When the One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R. 1) was signed into law on July 4th, several RCRC priorities were left on the cutting floor. RCRC continues to push for the following federal priorities:
Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization
Although Secure Rural Schools (SRS) was included in the original House draft of H.R. 1, it was ultimately excluded from the final package. However, bipartisan momentum for reauthorization continues through other legislative vehicles.
On June 18, the U.S. Senate passed the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act (S. 356) by unanimous consent. This bill would reauthorize SRS through Fiscal Year 2026. The bill is currently in the House, where companion legislation has garnered bipartisan support but has faced hurdles in getting floor time.
In February, U.S. Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) introduced a companion bill in the House (H.R. 1383), which has garnered support from 73 bipartisan cosponsors. With reconciliation now complete, attention is shifting to other bipartisan priorities advancing through regular order. As that window opens, RCRC is continuing to meet with House offices to encourage swift passage of the SRS legislation to resume funding for rural counties that rely on the program for much-needed services.
As was the case in the 118th Congress, the measure remains held up in the House of Representatives, where rules require that if the bill were to move independently, it must have a “pay for” to ensure that any new spending is offset by savings or revenue increases elsewhere in the budget.
House Republicans have found unobligated IRA funds from programs not reauthorized in the last version of the House Farm Bill, which has been suggested as the way to “pay for” the reauthorization. If found acceptable, that compromise might then be attached to the “next moving vehicle”. RCRC continues to convey the severe impact these delays have on county resources, and to press the need for immediate passage of the SRS Reauthorization bill.
Closing the Intoxicating Hemp Loophole
Although the closure of the “intoxicating cannabinoid loophole” was included in the original House draft of the reconciliation bill, it was ultimately excluded from the final package—likely due to concerns it would not comply with the Byrd rule. which prevents lawmakers from including non-budgetary provisions in reconciliation.
Despite this setback, efforts to address the issue continue through other legislative vehicles. Notably, the House Appropriations Committee has included similar language in its Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture appropriations bill. That provision would redefine hemp in a more restrictive way—applying a 0.3% total THC standard by dry weight and prohibiting cannabinoids produced synthetically or through chemical conversion. This language mirrors previous congressional attempts to rein in the intoxicating hemp market, including the “Miller Amendment” from the 2025 House Farm Bill draft, led by Representative Mary Miller (R-IL). The Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture appropriations bill passed out of committee on July 10 by a unanimous vote.
In a recent interview, House Agriculture Chair GT Thompson (R-PA) identified closing the intoxicating hemp loophole as one of his top outstanding priorities.
Farm Bill
During RCRC’s most recent visit to Washington D.C., many Congress Members expressed significant concerns about whether there is a path forward for a bipartisan Farm Bill this year. Traditionally, the Farm Bill is a bipartisan effort due to the wide range of interests accounted for in the bill. Due to the unprecedented delay, many essential programs with bipartisan support are being picked up elsewhere – and as a result, taken out of the Farm Bill.
Some Republicans have floated a follow-up “skinny” Farm Bill to reauthorize remaining programs not addressed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, Democrats argue that the reconciliation bill fundamentally undermines the decades-old coalition needed to pass any farm legislation. When asked about the viability of a bipartisan “skinny” Farm Bill by the end of the year, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN) responded, “Are [Republicans] going to restore the $300 billion they’re taking out of SNAP in the next step? I don’t think so.” She added that the reconciliation approach “shatters the Farm Bill coalition,” making passage of a five-year reauthorization far less likely.
In a recent interview, House Agriculture Chair GT Thompson (R-PA) estimated that a skinny farm bill will cost around “$8 billion or less” and said his panel will release text in September. The legislation will largely resemble what advanced out of the House Agriculture Committee in 2024, he said, minus provisions already addressed in budget reconciliation.
Congress has only a limited window—just three months, including the August recess—to draft and pass a Farm Bill before current program authorizations expire on September 30, 2025. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and John Thune (R-SD) have suggested that the Farm Bill could move after the budget process concludes, but many Democrats have already cast doubt on near-term passage due to the magnitude of the SNAP cuts.
story updated 7/16/2025