Thread: Farm Bill voting to start in Senate Tuesday

We have to keep a close eye on the Amendments on this! Feinstein said she's pulling AgJobs but our politicians are always trying to slip something in under the radar.

Farm bill begins to move again in Senate
Each party agrees to limit itself to 20 amendments, ending partisan stalemate.
By Michael Doyle / Washington Bureau
12/07/07 23:07:11


WASHINGTON -- Central Valley farmers win some and lose some in the big farm bill that started escaping the Senate briar patch Friday.

The wins could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The losses, farmers hope, may be temporary.

Breaking weeks of partisan stalemate, senators Friday resumed debating the $288 billion farm bill, which includes record spending for fruit and vegetable crops. By limiting each party to 20 amendments each, for a total of 40, lawmakers disarmed a potential filibuster that had frozen action since early November.

"We're going to move through here and finish the farm bill before we leave [for Christmas]," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared Friday morning.

With farm bill voting set to start Tuesday, some pending amendments already appear to be long-shot statements of principle.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, for one, has an amendment that would relocate several thousand agricultural border inspectors back to the Agriculture Department. California Citrus Mutual and several other Central Valley farm organizations complain the agricultural inspections have been a low priority for the Department of Homeland Security, which took over the job in 2002.

"I'll make an argument that this has given short shrift to stopping pest infestation," Feinstein said in an interview Friday.

The House Agriculture Committee in July approved a similar border inspector proposal championed by Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced. But Bush administration pressure quickly compelled House committee leaders to drop the controversial provision, and Feinstein conceded Friday her amendment will likely fall short as well.

"Many times I've lost until I've won," Feinstein said. "I don't intend to stop."

Feinstein previously indicated she would withhold an agricultural guest-worker package as a farm bill amendment. The proposal granting legal status to 1.5 million illegal immigrant farmworkers became entangled in the broader immigration reform debate that has stymied Congress for years.

All told, senators have prepared more than 260 potential farm bill amendments. They were still being winnowed down Friday to the final 40. Some will be simple and accepted by voice vote. Others could put senators in a bind.

Feinstein's California colleague, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, wants an existing environmental program to be extended for fighting rural air pollution in the San Joaquin Valley. The Agriculture Department's current Environmental Quality Incentive Program funds 75% of the cost of certain conservation practices like manure containment facilities. If amended, the grants might cover, for instance, purchasing new tractors that pollute less.

"People who live in agricultural areas deserve clean air," Boxer said Friday.

The House approved related language authored by Cardoza, and Boxer could slide her rural air-quality provision into a larger "manager's amendment" that's guaranteed passage. Other proposals incite more controversy. An early and important test of Senate reform sentiment will come on an amendment putting a hard $250,000 limit on the amount of federal payments a couple can receive. The current limit is $360,000. The proposal by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota could challenge California's two Democratic senators, as the state's cotton and rice farmers are unenthusiastic about tighter payment limits.

California rice farmers received $269 million in direct federal payments between 1995 and 2005, according to data compiled by the Environmental Working Group, while California cotton farmers received $186 million in direct payments during the same period.

http://www.fresnobee.com/business/story/253315.html

Senate Agrees to Move Farm Bill and Help Hungry Americans
America's Second Harvest
12/07/07 13:09:04


The following statement is attributable to Vicki Escarra, President & CEO of America's Second Harvest:

"After a month of political gridlock, the Senate came to an agreement late yesterday to move the Farm Bill forward and debate 40 amendments. This critical step forward in securing a strong nutrition title in the Farm Bill for hungry Americans will help bring much needed food relief to the nation's charitable, emergency food distribution network.

"With more than 35 million Americans living on the brink of hunger, America's Second Harvest food banks continue to struggle with dramatic declines in support from federal food aid programs and increasing demands for emergency food assistance. Passage of a strong nutrition title in the Farm Bill will strengthen federal nutrition programs, including the Food Stamp Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program, that are the first line of defense for hungry Americans and help food banks begin replenishing their scarce inventories.

"I commend the Senate leadership for working to reach this important compromise, and I urge them to move forward in passing a Farm Bill as soon as possible."

America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through its network of more than 200 member food banks, America's Second Harvest annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each year, America's Second Harvest secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. To learn more, please visit http://www.secondharvest.org.

SOURCE America's Second Harvest

http://www.fresnobee.com/556/story/252722.html



Here's the link to the Bill for those of you here that are so good at researching them.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2419:

Just me, but aren't we subsidizing many farmers and big agribusiness enough by providing the care and feeding of their low cost (to them) workers?

Think about how much of our tax dollars are going to go to big agribusiness and large farmers that are already making tons of money by hiring illegals - that we are paying dearly so they can remain here to provide employees for these people.

Yes, we are supposed to give more?

"People who live in agricultural areas deserve clean air," Boxer said Friday.

I am for clean air but also for clean food for the Amerian consumers.

I don't live there so I don't know--are farmers, utilizing farm laborers, required to have porta potties available on site for the laborers use and a means of hand sanitation after use? In light of the recent food recalls due to E coli contamination I would venture to guess not. Any absence of porta potties and hand sanitation is a public health issue.

If pro is opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress? Congress!
Men's restroom House of Representatives,Washington, DC

So in order to have clean air in the valley American citizens should buy new expensive tractors for the rich Agr-Business so called farmers ?

Give Me A Break !!

I can't wait till the election and I hope these elected crooks get the boot Big Time.