Rep. Marshall offers amendment to farm bill to help wildfire victims
Congressman Roger Marshall is pleased that the House Ag Committee approved an amendment he authored to the 2018 farm bill that will ease wildfire victims’ ability to access assistance.
“As we watch wildfires again burn across Kansas and Oklahoma this week, it brings back unfortunate memories of the large fires we experienced just over a year ago that many producers are still rebuilding from. While the USDA’s response to help producers recover has been good, it is important that we take time to also identify ways to improve for future disasters,” Rep. Marshall said.
The amendment would streamline the application and approval process for producers to receive much-needed resources sooner when utilizing the Emergency Conservation Program to rebuild destroyed fences. It also simplifies the administration of the program for Farm Service Agency employees.
This change would allow victims of future disasters to receive 75 percent of the “total allowable cost” after a fence has been destroyed in a qualifying disaster. This amendment was based on an ECP improvement bill crafted by Rep. Marshall and Sen. Jerry Moran.
“I’ve met with wildfire victims, county, state and national USDA staff, and producer organizations. Together we discussed the challenges from every level, and this amendment helps all involved in the recovery process,” Rep. Marshall said.
The changes to the Emergency Conservation Program will make certain that the FSA resources get to those impacted producers quickly and efficiently.
