House Agriculture Committee plans February markup and targets pre-Easter vote
Leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are moving ahead with plans to advance a new five-year farm bill after years of delays. The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Glenn G T Thompson, told Republican members that he hopes to mark up the bill during the week of February 23. This step would allow the legislation to move forward for debate and vote.
The proposed bill is expected to closely resemble the version approved by the House Agriculture Committee in May 2024 during the 118th Congress. That earlier measure did not advance in the Senate, leaving many key agriculture policies unresolved. Since then, the previous farm bill approved in 2018 has expired and has only been kept in place through temporary extensions.
One of the most debated issues in the new proposal is a possible response to California Proposition 12. This state law restricts the sale of pork in California if hogs are raised under housing systems that do not meet the state’s standards. The rule took effect on January 1, 2024, and has created higher costs for pork producers across the country. Industry groups say these costs have also pushed pork prices higher for consumers.
The National Pork Producers Council supports a national solution to prevent patchwork of different state laws. According to the group, nearly one thousand agriculture organizations back a farm bill provision that would bring more consistency to livestock rules. A recent study also found that many groups opposing changes to Proposition 12 are not directly involved in pork production.
Chairman Thompson said he hopes the full House can vote on the farm bill before Congress takes a two week plus break around Easter. Lawmakers see the timing as important for providing stability to farmers and ranchers.
Beyond livestock issues, the farm bill plays a major role in setting up policy for agriculture conservation forestry and nutrition programs. It also supports efforts related to foreign animal disease prevention and export promotion. Many in agriculture say passing a new farm bill is critical for long term planning and economic certainty across rural America.
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