and the U.S. FWS regarding actions taken to manage the lesser prairie chicken.
  • Eliminates duplicative reporting requirements for seed importers; requires improved economic analysis of FDA regulations.