The 2018 Farm Bill should be called for Holding

The farm bill is currently being debated as both Senate and House resolve their differences. One amemndment we hope will be eliminated is the Holding Amendment, now Sec. 4039 in the House version of H.R.2, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka "The Farm Bill.").

Time is of the essence so contacting your representatives would certainly be helpful.

To review the old law, in 2014, there was a provision of the farm bill to ban registrant IF they also violate the terms of release. I covered this topic in 2015. Essentially, the provision will remove the requirement of a violation of a violation of terms of release, essentially allowing a ban just on a record alone.

The Senate version does not contain this version. Below is a summary of the passage of this terrible amendment.

H.Amdt.614 to H.R.2
115th Congress (2017-2018)
AMENDMENT
Amends Bill: H.R.2 — Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018
Sponsor: Rep. Holding, George [R-NC-2] (Offered 05/17/2018)
Latest Action: 05/17/2018 On agreeing to the Holding amendment (A029) Agreed to by voice vote.

 Amendment No. 11 Offered by Mr. Holding

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 11
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of subtitle A of title IV, insert the following:

     SEC. 4039. DISQUALIFICATION OF CERTAIN CONVICTED FELONS.

Section 6 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015), as amended by section 4015, is amended in subsection (p)(1)-- (1) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``: and'' at the end and inserting a period, and (2) by striking subparagraph (B).

The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment, and I urge all colleagues to support its inclusion in the farm bill today.

Mr. Chairman, the amendment is simple. It ends eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for convicted rapists, murderers, and those guilty of sexual exploitation.

The 2014 farm bill contained a prohibition for these individuals from being eligible for SNAP, but the individual also has to be considered a fleeing felon. This means that, in order to lose eligibility, the
person has to not only be a convicted murderer, rapist, et cetera, but they also must be in violation of the terms of their sentence.

Mr. Chairman, I believe we should not have to wait before a criminal who has already been convicted of these acts violates the terms of their sentence before terminating the benefits.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment would eliminate the fleeing felon provision from the underlying law and thereby prohibits convicted rapists, pedophiles, murderers, et cetera, from being eligible for SNAP.

This is a commonsense proposal that says if you commit these atrocious crimes that you are ineligible for this government program. Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this commonsense amendment and include it in the farm bill that we have under consideration.

I yield back the balance of my time.

The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding). The amendment was agreed to.