Editor’s note: This is a periodic look at the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s work on issues affecting agriculture and rural communities.
By Vince Phillips
On July 11, the Pennsylvania General Assembly finished its work on the state budget for fiscal year 2024-25 which began on July 1.
The state budget calls for $46.9 billion in spending, up $2.7 billion from the last fiscal year. Agriculture fared well with $48.6 million going to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for general government operations. Some highlights of department programs:
• Ag preparedness and response, $34 million
• Ag excellence (includes Dairy Excellence), $4.1 million
• Ag workforce development, $4.8 million
• Ag research (not Penn State), $2.2 million
• Ag innovative development (new program), $10 million
• Animal Health Diagnostic Commission, (Includes new animal lab in western Pennsylvania), $11.35 million
• Open Livestock, Open Dairy, Youth Shows received the same funding as last Fiscal Year.
• PA Preferred Program, $2.9 million
• Fresh Food Financing Initiative (new program), $2 million
• County Fairs (from Racehorse Development Fund), $4 million
Funding ag education
Central to agriculture being an economic powerhouse are the institutions of higher learning such as the Pennsylvania State College of Agricultural Sciences and its companion, Penn State Extension. They fill multiple roles including agricultural research and advising farmers on commodity how-to training. The other major resource is the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Besides generating future veterinarians, UPenn also does significant research on animal health – both institutions are critical to Agriculture.
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, $57.1 million
UPenn Veterinary Program, $31.56 million
UPenn Center for Infectious Diseases, $1.7 million
Rural health
On July 3, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Senate Bill 739 into law as Act 42 of 2024. This addresses the worsening shortage of accessible health care resources for the rural population. Specifically, it establishes a regulatory framework for Telemedicine offered through private sector insurance companies and public assistance programs. In other words, it institutionalizes remote treatment and monitoring of numerous health conditions and requires insurers to pay legitimate claims. In addition to this milestone, there are other bills affecting rural health care.
Some of the other rural health bills are:
Senate Bill 25 establishes Rural Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners Care Access Program. Senate Bill 25 has a way to go since it has to pass the Senate and the House before it becomes law. An encouraging sign was the July 2 action by the Senate Appropriations Committee to move the bill along. Previously, it was reported out by the Senate Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee onJuly 1.
House Bill 2382 creates a new grant program to strengthen rural hospitals by providing funds from the Department of Health as incentives for licensed nurses and physicians to work in rural hospitals by assisting in the paying off of student loans. To qualify, those new hires would commit to working in the hospital for three years. House Bill 2382 was reported out of the House Health Committee on June 26 and then recommitted to the House Rules Committee.
(Ag lobbyist Vince Phillips retired in 2021 after serving as an advocate in Harrisburg for 31 years. He has worked in professional communications in the food industry in Washington, DC, and was a political appointee at U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Reagan administration. He also was appointed to President-elect Reagan’s Transition Team.)