10.31.19

Hoeven: Senate Approves FY2020 Agriculture Funding Legislation to Support Farmers & Ranchers, Farm Bill Implementation

Senator Secures Delay to ELD Rule for Livestock Haulers, Infrastructure and Public Safety Resources

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, today issued the following statement after the Senate approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. As chairman, Hoeven worked to fund vital programs for the nation’s farmers and ranchers, while also supporting economic and infrastructure development in rural communities. 

Given the challenging times in farm country, the legislation provides important support for risk management tools and agriculture support, including:

  • Crop insurance.
  • Implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill.
  • Direct, guaranteed and emergency loans.
  • Hoeven’s Water Bank Initiative.
  • Agriculture research conducted under the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), including research to benefit wheat, barley, pulse crops, sugar beets, alfalfa, potatoes, small grains, livestock and the development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) applications in precision agriculture.

“The Agriculture Appropriations legislation provides important support for farmers as they deal with the challenges of trade uncertainty and adverse weather,” Hoeven said. “This legislation will help ensure farmers continue to have access to much-needed risk management tools and capital to keep their operations going while we work with the administration to provide trade and disaster assistance as soon as possible. Further, it advances the implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill and maintains important investments in agriculture research and rural development.”

In addition to the Agriculture funding, the Senate also approved the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS); Interior and Environment; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bills, which provide vital funding for infrastructure investments and resources to improve public safety in Tribal communities. 

Transportation ELD Delay and Infrastructure Investments

Through Hoeven’s role on the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Committee, Hoeven helped secure a delay of the electronic logging device (ELD) rules for truckers hauling livestock. 

The THUD bill also provides funding for airports, roads and a rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement program, which will provide robust support for bridges in North Dakota.

Public Safety in Indian Country

Additionally, Hoeven worked to include a key provision of his Securing Urgent Resources Vital to Indian Victim Empowerment (SURVIVE) Act, which would expand critical victims services by requiring a 5 percent allocation from the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) for Indian Tribes. The measure in the funding bill would provide more than $150 million to assist victims of crime on the reservations in the coming fiscal year.

Further, the legislation will help address Tribal law enforcement needs in the Great Plains region, advance the development of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe’s new detention center and enable Tribes to continue participating in federal criminal background databases.

Additional highlights in the four appropriations bills are available here.

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