The U.S. House Agriculture Committee introduced their 2018 Farm Bill Thursday. The bill increases work requirements for food-stamp benefits, preserves provisions for federal crop insurance and the conservation reserve program. What isn’t included is hemp.
First District Congressman James Comer, who is also a member of the ag committee, said he is confident hemp is moving forward through Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Industrial Hemp Farming Act, also introduced Thursday.
“It's going to all housed under the Department of Agriculture… this is an agriculture crop just like corn and soybeans and tobacco and all the commodities that we grow in my congressional district. …I'm gonna file some friendly amendments on the farm bill that are things that are needed within the hemp industry in Kentucky.”
Comer plans to submit the amendments before the farm bill’s next vote on Wednesday. He says McConnell’s legislation is a companion to ahemp billhe filed in the House last year.
Both bills seek to legalize hemp under federal law and remove restrictions on banking access and other roadblocks.
Comer says the biggest change from the 2014 version is work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“We are focusing on welfare reform now in Congress.” Comer said, “And what better time in America to get people off welfare and into the workforce than today; where there's a strong economy and to where every community in America has businesses that are trying to find workers.”
SNAP accounts for roughly 80 percent of farm bill spending. The changes are estimated to impact between 5 and 7 million food-stamp recipients.
Comer said with immigration reform dwindling the workforce there is more opportunity to get people working.
“People that work hard are pretty frustrated when they see somebody they know that's not working, that's receiving government benefits, and free healthcare [...] so the farm bill is going to be a major part of welfare reform.” Comer said.
“The food portion of the farm bill is the overwhelming majority of the spending in the farm bill,” he said.
How these changes will go over with more “liberal” members of Congress is an unknown said Comer.
He said implementing work requirements, support for training and transportation for workers who can’t afford gas will need state-level discussions.
“But what we have in this Farm Bill is a realization that you can't just say, all right, you're gonna have to work or you're going to lose your benefits. We're trying to help.” Comer said the ag committee responsible recognizes that “a lot of people aren't going to have the necessary skills,”or know where to find the work.
If the farm bill is passed out of committee it would then head to the House floor requiring 218 votes before moving to the Senate. The 2014 Farm Bill expires September 30th.
