[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 99 (Thursday, June 14, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               FARM BILL

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday, I was pleased to join my 
colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee to approve a landmark 
farm bill. Under the fair and bipartisan leadership of Chairman Pat 
Roberts, our committee has produced a bill that will bolster struggling 
agriculture communities across our country.
  Speaking for my home State of Kentucky, agriculture is part of who we 
are. Kentucky farm families produce everything from poultry to 
soybeans. This legislation will assist them, encourage economic growth, 
and increase investment in rural communities.
  This farm bill also includes a bipartisan provision I crafted with 
Senator Wyden to legalize industrial hemp. At present, with just a few 
limited exceptions, our Federal Government bans domestic hemp 
production--never mind that this is a completely different plant than 
its illicit cousin, and never mind that consumers are already buying 
hemp products, everything from clothing to auto parts; they are just 
imported from foreign producers. Federal law has mostly prohibited our 
own farmers from getting in on the action. It is time to remove the 
roadblocks and let American farmers explore this growing market.
  This has long been a priority of mine. I championed hemp pilot 
programs in the 2014 farm bill. They have shown big success. It is time 
to take the next step.
  Again, I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the 
committee for their leadership on this subject. I was pleased to join 
the overwhelming bipartisan majority who voted the farm bill out of 
committee yesterday morning, and I look forward to taking it up here on 
the floor in the next few weeks.

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