The U.S. Senate agreed upon and passed the five-year Farm Bill this week that will have wide reaching impacts for rural California counties. This action follows the House passing the same bill last week.
The Farm Bill will cost $956 billion, and is headed to the White House and President Obama’s expected signature. One of the most important components for rural counties is the inclusion of a one-year extension of federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding, which compensates counties for the loss of property tax revenue when land is taken into federal ownership. Other more controversial aspects of the Farm Bill include dairy policy, crop insurance changes, water conservation, and the level of support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.