This week, the House Agriculture Committee will debate and vote on the Farm Bill. Rep. Noem has been championing three major provisions for months, and all three of these provisions were included in some form of the current draft of the Farm Bill. They include:

Livestock Disaster Protection Act: On April 26, Rep. Noem introduced H.R. 4948, the Livestock Disaster Protection Act to ensure livestock producers in South Dakota and across the nation have an effective safety net.

• This legislation would extend the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Program (LFP), and the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) for another five years as well as provide coverage for the current fiscal year, since the programs expired in 2011.

Protect our Prairies Act: On May 31, Rep. Noem introduced H.R. 5879, bipartisan legislation to encourage conservation of native sod and grassland, save taxpayer dollars and protect the habitat of wildlife critical to South Dakota’s hunting industry.

• Rep. Noem introduced this bipartisan legislation with Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN).
• The legislation would reduce crop insurance assistance for the first four years for crops grown on native sod and certain grasslands converted to cropland.
• Preserves land used by livestock owners for grazing.

National Forest Emergency Response Act: On April 12, Rep. Noem and Sen. Thune introduced identical legislation to streamline processes to get boots on the ground faster for pine beetle mitigation efforts.

• This legislation would enable the U.S. Forest Service to implement critical forest management decisions related to pine beetle infestations and other disaster conditions much more quickly than currently allowed.
• The Secretary of Agriculture would be required to designate at least one national forest in each affected state within 60 days to implement these forest management decisions more quickly.