Why It Matters: Last week, Chairman G.T. Thompson of the House Agriculture Committee released his framework for the next iteration of the Farm Bill while Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry released her version of the bill. Representing some of the most critical investments in conservation, particularly on private lands, in the world, the sporting-conservation community is working closely with Congressional leaders to advance the interests of sportsmen and women in the next iteration of this legislation.
Highlights
- Last week, the Chairs of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees released their plans for the next iteration of the Farm Bill with the Senate Committee’s majority releasing actual legislation and House publishing a framework.
- Because each chamber is controlled by different political parties, there are understandably differences between their plans which likely represent starting points for future Farm Bill negotiations.
- Fortunately for sportsmen and women, each version contains several priorities identified by the sporting-conservation community, breeding an optimistic outlook as the Farm Bill conversation continues.
As Congress continues its work on behalf of the American people, majority party leadership from the House Agriculture Committee released their framework for the next Farm Bill while majority leadership from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry released actual bill text. These moves represent an important step toward reauthorization after the 2018 Farm Bill expired last year before receiving a one-year extension. While the overall Farm Bill covers many aspects that are important to Americans, sportsmen and women naturally focus in on the plans laid out for the Farm Bill’s Conservation and Forestry Titles.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has worked closely with Congressional leaders to advocate for robust investments in and improvements to the Conservation and Forestry Titles. After reviewing each document released last week, CSF is largely optimistic that many of our priorities, which benefit fish, wildlife, and opportunities for sportsmen and women will be included in the next Farm Bill.
While there are consistencies between the plans put forth by each Committee’s leadership, it is important to recognize that these versions still differ in several areas that are of high importance for many members of Congress, particularly as they relate to aspects outside of the Conservation and Forestry Titles. Because of this, there is still much work to be done as it relates to the Farm Bill, but all sides have indicated an interest in advancing legislation that has strong bipartisan support. CSF will continue to advocate for the interests of sportsmen and women in this critical piece of legislation.
