Rep. Causer introduces bill to allocate funding for agricultural disaster response

Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, recently introduced legislation to create the Pennsylvania Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account and allocate funding for responding to agricultural disasters.

House Bill 1516 is part of a package of bills designed to support the agriculture industry.

“Every single resident of the Commonwealth relies upon our agriculture industry to put food on their tables,” Causer said. “With recent and ongoing threats to various livestock and crops, it is important we are prepared and able to respond quickly to threats for the sake of our farmers and our citizens.”

The bill would allocate funding to the Department of Agriculture to enable a quick response to agricultural disasters such as using animal or plant health officials to contain an outbreak or threat, or providing an immediate response to a foodborne illness.

“We face threats to animal health and crop issues virtually every day,” Causer said. “With monitoring and surveillance systems already in place to promptly identify potential threats, creating this disaster readiness account is a vital next step to ensure we have the resources to provide a rapid and well-coordinated response.”

Causer’s bill has been referred to the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee for consideration.