• Earlier this month, the House approved the Fiscal Year 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill (H.R. 2997), which includes legislative language to help with the development of a wastewater treatment plant in Los Osos, along with funding to support agriculture and environmental research at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and to combat Pierce’s Disease. The Senate is currently considering its version of the Agriculture Appropriations bill. According to a press release from the office of Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), the differences between the two bills must be reconciled before being sent to President Barack Obama for approval. If passed, the bill would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve a waiver of the 10,000 population requirement under its Rural Development program to help San Luis Obispo County meet eligibility requirements for securing certain loan and grant programs to construct the project. Also included in the Agriculture Appropriations bill is $1.5 million in funding to combat Pierce’s Disease—a deadly virus that affects California’s wine and grape, nursery, citrus, tree fruit, and almond industries. “Pierce’s Disease poses a serious threat to California’s already weakened economy,” Capps said in the release. “We cannot allow this virus to endanger our wine industry or other crops. This federal funding will allow us to aggressively pursue research and containment efforts.”
• On July 21, the U.S. Congress’ Energy and Commerce Committee revealed an edited version of the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200). The act included two of Congresswoman Lois Capps’ (D-Santa Barbara) initiatives along with several other health provisions. Capps’ initiatives included the Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Investment Act of 2009 (H.R. 2754) and parts of the National Pain Care Policy Act (H.R. 756). The committee unanimously adopted another amendment that would expand the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WISEWOMAN heart disease screening program for low-income and uninsured women. “The inclusion of my provisions to expand access to quality healthcare, improve pain management and treatment, improve the prevention and treatment of heart disease in women, and encourage effective sex education programs that are based on scientific evidence make this excellent comprehensive health care reform bill even better,” Capps said in a release. m
This article appears in Jul 23-30, 2009.