PA Senate Democrats said Wednesday that they are reintroducing three bills that are designed to provide additional tax credits to farmers, promote the use of locally sourced food and expand farmers’ markets.
State Sen. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is the prime sponsor for legislation that would raise the Rural Jobs and Investment Tax Credit from its current capped amount of $1 million per year to $20 million over four years.
“A comprehensive economic plan requires investments in a broad array of industries, including agriculture,” Hughes said. “There is strong justification to raise the tax credit cap and allow farmers to retain and reinvest because agriculture is a key feature of our economy.”
Of the 67 Pennsylvania counties, 48 are classified as rural and more than a quarter of the state’s population lives in rural counties.
Democratic Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) is sponsoring legislation that aims to help farmers sell products locally. Under her bill, the requirement to use the lowest bidder on a state contract for the purchase of food would not apply to locally sourced products if the deviation in price is not more than 10 percent from the lowest bidder.
“It is important that local markets be better developed, and one way to achieve this goal is through a pricing incentive that encourages the use of food produced in state,” Schwank said. “Our farms are able to deliver high-quality foods to local markets at reasonable prices.”
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Art Haywood, (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery, the Democratic chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, would enable grants through the Farmers’ Market Development Program to be used for agritourism initiatives, renovations and the establishment of new satellite locations. It would also increase grants per market from $10,000 to $100,000.
“Consumer demand for fresh blueberries, mangoes, and spinach continues to grow exponentially and the expansion of farmers’ markets provide local access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” Haywood said. “Farmers’ markets offer an effective way to make fresh foods available, especially in areas where they are not.”
Pennsylvania has the fourth-largest market in the country for direct farm sales.