Committee reviews S60 changes to create farm-and-forestry payments program, delays vote

A legislative committee reviewed a revised draft of S60 on a proposed farm-and-forestry payments program but did not vote, instead asking staff to return with clarified language and scheduling a brief follow-up vote within days.

Michael Grady, presenting the draft, told the committee, “You should be looking at draft 2.2, then April 21 date in the 01:15 time stamp.” He walked members through changes that include replacing the word “grant” with “payment,” renaming the Farm Security Special Fund to reflect “farm and forestry operations,” and clarifying eligible weather conditions as those resulting from a forest fire or wildfire event.

Committee members pressed for specifics on funding and administration. The draft would allow awards up to 5% of the undesignated and unreserved funds at the start of the fiscal year, with a per-qualified-applicant cap of $150,000 annually. The committee also added a…