The House yesterday narrowly passed its version of the Farm Bill on a vote of 213 to 211.
As noted in the May 24, 2018 Week in Review, the House previously rejected the bill due to the opposition of all House Democrats and some House Republicans because of some food stamp provisions and several conservative Republicans because of the lack of action on immigration legislation.
The approved bill includes an SAF-backed provision which would update the Plant Varieties Protection Act to protect innovations developed by plant breeders.
The Senate version of the Farm bill also includes the PVPA language. The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the bill as soon as the week of June 25.
In addition to the PVPA language, the bill includes $85 million per year for specialty crop block grants, $80 million per year for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, and $75 million per year for pest and disease programs, among other things.
