U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), member of the House Agriculture Committee, announces the introduction of two bipartisan, agriculture bills in preparation for the release of the 2018 Farm Bill. The current farm bill expires in September.
H.R. 5070, the Grain Inspection Improvement Act
H.R. 5070, introduced with Illinois colleague U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), will allow grain handlers to reinstate grain inspection exceptions wrongfully revoked after the USDA misinterpreted the Agricultural Reauthorizations Act. The law passed in 2015 gives grain elevators more options and flexibility in choosing which official agency provides grain inspections by granting exceptions from the USDA.
“This misinterpretation of the law is hurting grain elevators in my district and across the country and now we are trying to fix it,” said Davis. “Companies like Topflight Grain Cooperative, which has several elevators in the 13th District, now has to coordinate with multiple inspection services that are coming from further away, which costs them more time and money in mileage. This is slowing down the process for farmers and costing them money that could be better spent investing in their business. The Grain Inspection Improvement Act fixes this mistake and allows grain inspectors to reinstate exceptions that were wrongfully revoked."
"Agriculture is the engine that drives Illinois' economy and it's important that we make sure all of its parts are running efficiently," Bustos said. "Timely inspections are vital to our grain elevators and revoking these service agreements is bad for everyone involved in the buying and selling of grain. Our bill restores flexibility to the inspection system that grain handlers rely on."
For more information on H.R. 5070, click here.
H.R. 5071, the Agricultural Research Advisory Board Improvement Act
The first bill, H.R. 5071, the Agricultural Research Advisory Board Improvement Act, will focus USDA research on priorities most needed by agriculture. The legislation streamlines the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board within USDA and focuses its attention on research priorities most needed by agriculture by decreasing the number of board members from 26 to 15.
Davis is the co-chair of the Agriculture Research Caucus and introduced this bill along with his Democrat co-chair, U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.).
"Passing a farm bill is critical to our country’s economy and research is an essential part of it. This bill ensures our research dollars through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will go further by focusing on what agriculture needs, instead of rubber stamping every project," Davis said. "H.R. 5071 better prioritizes this research to help more farmers and ag stakeholders."
“Direct public investments in agriculture research allow American producers to overcome challenges and provide consumers with a safe, affordable, and nutritious food supply,” said Panetta. “The bill I am introducing alongside Congressman Davis, fellow co-chair of the Agriculture Research Caucus, will ensure that USDA will be more responsive to the research priorities that enhance agriculture production. I look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Davis to advocate for agriculture research funding in the 2018 Farm Bill.”
For more information on H.R. 5071, click here.
