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July 26, 2007

 

The Honorable Collin Peterson Chair House Committee on Agriculture U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Bob Goodlatte Ranking Member House Committee on Agriculture U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

          

RE:  H.R. 2419, the 2007 Farm Bill

Dear Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Goodlatte:

On behalf of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), I am writing to express our support for H.R. 2419, the 2007 Farm Bill.  The bill contains improvements in programs that are a vital support for low-income families—especially low-income working families with children—and seniors.  During the process of bringing the Farm Bill to the floor, we urged your Committee to protect the improvements to nutrition programs in the 2002 Farm Bill, and continue to strengthen the food assistance safety net.  The bill before the House does that, as it contains $4 billion in additional funding for Food Stamps and other nutrition programs, and so we urge the House to pass the bill. 

NCSL has long supported increasing the minimum benefit level, raising the resource limit, and providing additional exclusions from the income test.    Your legislation addressed our concerns.  NCSL singles out the follow provisions as reasons for our support for the bill:

• H.R. 2419 would improve food stamp allotment levels and eligibility by increasing the standard and child care deductions, raising the minimum monthly benefit, and disregarding military combat pay.
• It would improve food stamp resource rules (by exempting retirement and education savings accounts from affecting food stamp eligibility and indexing for inflation the $2000 and $3000 asset limits).
• It would raise mandatory spending for TEFAP commodity purchases. 

NCSL is also pleased to note that the bill does not include potentially harmful amendments this organization opposed.  H.R. 2419 does not include provisions that would restrict eligibility for benefits for legal immigrants, reversing the changes made in 2002.  It also does not change current categorical eligibility rules for the program, thus continuing to allow states to make Food Stamps easier to access for vulnerable families who access TANF services and SSI services, not just cash assistance.    

NCSL thanks you for your efforts to secure the additional funding that has made the improvements possible.  If you have additional questions, please contact Lee Posey or Sheri Steisel (lee.posey@ncsl.org, sheri.steisel@ncsl.org) of our staff.  They can also be reached at (202) 624-5400. 

Sincerely,

William T. Pound
Executive Director
National Conference of State Legislatures