Today, Rep. Henry Cuellar voted in favor of the passage of H.R. 3161, the FY 2008 Agricultural Appropriations Bill, which will strengthen rural communities, while making sure that Americans have safe and healthy food to eat.
“This bill allows us to reinvest in rural America, protect public health and food safety, improve nutrition and health eating, and promote renewable energy and conservation in rural America,” said Congressman Cuellar, whose district is considered rural.
The FY 2008 Agricultural Appropriations Bill invests a total of $91.5 billion and more than $990 million over the President’s request. Some of the key provisions of the bill include:
Food Aid, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Other Provisions:
• Food Stamps: The measure provides funding for low-income families to purchase food
• Child Nutrition Programs: Includes funding for various child nutrition programs that provide nutritious foods to pre-school children and children in elementary and secondary schools
• Women, Infants and Children (WIC): This measure provides assistance to children up to five years of age, and to pregnant, postpartum, and breast-feeding women who are nutritionally at-risk because of inadequate nutrition and income.
• Mad Cow Disease: The measure is requesting for a report from the FDA that details obstacles to complying with a new and upgraded rule regarding the prohibition of additional specified risk materials from ruminant and non-ruminant animal feed.
• Food Safety: The measure requires the FDA to develop a performance plan that establishes measurable benchmarks for improvements in the performance of its food safety mission. The plan would comprehensively overhaul FDA’s food safety operations, covering both domestic and imported foods.
• Rural Housing and Development: Under this measure, the Agriculture Department administers loan and grant programs targeted to underserved, impoverished, or economically declining rural areas. The programs included in this measure provide assistance for single and multifamily housing, community facilities and infrastructure and business development.
Agriculture and Conservation Programs
• Farm Service Agency: This
• Agriculture Loans: Provides funding for a number of loans to farmers, including farm-operating, farm ownership and American Indian tribal-land acquisitions.
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS): Includes funding for APHIS to conduct inspections and quarantine activities to protect animals and plants from diseases and pests.
• Conservation Programs: Provides funding for conservation programs that assist private landowners in reducing erosion, improve soil and water quantity and quality, improve and conserve wetlands, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat.
• Meat Labeling: The bill includes funding to implement country-of-origin meat labeling that states if it was a U.S.-raised and slaughtered, was of foreign origin, or if it contains meat from more than one country.
• Future of Energy: The measure nearly doubles funding for renewable energy loans and grants to businesses to help grow the economy, create new jobs, lower energy prices, and reduce global warming.
“Farming and ranching have always been extremely important for the 28th Congressional District of Texas, and with this bill, we will continue moving forward with the many initiatives that make this area a thriving hub for agriculture growth,” said Congressman Cuellar.
Funding has also been allocated for science-related agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation. Funding for new strategies to combat global warming is addressed in the bill.
The bill will now go to the Senate for approval.
Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Homeland Security, Small Business, and Agriculture Committees in the 110th Congress; accessibility to constituents, education, health care, economic development and national security are his priorities. Congressman Cuellar is also a Senior Whip.
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