Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury says the recently submitted Farm Bill will be a great benefit for all of New Mexico.
Stansbury discussed the bill while speaking Friday at the Next Generation Water Summit at the Santa Fe Convention Center.
Her submissions include the Water Data Act, increasing funding for food assistance and improving the state’s agriculture infrastructure.
Stansbury says the Water Data Act is bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will unlock the power of data to empower communities, farmers, water managers, and local governments across the nation.
“I think that everyone understands the ways in which data and information has transformed our lives,” she said. “Most people have smartphones and tablets and computers and utilizing data every single day to make every decision from where to buy coffee in the morning to how they are going to get to wherever they’re headed that day and yet we have not seen this same sort of transformation around water management.”
The Emergency Food Assistance Program will provide emergency food assistance to low-income Americans. Stansbury asked for increased funding, including for food bank program administration, increased access to culturally-relevant foods to ensure communities can access foods they know, Tribal administration of programs, and extended authorities to purchase bonus commodities to respond to demand fluctuations.