Why It Matters: After passing out of the House Agriculture Committee last month, movement around the next iteration of the Farm Bill continues in Washington. While debate around the final, bipartisan version of the bill remains, Ranking Member Boozman’s release of his Farm Bill priorities highlights the ongoing support for key conservation programs within the legislation, mirroring many of the sportsmen-supported provisions included in the House version of the Bill.
Highlights:
- Last week, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Senator John Boozman, released his framework and priorities for the next Farm Bill.
- While differing in several ways from the priorities established by Committee Chairwoman and CSC Member Senator Stabenow, Senator Boozman’s priorities include many provisions widely supported by the sporting-conservation community.
- While much debate remains before a Farm Bill is passed by Congress, this movement highlights the ongoing support for many of our community’s priorities within this important piece of legislation.
Last week, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Senator John Boozman released the minority party’s platform for the next iteration of the Farm Bill. This suite of priorities largely aligns with the version of the Farm Bill that was passed out of the House Agriculture Committee last month, and includes several key provisions widely supported by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and the sporting-conservation community.
While there are many key differences between these Republican priorities and the platform released earlier this year by CSC Member and Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, it is important to note that most of these differences occur outside of the Farm Bill’s Conservation and Forestry Titles. As it relates to these titles most important to the priorities of sportsmen and women, both sides of the aisle have demonstrated a general support for the Farm Bill’s conservation provisions.
CSF appreciates the Conservation and Forestry Title priorities set forth by Ranking Member Boozman, including his support for the creation of a Forest Conservation Easement Program, increased funding for the Voluntary Access – Habitat Incentives Program, and an overall expansion in the reach of several other programs that support quality wildlife habitat conservation. We look forward to our continued work with Congress and the Sporting-Conservation Community as we seek to pass and enact the next Farm Bill.
