[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 89 (Thursday, June 20, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E948-E950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       FEDERAL AGRICULTURE REFORM AND RISK MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 18, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1947) to 
     provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and 
     other programs of the Department of Agriculture through 
     fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes:

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Chair, I rise to speak in support of Jackson 
Lee Amendment #94, which will be in the en bloc for H.R. 1947, the 
``Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013.'' My 
thanks to Agriculture Committee Chair Frank D. Lucas and Ranking Member 
Collin C. Peterson for including the Jackson Lee Amendment in the en 
block.
  I appreciate the work of Rules Committee Chair and Rules Committee 
members Congressman McGovern for managing the debate on amendments to 
H.R. 1947.
  I offered amendments to H.R. 1947 for deliberation by the Rules 
Committee for approval for consideration by the Full House. Only one of 
my Amendments was made in order and will be included in the en bloc for 
the bill.
  Jackson Lee #94 will be included in the en block and is a sense of 
Congress that the Federal Government should increase business 
opportunities for small businesses, black farmers, women and minority 
businesses.
  Small farm businesses, black farmers, women and minority agriculture 
related businesses could benefit from partnerships with federal office 
location in receiving support for farmers markets. This would assist 
with eliminating food deserts, which are urban neighborhoods and rural 
towns without easy access to fresh, healthy and affordable food. These 
communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food 
restaurants and convenience stores.
  Other Amendments, I request that the Rules Committee favorably 
consider included Amendment #1, the McGovern Amendment, which was 
joined by over 80 members of the House. This important amendment would 
have restored $20.5 billion in cuts in SNAP funding by offsetting the 
Farm Risk Management Election Program and the Supplemental Coverage 
Option.
  Jackson Lee Amendments not included in the Rule for the bill include:
  Jackson Lee Amendment #182 was a sense of Congress that the Federal 
Government should increase financial support provided to urban 
community gardens and victory gardens to heighten awareness of 
nutrition.
  The knowledge shared with urban dwellers can have a long term benefit 
to the health of our nation by increasing awareness regarding the link 
between what we each and health. This would also be a means of 
expanding the diet options for persons who live in areas where the cost 
of fresh fruits and vegetables can be prohibitive.
  Jackson Lee #183 is a sense of the Congress regarding funding for 
nutrition program for disabled and older Americans. Accessible and 
affordable nutrition is especially important when dietary needs change 
or must accommodate life's changes. Older Americans and persons with 
disabilities often must live with restricted diets.
  Jackson Lee Amendment #184 was a sense of the Congress that 
encourages food items being provided pursuant to the Federal school 
breakfast and school lunch program should be selected so as to reduce 
the incidence of juvenile obesity and to maximize nutritional value.
  This amendment passed the House by a substantial margin in the 110th 
Congress by a recorded vote of 422 to 3. The inclusion of this 
amendment in the Rule for 1947 would affirm Congressional commitment to 
fight juvenile obesity and to maximize nutritional value. The amendment 
should have been made in order considering the epidemic of juvenile and 
adult obesity.
  Finally, I sought support by the Rules Committee of an Amendment 
offered by Congresspersons Kildee, Fudge, Peters, Tim Ryan and Jackson 
Lee Amendment #53.
  This amendment was not included in the final Rule for the bill. This 
amendment would have brought healthy food to those with limited access 
to fresh fruits and vegetables through a public-private partnership. It 
would increase funding for SNAP incentive programs for fresh fruits and 
vegetables by $5 million per year, which is offset by decreasing the 
adjusted gross income limit for certain Title and Title II programs.
  Food is not an option--it is a right that all people living in this 
nation must have to exist and to prosper. The $20.5 billion cuts in the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as SNAP would 
remove 2 million Americans from this important food assistance program, 
and 210,000 children would lose access to free or reduced priced school 
meals.
  The course of our nation's history led to changes in our economy 
first from agricultural, to industrial and now technological. These 
economic changes impacted the availability and affordability of food. 
Today our nation is still one of the wealthiest in the world, but we 
now have food deserts. A food desert is a place where access to food 
may not be available and certainly access to health sustaining food is 
not available.
  The US Department of Agriculture defines a food desert as a ``low-
access community,'' where at least 500 people and/or at least 33 
percent of the census tract's population live more than one mile from a 
supermarket or large grocery store. The USDA defines a food desert for 
rural communities as a census tract where the distance to a grocery 
store is more than 10 miles.
  Food deserts exist in rural and urban areas and are spreading as a 
result fewer farms as well as fewer places to access fresh fruits, 
vegetables, proteins, and other foods as well as a poor economy.
  The result of food deserts are increases in malnutrition and other 
health disparities that impact minority and low income communities in 
rural and urban areas. Health disparities

[[Page E949]]

occur because of a lack of access to critical food groups that provide 
nutrients that support normal metabolic functions.
  Poor metabolic function leads to malnutrition that causes breakdown 
in tissue. For example, a lack of protein in a diet leads to disease 
and decay of teeth and bones. Another example of health disparities in 
food deserts are the presence of fast food establishments instead of 
grocery stores. If someone only consumes energy dense foods like fast 
foods this will lead to clogged arteries, which is a precursor for 
arterial disease a leading cause of heart disease. A person eating a 
constant diet of fast foods are also vulnerable to higher risks of 
insulin resistance which results in diabetes.
  In Harris County, Texas, 149 out of 920 households or 20 percent of 
residents do not have automobiles and live more than one-half mile from 
a grocery store.
  At the beginning of the third millennium of this nation's existence 
we should know better. Denying a higher quality of life that would 
result from better access to healthier food choices is shortsighted--it 
is also economically unsound and threatens our national security.
  Social stability is threatened when people's basic needs are not 
met--food, clean drinking water and breathable air or the least of the 
requirements for life. Denying access to sufficient amounts of the 
right kinds of food means people will become less productive, more 
prone to disease and will not be able to function as contributing 
members of a society.

  For one in six Americans hunger is real and far too many people 
assume that the problem of hunger is isolated. One in six men, women or 
children you see every day may not know where their next meal is coming 
from or may have missed one or two meals yesterday.
  Hunger is silent--most victims of hunger are ashamed and will not ask 
for help, they work to hide their situation from everyone. Hunger is 
persistent and impacts millions of people who struggle to find enough 
to eat. Food insecurity causes parents to skip meals so that their 
children can eat.
  In Harris County, Texas, 149 out of 920 households or 20 percent of 
residents do not have automobiles and live more than one-half mile from 
a grocery store.
  For one in six Americans hunger is real and far too many people 
assume that the problem of hunger is isolated. One in six men, women or 
children you see every day may not know where their next meal is coming 
from or may have missed one or two meals yesterday.
  In 2009-2010 the Houston, Sugar Land and Baytown area had 27.6 
percent of households with children experiencing food hardship. In 
households without children food hardship was experienced by 16.5. 
Houston, Sugar Land and Baytown rank 22 among the areas surveyed.
  In 2011, according to Feeding America: 46.2 million people were in 
poverty, 9.5 million families were in poverty, 26.5 million of people 
ages 18-64 were in poverty. 16.1 million children under the age of 18 
were in poverty. 3.6 million (9.0 percent) seniors 65 and older were in 
poverty.
  In the State of Texas: 34% of children live in poverty in Texas. 21% 
of adults (19-64) live in poverty in Texas. 17% of elderly live in 
poverty in Texas.
  In my city of Houston Texas the U.S. census reports that over the 
last 12 months 442,881 incomes were below the poverty level.
  In 2011: 50.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 
33.5 million adults and 16.7 million children. Households with children 
reported food insecurity at a significantly higher rate than those 
without children, 20.6 percent compared to 12.2 percent.
  Eighteen percent of households in the state of Texas from 2009 
through 2011 ranked second in the highest rate of food insecurity--only 
the state of Mississippi exceed the ratio of households struggling with 
hunger.
  In the 18th Congressional District an estimated 151,741 families 
lived in poverty.
  There are charitable organizations that many of us contribute to that 
provide food assistance to people in need, but their resources would 
not be able to fill the gap created by a $20.5 billion dollar cut to 
Federal food assistance programs.
  Food banks and pantry's fill an important role by helping the working 
poor, disabled and the poor gain access to food assistance when 
government subsidized food assistance or budgets fall short of basic 
needs. Food pantries also help when an unforeseen circumstance occurs 
and more food is needed for a family to make it until payday or 
government assistance arrives. However, food pantries cannot carry the 
full burden of a communities' need for food on their own.
  During these difficult economic times, people who once gave to food 
pantries may now seek donations from them. Millions of low income 
persons and families receive food assistance through SNAP. This program 
represents the nation's largest program that combats domestic hunger.
  For more than 40 years, SNAP has offered nutrition assistance to 
millions of low income individuals and families. Today, the SNAP 
program serves over 46 million people each month.


                            SNAP Statistics

  Households with children receive about 75 percent of all food stamp 
benefits.
  23 percent of households include a disabled person and 18 percent of 
households include an elderly person.
  The FSP increases household food spending, and the increase is 
greater than what would occur with an equal benefit in cash.
  Every $5 in new food stamp benefits generates almost twice as much 
($9.20) in total community spending.
  The economics of SNAP food support programs benefit everyone by 
preventing new food deserts from developing. The impact of SNAP funds 
coming into local and neighborhood grocery stores is more profitable 
supermarkets. SNAP funds going into local food economies also make the 
cost of food for everyone less expensive and assure a variety and 
abundance of food selections found in grocery stores.
  SNAP is the largest program in the American domestic hunger safety 
net. The Food and Nutrition Service programs supported by SNAP work 
with State agencies, nutrition educators, and neighborhood as well as 
faith-based organizations to assist those eligible for nutrition 
assistance. Food and Nutrition Service programs also work with State 
partners and the retail community to improve program administration and 
work to ensure the program's integrity.
  Yes, more can be done to assure that food distribution from the 
fields to the tables of Americans in most need can be improved. To 
begin the process of improving our nations ability to be more efficient 
and effective in meeting the food needs of citizens must begin with 
understanding the problem and acting on facts. I strongly support 
hearings on the subject and encourage all oversight committees to 
consider taking up the matter during this Congress.
  However, we cannot ignore the safety process in place to prevent 
abuse or misuse of the program. The Federal SNAP law provides two basic 
pathways for financial eligibility to the program: (1) meeting federal 
eligibility requirements, or (2) being automatically or 
``categorically'' eligible for SNAP based on being eligible for or 
receiving benefits from other specified low-income assistance programs. 
Categorical eligibility eliminated the requirement that households who 
already met financial eligibility rules in one specified low-income 
program go through another financial eligibility determination in SNAP.
  However, since the 1996 welfare reform law, states have been able to 
expand categorical eligibility beyond its traditional bounds. That law 
created TANF to replace the Aid to Families with Dependent Children 
(AFDC) program, which was a traditional cash assistance program. TANF 
is a broad-purpose block grant that finances a wide range of social and 
human services.
  TANF gives states flexibility in meeting its goals, resulting in a 
wide variation of benefits and services offered among the states. SNAP 
allows states to convey categorical eligibility based on receipt of a 
TANF ``benefit,'' not just TANF cash welfare. This provides states with 
the ability to convey categorical eligibility based on a wide range of 
benefits and services. TANF benefits other than cash assistance 
typically are available to a broader range of households and at higher 
levels of income than are TANF cash assistance benefits.
  Congress cannot afford to forget that by the year 2050, the world 
population is expected to be 9 billion persons. We cannot build our 
nation's food security on an uncertain future. Domestic food production 
and access to healthy nutritious food is essential to our nation's long 
term national security.
  Until we see the final farm bill, including the amendment adopted by 
the Full House, I cannot offer my support for the legislation as it is 
written.
  The bill is too shortsighted about the realities of hunger in our 
nation--the fact that it proposes to cut $20.5 billion from the SNAP 
program is of great concern. We should work to create certainty for 
farmers who run high risk businesses that are vulnerable to weather 
changes, insects or blight.
  We should be equally concerned about providing long term food 
security for all of our nation's citizens, which include rural, 
suburban and urban dwellers.
  My colleagues on both sides of the isle should have supported the 
McGovern Amendment to prevent the $20.5 billion in cuts to the SNAP 
program. Food is not an option--and people who need help from their 
government should not be treated like they committed a crime.
  My support for this bill will be greatly influenced by the decisions 
made this week in the House and the willingness of members of good will 
to work to fix what is wrong with how we treat the working poor, 
disabled, which include veterans, and the elderly. Otherwise I

[[Page E950]]

will not vote for this bill. Today I did not vote for this bill!

                          ____________________