Williamson Act Funding - Fighting a Line Item Veto
By Steve Keil, Interim Executive Director
skeil@counties.org
The Williamson Act subventions are in danger of disappearing from this year’s State Budget. A rumor circulating around the State Capitol has indicated the Governor intends to line item veto funding for Williamson Act subventions. The Williamson Act is the broadest based agricultural conservation program in the state.
The Governor, in his May Revision of the Budget, originally zeroed out approximately $39 million for subventions to counties for property tax losses incurred by enrolling agricultural land in Williamson Act. The Governor’s reasoning behind this decision was that counties are more than capable of maintaining this program through their increased property tax revenue. However, property tax revenue has dropped considerably in many parts of the state as a result of the cooling of the housing market, and counties are reliant on these subventions.
[FULL STORY]
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House Subcommittee Approves Rural Development Title of the Farm Bill
CSAC’s federal advocacy firm, Waterman and Associates, has reported that the House Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development and Foreign Agriculture approved the rural development title of the Farm Bill by voice vote.
Highlights of the title include:
· An amendment offered by Subcommittee Chairman Mike McIntyre (D-NC) that would require the Secretary of Agriculture to favor applications for areas with the least median household income, the smallest population, and the least seasonal population increase when determining whether to approve an application for rural development funds.
· An amendment offered by Representative John Salazar (D-CO) that would require the Secretary of Agriculture to create a comprehensive rural broadband communications policy and report to Congress and the president on broadband activity.
· An amendment offered by Representative John Barrow (D-GA) that would expand technical assistance for farmers. The provision would provide $5 million for the creation and operation of the National Center for Appropriate Technology. The center would provide information, educational resources and technical assistance to farmers, ranchers and agriculture information providers.
[FULL STORY]
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