Today the House of Representatives passed a five-year Farm Bill. Congressman Comer, along with 368 other congressional colleagues, voted in support of the bill. The Agriculture Improvement Act (H.R. 2) includes many incremental wins for rural America. It fully protects crop insurance, makes significant improvements to rural broadband, and implements key changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“This Farm Bill will help America’s farmers survive a nearly 50% drop in net farm income over the past five years, and we importantly moved the needle on SNAP to make the program more effective for recipients. I’m particularly happy to see – with Leader McConnell’s help – the provision de-scheduling hemp from the controlled substances list included in the bill.  With a strong USDA and state-based framework, the unnecessary government restrictions on hemp have finally been lifted and now farmers across the country can take full advantage of the crop’s potential as an agriculture commodity,” Congressman Comer said. “During difficult economic times for farm country, overall this bill provides certainty to our farmers and provides tools for a more successful future in rural America.”

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway commented, “House Republicans refused to stop fighting for rural America and we’ve reached a deal that sets us on a better path – for producers, for rural communities and for American consumers. Congressman Comer has been a strong advocate and critical voice for production agriculture in this farm bill conference process and I’m thankful for his leadership, which helped get this across the finish line.”

On Tuesday, the Senate adopted the compromise with an 87-13 vote. The Agriculture Improvement Act will now be sent to President Trump to be signed into law.

To view Congressman Comer’s floor speech during debate on the bill, click here.