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Washington, D.C. – Alaskan Congressman Don Young today detailed his support for the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill in the House of Representatives by a vote of 251 to 166. The 5-year food and agriculture legislation includes a number of significant Alaskan measures supported by Congressman Young, including funding for rural Alaskan communities, provisions that incorporate traditional foods into federal meal assistance programs and menus of federally-supported public facilities, funding for food security programs, and the reauthorization of safe water programs.  The bill works to make comprehensive reforms to U.S. federal agriculture policy while also reducing overall spending levels.

“I was encouraged to see the House pass a Farm Bill that reasonably addresses our country’s many food and agriculture programs while also finding savings and holding our federal agencies accountable,” said Congressman Don Young. “I heard from countless Alaskans through the farm bill reauthorization process, and each expressed their concerns and recommendations for bettering programs important to the state.  It’s imperative that we pass this legislation into law so we can prevent its many policy improvements and critical programs from expiring.”

Alaskan Specific Features:

Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT): The farm bill includes full funding for PILT, which provides roughly $26 million each year in payments to Alaskan communities that have large amounts of federal land, including National Parks, National Forests, and BLM lands, and works to offset the loss of revenue due to these non-taxable lands.  PILT provides rural communities with financial compensation that funds critical services like education, road maintenance, fire services, and rescue operations. Congressman Young and his colleagues of the Western Caucus met with Speaker of the House John Boehner and other House leadership to demand the inclusion of PILT funding in the overall Farm Bill conference report.

“It was the right thing to do to include Payment in Lieu of Taxes within this bill,” said Congressman Young. “The federal government has created a mess by severely limiting local Alaskan communities from developing their resources, expanding their economy, and providing for their citizens. Rural communities across Alaska depend on this funding to maintain their roads, protect their communities, and fund their schools.”

Rural Alaska Village Grant program (RAVG): Congressman Young, along with the Alaska delegation, worked to secure language to reauthorize the RAVG, also known as the Village Safe Water program (VSW) in Alaska, for five years. The program allocates roughly $30 million annually, which is combined with contributions from the state, to develop better drinking water and sanitation facilities in rural Alaska.

“Residents in over 30 communities in Alaska, about 6,000 people, do not have in-home access to running water and use ‘honey buckets’ as their method of human waste collection,” Congressman Young said.  This is a reality in rural Alaska and we owe it to them to work on addressing this basic need.  The reliance on this method of waste management, and the lack of in-home piped drinking water, mean that many of our village communities will continue to face serious health risks.  By maintaining funding for the Village Safe Water program, we have guaranteed viable options for improving the living conditions of thousands of Alaskans living throughout the state.”

Traditional Foods: Congressman Young worked to secure language which will ensure that all types of traditional food can be served in federally-supported public facilities, including hospitals, elder care facilities, and schools that primarily serve Alaska Natives and American Indians. The language, which was originally adopted as an amendment offered by Congressman Young, also allows all types of traditional food to be served through federal nutrition initiatives such as school meal programs and senior meal programs. 

“Many Alaskans incorporate traditional foods like salmon, wild berries, and hunted game into their daily diets, and when they enter elder care facilities and hospitals, they should have access to a full range of traditional foods items, including those that are prepared at home and not purchased in a store,” said Congressman Young. “Current federal regulations don’t allow some traditional foods to be served in these facilities.  The cultural significance of these traditional foods cannot be understated, especially for so many Alaska Native elders that spend significant time away from home while receiving medical care.  Alaskans are much more likely to seek necessary care when they feel welcome in these facilities, and having access to familiar food makes a difference.”

Rural Housing Definition:  Congressman Young worked with the National Rural Housing Coalition and helped secure language to extend exemptions in current law that allow three Census Designated Places (CDPs) in the Mat-Su Borough, and four CDPs in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, to be considered rural for the purpose of qualifying for participation in federal rural housing assistance programs.  Without this exemption, which was extended to 2020, these CDPs would have been disqualified under current law based on their population growth.  Congressman Young believes these areas are still rural in nature and deserve to have equal access to USDA rural housing programs.

The Senate is expected to vote on the House passed Farm Bill as early as Thursday.

Other Key Features:

Overall Savings of $23 Billion: Passage of the Farm Bill will result in an overall deficit reduction of $23 billion through a number of reforms.  These reforms include cuts to outdated, supply-management commodity support programs and elimination of the widely criticized direct payment program for farmers, which provides farm subsidies regardless of crop yields, market prices, or economic circumstances. The bill replaces these direct payments with improved crop insurance assistance and other protections for farmers that strengthen their ability to manage risk without unnecessary subsidies. 

Food Security Assurances:  The bill also rejects the $40 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, which were originally proposed in the House-version of the legislation.  The bill would create $8 billion in savings by closing existing loopholes in the program, while also cracking down on SNAP fraud and abuse. Congressman Young previously opposed cuts to SNAP in the House bill noting that such a reduction “would result in approximately 10,000 Alaskans losing SNAP support and harm food security for families throughout the state, particularly in rural areas.”  In addition to protecting SNAP, the bill contains $205 million in increased assistance for food banks.