DHS Cybersecurity Internship Program Act

FARM BILL: - Asked House and Senate Members to support S.5335, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024 and H.R.8467, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act otherwise known as farm bill. - Asked PFB members to complete AFBF's advocacy email asking for their legislator to pass a farm bill ASAP and include a legislative fix to Prop 12. - Worked with AFBF on securing votes for farm bill by communicating how conversations went during meetings with legislators and/or staff. - Met with PA delegation's offices to discuss farm bill and a legislative fix to Prop 12. Discussed need to be passed on time and Farm Bureau priorities. Listened to legislators' concerns with farm bill as well as their individual priorities for the legislation. See Section 24 - Trade - of this report for information on lobbying efforts for Prop 12. ASKED TO SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING: - S.5321, the Farm Ownership Improvement Act, which would require USDA to implement a pre-qualification or pre-approval process for all farmers and ranchers seeking FSA Direct Farm Ownership loans. - S.4168/H.R.4838, the Specialty Crop Security Act, which would increase USDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program authorization from $85 to $100 million per year and expand opportunities for specialty crop stakeholders to provide input into how program funding is used by state departments of agriculture. - S.1014/H.R.1756, the Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act, which would mandate cost and yield surveying of processors to participate in the NDPSR survey every two years. - S.980/H.R.3755, the Industrial Hemp Act, which would exempt farmers exclusively growing industrial hemp from the burdensome background checks and costly sampling and testing protocols required for farmers growing cannabinoid hemp like that used in the extraction of CBD. - S.1867/H.R.3922, the Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act, which would direct USDA to authorize and prioritize projects that address the availability, quality, and cost of childcare in agricultural and rural communities. - S.1837/H.R.3867, the Spotted Lanternfly Research and Development Act, which would designate spotted lanternflies as a high priority pest under the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to direct more federal research dollars to combat these devastating insects. - S.1816/H.R.3815, the Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act, which would require a USDA study on providing crop insurance for mushroom farmers. - S.2458/H.R.3904, the Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act, which would help our next generation of farmers by aligning the definition of Beginning Farmers to match that of other USDA programs - 10 crop years or less instead of the status quo of 5 crop years or less. - S.1400/H.R.3036, the Increased TSP Access Act, which would help streamline the technical service provider (TSP) certification at NRCS and leverage the programs and technical expertise of NRCS to make conservation programs available to more farmers and on more land. - S.2614/H.R.8488, the Farmer to Farmer Education Act, which would allow farmer-to-farmer groups to develop cooperative agreements with USDA to share conservation concepts and new practices. - H.R.4856, the GusNIP Expansion Act, which would enhance and expand the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), which awards competitive grant funding to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for projects that provide incentives to income-eligible consumers to increase their purchase of fruits and vegetables. ASKED TO OPPOSE THE FOLLOWING: - S.658/H.R.5252, the EQIP Improvement Act, which would create severe consequences to the EQIP program for animal agriculture operations by targeting livestock operations conservation project funding. NEUTRAL/MONITORED BUT NOT LOBBIED BILLS: - S.2371/H.R.3139, the ACRE Act, which would exclude from the gross income of certain financial lending institutions, for income tax purposes, interest received on loans secured by rural or agricultural real estate. - S.5101, the Farmer Driven Conservation Outcomes Act, which would authorize USDA to measure, assess, and report on the outcomes associated with its conservation programs. - S.4219/H.R.8210, the Future Farmers and Ranchers of Tomorrow Act, which would revise USDAs qualified beginning farmer or rancher definition to allow non-related beginning farmers and ranchers in joint entities to be eligible for FSA loans. - S.1842/H.R.6687, the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (FEED) Act, which would would amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to establish a new category of animal food additives. - S.2631/H.R.3424, the Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP) Act, which would prevent the conversion of forests into non-forest areas by authorizing funding to purchase development rights from willing private landowners. - H.R.1624, the Puppy Protection Act, which would require USDA to expand standards that govern the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals to include new requirements for commercial dog dealers. OTHER: - Reviewed FWS' proposal to list the Monarch Butterfly as an endangered species (Docket #: FWS-R3-ES-2024-0137-0001). Expressed concerns to legislators over the impact this will have on agriculture. Worked with PFB members to comply information for comments. - Sent election congrats letters to PA House and Senate Members and started the conversation of 119th Congressional priorities. - Reviewed the following rulemakings from USDA and shared AFBF's comments with PA's delegation for: Fair and Competitive Livestock and Poultry Markets (Docket #: AMS-FTPP-21-0046); Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems (Docket #: AMS-FTPP-22-0046); Transparency in Poultry Grower Contracting and Tournaments (Docket #: AMS-FTPP-21-0044); and Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity under the Packers and Stockyards Act (Docket #: AMS-FTPP-21-0045). - Advocacy work on the Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs). Reviewed USDA's proposed final decision for the FMMOs (Docket #: AMS-DA-23-0031) and emailed PA House and Senate Members with PFB's position to not take a stand to allow for a fair referendum process. Specifically, supported a switchback either by USDA or Congress for the higher of in Class I milk. Additionally, asked Congress Members to support requiring mandatory audited surveying for make allowance changes in the FMMOs. - Advocacy work on increasing the availability and affordability of rural childcare. - Reviewed Chevron Deference case to determine the impact it will have on ag. Supported SCOTUS' decision. Signed onto coalition letter to President Biden to urge suspension of regulatory activity until they review the Loper decision.