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| Stefanik: Farm Bill Signed into Law with Wins for North Country Farmers 12/20/18 05:30pm |
Farm Bill Signed into Law with Wins for North Country Farmers Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R, NY-21) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump signed the Farm Bill into law: “I thank President Trump and all of my colleagues who worked tirelessly to deliver this important legislation for our North Country farmers,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “Getting the Farm Bill across the finish line was my top priority for the end of this year, and I am pleased that this law will deliver important wins for our district. This law includes reforms to help our dairy farmers, increases access to rural broadband, improves conservation and environmental stewardship, and provides resources to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic affecting many families in our region. I will continue to work on behalf of our North Country farmers in Congress.” See below for more about the wins for our district in the Farm Bill. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) issued the following statement on December 11, 2018, announcing her support for the final conference report for the Farm Bill: “Throughout this process I worked hard to ensure our district has a seat at the table, and I am pleased to report that this final bill includes many important wins for our North Country farmers,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “Critically for our Dairy Farmers that have been facing a crisis in recent years, this legislation builds upon the wins in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 and creates a new insurance program to replace the failed Margin Protection Program.” The Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program:
Stefanik added, “Furthermore, as part of the new DMC, language I advocated for will require a comprehensive study on feed costs.” “Our farmers succeed when markets are open and our nation’s trade policies promote exports. This bill includes $200 million per year for Market Access Programs which help create new customers for American products abroad.” “Rural broadband expansion is essential for the North Country. I was pleased to see this Farm Bill prioritizes grants and loans for projects that will provide minimum download speeds of 10mbps, an improvement for many areas in the North Country.” “Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked in concert with the Northern Border Regional Commission to provide significant funding to projects across our district, and this final legislation expands the eligible counties list which will ensure that all twelve counties in our district will be eligible for these grant opportunities going forward.” “Furthermore, as a Member of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, I am pleased this bill delivers $82 million per year to fight the devastating heroin and opioid epidemic through increases in telemedicine. That is in addition to the over $10 billion in funding that I have already supported and passed. Additional prioritization is given for rural development projects that provide substance abuse treatment.” “I was pleased that my amendment to modernize the competitive forestry, natural resources, and environmental grants program was included. This change will realign the priorities of the grant program to focus on researching the characteristics and ecosystem-wide impact of invasive species while allowing for restoration projects of native forests that have suffered severe levels of mortality caused by invasive species.” “This final legislation includes important provisions related to conservation; including an additional $275 million in funding per year for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and policy that will refocus the Conservation Stewardship Program toward soil health and mitigating the impact of volatile weather patterns.” “I thank my colleagues on the conference committee for their work and for including my input in this final bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this critical legislation for our farmers.” |
