Farm Bill Letter August 2018-1

August 3, 2018
The Honorable K. Michael Conaway The Honorable Collin C. Peterson

Chairman Ranking Member
House Committee on Agriculture House Committee on Agriculture
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Pat Roberts The Honorable Debbie Stabenow

Chairman Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, &
Forestry Forestry
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, Chairman Roberts, and Ranking Member
Stabenow,
On behalf of the nation’s cities and regional councils, we applaud your hard work in drafting the House’s
Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 and the Senate’s Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 – each
chamber’s version of the 2018 Farm Bill reauthorization. We also appreciate your dedication to passing
the final Farm Bill in a timely manner, working with your respective chambers and with one another to
meet the September 30 deadline. This wide-ranging and critical legislation establishes federal farm,
food, and rural policy that will have a tremendous impact on both rural and urban communities, farming
livelihoods, and food economies, which in turn will affect the environment, local and regional economic
growth, and public health.
Today, our rural residents are facing many obstacles, including increasing health disparities, the opioid
epidemic, a growing digital divide, an agriculture recession, the adverse effects of extreme weather
events, and a nationwide shift of focus away from the manufacturing and coal mining jobs they once
relied on. The Farm Bill reauthorization is crucial now more than ever to ensure our rural communities
have the resources and investments necessary to overcome these challenges, while bridging the urban-
rural divide.
As you work to resolve the differences between your respective versions of the Farm Bill in
conference, we encourage you to include the following local and regional priorities to support a
robust, comprehensive Farm Bill:
Rural Development Title

• Reinstate mandatory funding for programs within the Rural Development Title and maintain the
title’s current funding levels.
• Reestablish the Undersecretary of Rural Development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) to oversee the $216 billion USDA Rural Development portfolio.
• Give the USDA Secretary the authority to prioritize projects that help rural communities meet
the challenges of the opioid crisis.
• Maintain full, annual funding for the Rural Water, Waste Disposal, and Wastewater Facility
Grants program. Increase the maximum amount allowable for revolving fund awards for
financing water and wastewater projects to $200,000. Support the reauthorization of the Rural
Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider Program at $25 million per year through 2023.
• Reauthorize all broadband deployment and infrastructure-related programs to at least current
funding levels. Increase speed requirements for eligible broadband services and make “middle
mile” broadband infrastructure eligible for subsidies. Provide localities that are the recipient of a
USDA Rural Development grant, loan, or loan guarantee the flexibility to use up to 10 percent of
the grant towards broadband facilities, services, and rural infrastructure. Support the creation of
the Hard-To-Reach Broadband Grant to help deploy high-speed internet to unserved
communities with low population density. Increase the population limit for funding eligibility
under USDA’s rural broadband guaranteed loans program from 20,000 to 50,000.
• Create the Interagency Council on Rural Community Innovation and Economic Development to
help leverage federal resources aimed at rural communities.
• Expand the language of the Strategic Economic and Community Development Program to cover
all programs under USDA Rural Development, and require the Secretary provide technical
assistance to communities in developing strategic community investment plans.
Nutrition Title
• Maintain current funding levels for programs within the Nutrition Title.
• Reinforce current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility and work
requirements and funding structure, avoiding additional financial strain on both recipients and
local governments.
• Provide additional funding to the SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program, and further
integrate E&T with existing workforce programs at the federal, state, regional, and local levels,
including workforce development boards.
• Reauthorize healthy food nutrition programs, such as the Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition
Program, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, and the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives.
Conservation Title
• Maintain current funding levels for programs within the Conservation Title.
• Allow projects under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to extend beyond
the current five-year limit if approved by the USDA. Allow organizations to receive funding for
outreach and technical assistance, increase emphasis on conservation outcomes, and increase
the funding allocation of projects selected at the state level to ensure local concerns are
addressed. Expand the RCPP’s list of eligible activities to include resource-conserving crop
rotations, protection of drinking water resources, soil health, and drought resilience.
• Include a requirement that at least 10 percent of all conservation program funding is used to
promote water quality and quantity practices that protect drinking water.
Horticulture Title
• Support the creation and permanent baseline funding for a new USDA Local Agriculture Market
Program, which includes streamlining the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program
and the Value-Added Producers Grant Program into a single program, to strengthen
communities with farm to table investments and increase access to healthy local food. Support
the inclusion of a new regional public-private partnership initiative within the program focused
on leveraging outside investments and expertise to bolster regional food system planning and
development.
• Adopt clear federal policies and regulations that allow states and local governments the
flexibility to implement programs to protect public health and the environment and reject the
House provision that would prevent states and local governments from implementing pesticides
permit programs.
Miscellaneous
• Reject “Subtitle G – Protecting Interstate Commerce,” which was added as an amendment to
the House version of the bill. The provision would preempt state and local ability to craft
tailored regulations to meet the specific needs of their respective citizens and would threaten
the sovereignty of state and local governments under the 10th Amendment.
We appreciate your continued leadership and support on ensuring the next Farm Bill will support the
strength and stability of our communities. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact
any of our staff: Carolyn Berndt (NLC) at [email protected] or 202-626-3101; Maci Morin (NARC) at
[email protected] or 202-618-5691.
Sincerely,
Clarence E. Anthony Leslie Wollack

CEO and Executive Director Executive Director
National League of Cities National Association of Regional Councils
cc: Members of the House and Senate Farm Bill Conference Committee

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August 3, 2018

The Honorable K. Michael Conaway The Honorable Collin C. Peterson

The Honorable Pat Roberts The Honorable Debbie Stabenow

Rural Development Title

Clarence E. Anthony Leslie Wollack

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