Wine Issues
Wine Issues The heart and soul of the California wine industry lies within the boundaries of the First Congressional District. As a life-long resident of the Napa Valley, a former winery employee and a current winegrape grower, I am acutely aware of the impact that the wine industry has on the First District and the state of California, as well as the rest of the nation. Today, the wine industry contributes $61.5 billion a year to California’s economy and creates hundreds of thousands of jobs, and much of this is done in the First Congressional District. Learn about a recent report on the economic contributions of the wine and grape industries.
That is why I, upon arriving in Washington, immediately set about creating a legislative organization to focus on the wine industry. I co-founded the Congressional Wine Caucus in 1999. Today, the Caucus brings together more than 200 Senators and Representatives from all 50 states to educate and engage them in legislative and regulatory matters pertaining to the wine community. Under my leadership, the Wine Caucus has held numerous policy briefings and wine receptions on Capitol Hill and become involved in a wide variety of legislative issues, all with the goal of promoting our incredibly vibrant American wine industry from the vineyard to the wine glass. Some of the issues that the Caucus has been working on in the 111th Congress include: · Securing funding to stop the spread of Pierce’s Disease and the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter. · Fighting H.R. 5034, legislation that would discriminate against wine producers by making it more difficult for them to sell wine in other states. · Opposing efforts to increase the federal excise tax on wine. · Helping wine growing regions receive protection of their geographic indications and names of origin, such as the newly-approved American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Calistoga. · Protecting grape growers from the detrimental impacts of the estate tax here. Related Documents:
Press Releases -
Thompson Testifies on Threat to Wine Industry
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