Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The House passed a new farm bill Wednesday sending the legislation, which passed the Senate earlier in the week, to the White House for President Donald Trump's signature.
The lower chamber passed the bill by a 369-47 vote after agreement on a procedural element that would prevent the House from voting on U.S. involvement on the war in Yemen for the rest of the year.
The Senate voted in favor of the $867 billion bill 87-13 on Tuesday after lawmakers reached a compromise on the language of the legislation.
The bill, unveiled Monday night, leaves out controversial work requirements for food stamp recipients that were part of the House version of the bill -- a key sticking point during negotiations. It also maintains conservation programs the House bill proposed eliminating.
Related
The previous farm bill expired Sept. 30, after a joint House and Senate committee failed to compromise on the legislation. The House and Senate passed strikingly different bills. After its expiration, dozens of programs went on hold.
The bill gives greater support for the struggling dairy industry. It also legalizes industrial hemp production by removing it from the federal government's list of controlled substances, something sought by many Midwestern farmers looking for alternatives to increasingly volatile commodity crops.
On the conservation side, the bill directs more money toward soil health initiatives that will improve water quality and fight global climate change. However, funding for the conservation title as a whole was cut.
Jessie Higgins contributed to this report.
