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Source: NATIONAL ASSOC. OF STATE DEPTS. OF AGRICULTURE, 6/18/13
The House of Representatives will begin debate on the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (H.R. 1947) later this afternoon, as the Rules Committee meets to determine which amendments will be considered on the floor. Last week Speaker John Boehner announced he would support the bill and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) made uncharacteristically positive comments about the bill, saying it made “strong reforms.” The support from Boehner and comments from Cantor have many Farm Bill watchers cautiously optimistic that a bill could emerge from the House this week.
Later this afternoon the Rules Committee is expected to determine which of the over 200 filed amendments will be debated on the floor. Among the amendments filed, were ones that would strike funding for the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program, both key NASDA funding priorities. NASDA strongly opposes those amendments. In addition amendments were filed that would strike the supply management provisions of the dairy program, eliminate the sugar program, include income limits for crop insurance subsidies, and establish national egg standards.
As the Farm Bill moves forward in the House, the White House said this week that the President’s senior advisors would recommend he veto the House version of the bill. The Statement of Administration Policy said the bill “would reduce access to food assistance for struggling families and their children, does not contain sufficient commodity and crop insurance reforms, and does not provide funding for renewable energy…”
Visit NASDA’s Farm Bill page (www.nasda.org/farmbill) for more information, including bill text and amendment summaries.
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