On April 26, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee approved, 16-5, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 (as-yet-unnumbered). The draft bill would reauthorize legislation, commonly called the “Farm Bill,” which passed in 2008 (P.L. 110-246) and will expire later this year. According to Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who authored the bill with Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-KS), “The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 will save taxpayers billions of dollars while promising a safe and healthy national food supply. By eliminating duplication, and streamlining and consolidating programs, we were able to continue investing in initiatives that help farmers and small businesses create jobs. This bill proves that by working across party lines, we can save taxpayer money and create smart, cost-effective policies that lay the foundation for a stronger, more prosperous economy.”
Also speaking in support of the legislation, Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-KS) said, “I thank Chairwoman Stabenow for her work on this bill on behalf of our nation’s farmers and ranchers. We’ve worked hard to put together the best bill possible. We’ve cut deficit spending while at the same time strengthened and preserved programs important to agriculture and rural America. I look forward to the bill’s consideration on the Senate floor to further the debate on our efforts to save taxpayer dollars, continue to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, and end redundant programs.”
According to the committee summary, the bill would reauthorize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the food stamp program, through FY2017, and would cut program spending by $4 billion. One major goal of the legislation is to decrease fraud and abuse in the program by strengthening eligibility requirements and prohibiting lottery winners from continuing to receive benefits. In addition, the legislation prohibits beneficiaries from using benefits at liquor and tobacco stores and would provide the Department of Agriculture with $18.5 million annually for FY2013-2017 to prevent retailer and recipient trafficking. The legislation also would integrate technology into the program, allowing beneficiaries to purchase food online and via mobile devices.
In order to cut spending by $6 billion over a decade, 23 conservation programs would be consolidated into 13. The bill would increase funding for the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including the elderly, by providing states with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost, authorizing $15 million annually for FY2013-2017.
The act also would extend the Commodity Assistance Program through FY2017, which includes several nutrition assistance programs to improve the diet and health of low-income women, children, and the elderly, authorizing $426.126 million annually for FY2013-2017. It also would extend the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program through 2017, which provides donations of U.S. agricultural products and financial assistance to malnourished countries in order to improve childhood education and nutrition, authorizing $199.101 million annually for FY2013-2017.
