2019: Fitzpatrick Voted For The FY 2020 Minibus Appropriations Bill,
Which Facilitated The Interstate Transportation of Hemp. In December
2019, Fitzpatrick voted for the FY 2020 minibus spending bill, which
represented 8 of the 12 appropriations bills. According to Politico,
"Appropriators included a provision that would bar the use of federal
funds to prohibit interstate transportation of hemp or interfere with
processing, sales or use of legally grown hemp. Producers and shippers
have faced legal snags trying to move the plant across state lines,
thanks to a messy patchwork of state laws. The new language effectively
backs up USDA's May guidance on the topic." The vote was a motion to
concur in the Senate amendment. The House agreed to the motion by a vote
of 297-120. The Senate later passed the bill and the President signed
the bill into law. [House Vote 689,
12/17/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 12/17/19;
Congressional Actions,
H.R.1865]
2018: Fitzpatrick Voted For The Final 2018 Conference Report Farm Bill
Which Reauthorized Farm Programs And Food Stamps And Allow Industrial
Hemp To Be Grown In The United States. In December 2018, Fitzpatrick
voted for the 2018 farm bill. According to Congressional Quarterly,
"Adoption of the conference report on the bill that would reauthorize
and extend federal farm and nutrition programs through fiscal 2023,
including crop subsidies, conservation, rural development and
agricultural trade programs and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance
Program. It would reauthorize and extend supplemental agricultural
disaster assistance programs, sugar policies and loan rates, several
international food aid programs, nonrecourse marketing assistance loans
for loan commodities, and several dairy programs, including the dairy
risk management program (previously the margin protection program). It
would create new pilot programs that would test strategies for improving
the accuracy of the SNAP income verification process. It would allow
industrial hemp to be grown in the United States, subject to close
regulation at the state level. It would modify the activities permitted
on land contracted under the conservation reserve program." The vote was
on the conference report. The House passed the legislation by a vote of
369 to 47. The Senate had earlier passed the bill and was later signed
into law by the president. [House Vote 434,
12/12/18; Congressional
Quarterly, 12/12/18; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
2]