Steube Relaunches Initiatives to Protect American Agriculture from Farm to Table
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) reintroduced several pro-U.S. agriculture bills in the 117th Congress, including the U.S. Citrus Protection Act, the Freedom from Regulating Edible Supplies and Horticulture (FRESH) Trucking Act, and the Moving H-2A to United States Department of Agriculture Act.
“It is our responsibility to help our farmers, ranchers and producers as they work to feed families here in Florida and across the country, especially while they struggle with the effects of COVID-19 and unfair foreign competition,” Steube said. “These initiatives will help all of those in the agriculture industry from farm to table, including laborers, commercial growers and producers, and agriculture transportation workers.”
The U.S. Citrus Protection Act would prohibit the importation of commercially produced fresh citrus fruit from China. Florida has over 47,000 commercial farms and ranches and is ranked first in the U.S. in value of production of oranges and grapefruits with oranges’ annual production value over $1.07 billion. Florida’s 17th District produces more citrus than any other congressional district in the United States.
The FRESH Trucking Act seeks to improve safety conditions for commercial agriculture drivers by eliminating harmful regulations that can result in dangerous driving practices and spoilage of products. Provisions of the FRESH Trucking Act were included in the Final FMCSA Trucking Rule in 2020.
The Moving H-2A to United States Department of Agriculture Act would relocate the H-2A visa program from the jurisdiction of the Department of Labor to the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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