Renewal of the federal farm bill, which funds everything from Ohio’s biggest industry—agriculture—to food stamps, has taken another step in the Senate. The Agriculture Committee approved the bill, which will now go to the full Senate for debate.
The farm bill has to be renewed every five years and the latest deadline is coming up this September.
With the Agriculture Committee’s 20-1, bi-partisan vote for it, committee member Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown thinks the measure could move quickly in the full Senate. And, he notes that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was on hand for final committee meeting.
“It’s rare that the leader of either party comes to a hearing like this. He spoke about it with all of us sitting around the table and said it will be on the floor before the 4th of July.”
A vote on the farm bill in the House has been delayed as the issue got caught up in the immigration debate.
