[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13238]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HELPING FLORIDA'S ORANGE AND CITRUS FARMERS

  (Ms. GRAHAM asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. GRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, my home State of Florida is well known for 
the best tasting orange juice that I am fortunate to have grown up 
drinking, and we sell that orange juice across our great country. But 
today, our citrus farmers and orange industry are experiencing a crisis 
unparalleled to anything we have seen in the last century.
  Citrus greening--an invasive disease that ravages citrus plants--has 
steadily taken its toll on Florida citrus, and it is spreading to other 
States, too. That is why I am proud to support the Emergency Citrus 
Disease Response Act, which would allow citrus growers to deduct the 
cost of replacing lost or damaged citrus plants from their taxes.
  This Congress must work together across party lines to do all we can 
to help Florida's orange and citrus farmers. This legislation will help 
them afford the new trees they need to restore our citrus crop so we 
can all keep drinking the best orange juice ever.

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