Home > FRAC 2007 Farm Bill Food Stamp Reauthorization Center > Action Alert - 7/20/07

RE: 2007 Farm Bill Clears House Agriculture Committee and Heads to Floor

Last night the House Agriculture Committee wrapped up its mark up of the 2007 Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) that, among other things, invests $4 billion over five years to improve Food Stamp Program benefits and access and raise funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). While this action represents real progress in strengthening the nation’s nutrition safety net, additional funding is needed to address more adequately the needs of the many people who face a constant struggle against hunger. FRAC and allies will seek additional investments for nutrition title priorities as the bill moves to the House floor.

The progress on the nutrition title made to date is in large part due to our joint efforts these past months. We urge you to continue to let lawmakers know how important investments in the nutrition title are to helping vulnerable people in your communities as we seek to build on this progress. /p>

House Agriculture Committee Bill

As the House Agriculture Committee began its Farm Bill mark-up on July 17th, Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) announced that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) had identified funds to pay for nutrition title improvements that were contained in the “En Bloc Amendment” of Chairman Peterson’s mark.

On July 18th the Agriculture Committee voted to apply the $4 billion in Ways and Means offsets to finance changes to food stamp allotment levels and eligibility (by increasing the standard and child care deductions, raising the minimum monthly benefit, and disregarding military combat pay), food stamp resource rules (by exempting retirement and education savings accounts from affecting food stamp eligibility and indexing for inflation the $2000 and $3000 asset limits), and raising mandatory spending for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) commodity purchases. (As noted below, however, several of these provisions would be funded at less than the Subcommittee-approved levels. For an analysis of the nutrition title improvements in the En Bloc Amendment if fully funded, see Title IV items in the summary posted at http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/Legislation/110/FB/en_bloc_SBS.pdf

In other action on the Food Stamp Program, the Committee rejected negative amendments that would have stripped language from the bill limiting privatization of state administrative responsibilities and would have eliminated indexing of the Food Stamp standard deduction, asset limits, and TEFAP.

Additional Funds Are Needed for Nutrition Title Investments

While H.R. 2419 contains positive nutrition title provisions from the Chairman’s En Bloc Amendment, some of these provisions are funded below the levels approved at subcommittee. In order to fully fund the nutrition program provisions, another $1.6 billion in offsets must be found between now and floor action.

There is considerable support in the House for broad nutrition title investments. The McGovern-Emerson Bill (H.R. 2129) that would invest $20 billion over five years for nutrition title improvements has 112 cosponsors. Increasing the list of H.R. 2129 cosponsors as the Farm Bill moves to the floor continues to be important in improving the chances to secure additional funds for the nutrition title.

For the list of 112 cosponsors, go to http://thomas.oc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR02129:@@@P For a summary of H.R. 2129, go to http://www.frac.org/html/news/FAF_Act07_Summary.html For e-mailable postcards in support of H.R. 2129, go to http://www.frac.org/Legislative/farmBill2007/alerts/05.21.07.html

Outlook

H.R. 2419 is scheduled to go to the House Rules Committee and then the House floor next week (the week of July 23rd). A date for Senate Agriculture Committee action has not yet been set.

Please contact all House Members and urge them to support H.R. 2419’s nutrition title ($4 billion over five years) and to provide an additional $1.6 billion to fully fund nutrition safety net improvements.

FRAC will be providing more detail on the Farm Bill and strategies for strengthening the nutrition title as H.R. 2419 moves to the House floor, and as the Senate Agriculture Committee approaches mark-up.

For additional information or feedback, contact evollinger@frac.org or eteller@frac.org

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