12.13.2013 Over the past week, Conference Committee leaders have been getting closer to a Farm Bill compromise that will come up for a vote in January. House members head back to their districts today, Dec. 13th, so no action will occur before then. House leadership expressed interest in passing a temporary Farm Bill extension in the event a compromise didn’t happen, but Senate leadership is not supportive. Without an extension Senate leadership hopes there will be more pressure to finalize a compromise and pass a Farm Bill in January.
Details of the Farm Bill Proposal in January
Although there is no legislative language available yet, it’s likely that the January proposal will include around $9 billion in SNAP cuts, coming from the House proposal to significantly cut ‘Heat and Eat’ policies that currently exist in many states. In California, cuts to the ‘Heat and Eat’ provision would impact roughly 300,000 households, who would receive lower monthly benefits (a decrease of $60 on average). Around 1,000 cases will become ineligible for CalFresh benefits entirely. Overall, California would lose $275 million in 2013-2014, which would have been drawn down to the state through “Heat and Eat.”
Learn more about “Heat and Eat” policies. link
Stay tuned for future Farm Bill action in January.
