Amendments to Senate farm bill introduced
Through the first day of the debate, two amendments were introduced, all were encouraged by Chairman Pat Roberts, R-KS, and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-MI, during the Agriculture Committee’s markup of the farm bill.
A bipartisan group of 24 senators filed an amendment to the farm bill that would provide an hours of service exemption for certain agriculture transporters, including livestock haulers, which would provide greater flexibility to operators throughout the country.
The amendment, led by Sens. John Thune, R-SD, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee; Bill Nelson, D-FL, ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee; and Deb Fischer, R-NE, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee; would ensure the exemption for trucking operations within a 150 air-mile radius from the source of an agricultural commodity applies year-round and does not vary from one state to another for certain months of the year.
The exemption currently applies to the planting and harvesting period, as determined by each state. It would also provide an additional 150 air-mile exemption on the back end of a trip, as it currently exists on the front end.
Another amendment, by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, creates a new grant program to invest in local efforts to launch new companies and create new jobs in rural communities. The grant program would invest up to $2 million per award to community-driven initiatives to help improve the local economies of rural areas.
This bipartisan proposal would also expand the use of the USDA Community Facilities Program to invest in business incubators, makerspaces, and job training centers to provide additional resources for communities to support their entrepreneurs. The Community Facilities Program provides direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants to improve public services and public facilities in rural communities.
In addition, the amendment would also expand access to capital for rural entrepreneurs by encouraging investment to rural areas.
This bipartisan amendment is cosponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, and Thom Tillis, R-NC, and has been endorsed by the American Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Council, National Association of Counties, National Association of Development Organizations, National Cooperative Business Association, and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership.
Larry Dreiling can be reached at 785-628-1117 or [email protected].
