Mar 20, 2026
Barbed Wire | Federal Advocacy House Unanimously Passes Save Our Sequoias Act, Senate Introduces Companion BillOn March 16, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Save our Sequoias Act (H.R. 2709). The bill aims to enhance interagency coordination between state, federal, and tribal partners, accelerate forest restoration efforts, and provide science-based resources to land managers to guard these ancient trees from further destruction.
Mar 13, 2026
Barbed Wire | Federal Advocacy US Senate Passes 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, combining elements of existing House and Senate Housing packagesOn Thursday March 12, the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by a vote of 89-10. The bill combines the Senate’s ROAD to Housing Act (S. 2651) from last year with elements of the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644) which previously passed the House.
Mar 13, 2026
Barbed Wire | Federal Advocacy Rep. Fong Re-Introduces Bill Supporting Wildfire Victims in Honor of Doug LaMalfaLast week, Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) introduced the Doug LaMalfa Protect Innocent Victims of Taxation After Fire Extension Act. Re-introduced in memorial to the late Mr. LaMalfa, this bill would exempt wildfire relief payments made...
Mar 13, 2026
Barbed Wire | Federal Advocacy Farm Bill Path Uncertain as Senate Weighs House FrameworkThe farm bill continues to face an unclear road forward, even as the House Agriculture Committee voted 34-17 on March 5 to advance a new five-year bill.
Feb 27, 2026
Barbed Wire | Federal Advocacy RCRC Visits Washington D.C.Last week, the RCRC Officers visited Washington D.C. to meet with congressional offices and federal agency leaders on Capitol Hill, to discuss a number of challenges and opportunities in California’s rural communities. Although members of Congress were on recess, the RCRC delegation met with a variety of staff and leaders who play a key role in the development and enactment of policies impacting California rural counties
Oct 10, 2025
Barbed Wire | Bill of the Week | Federal Advocacy Bill of the Week: BECCS Advancement Commission Act of 2025 (H.R. 5597)Last week, RCRC expressed support for a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by U.S. Representative Jim Costa (CA-21, D-Fresno) and Representative Blake Moore (UT-1), which would create a commission to provide recommendations to help advance Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technologies
May 08, 2025
Federal Advocacy RCRC Delegation Returns to Washington DCThis week, an RCRC Delegation returned to Washington DC to meet with the Administration about issues of importance to our rural communities
Jan 24, 2025
Barbed Wire | Federal Advocacy | Fix Our Forests Act Fix Our Forests Act Heads to U.S. SenateThe Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471), passed the U.S. House of Representatives on January 23, 2025, with a bipartisan vote of 279-141. This legislation, sponsored by House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Representative Scott...
Jan 24, 2025
Barbed Wire | Federal Advocacy RCRC Priorities a Topic of Discussion During Inaugural WeekA number of Supervisors from California counties made the trek to Washington, DC for the inauguration, including RCRC Chair, Supervisor Geri Byrne (Modoc County) and Second Vice-Chair, Bob Nelson (Santa Barbara County). Extending their stay...
Jan 10, 2025
Barbed Wire | Federal Advocacy TORCH Act Introduced to Promote Healthy Forest ManagementOn January 3, the first day of the 119th Congress, Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-Butte) introduced the Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards (TORCH) Act, which aims to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health. The...