Bipartisan Bill Introduced in U.S. Senate to Empower Specialty Crop Farmers

On April 19th, U.S. Senators Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Specialty Crops Security Act. The legislation increases the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program authorization from $85 to $100 million per year and expands opportunities for specialty crop stakeholders to provide input into how program funding is used by state departments of agriculture. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, and nuts, which are a significant portion of California’s agricultural output. The House companion bill was introduced by U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) earlier this year. The bill is co-sponsored by Alex Padilla (D-CA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (D-ME), Ben Luján (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), and Peter Welch (D-VT).