Agricultural News
Farm Bill Conference Committee Preparatory Work Gets Underway
Wed, 16 Oct 2013 14:24:36 CDT
The House of Representatives is preparing its conference committee on the 2013 Farm Bill after conferees were named last weekend. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas spoke with Radio Oklahoma Network's Ron Hays this morning and said it isn't a simple process because there have been very few conference committees called in the last ten years. He said some Congress members have never seen one so this is a new process for them. Lucas said that he will be working with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow later this afternoon to discuss a timetable for the conference committee to meet.
Lucas will be the chairman of the conference committee. He said he expects the committee will meet soon and then recess for discussions among members on various points. The committee might hold further public meetings on points of disagreement that need further work. He said the process will end with a vote from the committee to accept its final work product which will be sent to the House and Senate for up or down votes. If approved, it goes to the President for his signature or veto.
While the process may be straightforward, Lucas said its outcome is not a foregone conclusion at this point.
"There are still some areas of contention that have to be worked out. For instance, the Senate is still very focused on a one-size-fits-all kind of commodity safety net. Something that, it looks like to me, would work very well in the Midwest if you're a corn or a bean farmer, but, perhaps, won't work so well for the rest of us.
"The House perspective still is that a farm bill needs to work for all commodity groups in all regions. That's why the phrase 'choice' is so important-giving you options to pick from. We've got to work that difference out."
Another sticking point is the nutrition title, Lucas said. The Senate version cuts $4.5 billion from the program over ten years. The House wants $40 billion in reform.
"That's essentially ten times more, 39-point-something to be more precise, under C-B-O scoring, which basically would do away with automatic food stamps, Heat and Eat. It would have work requirements, all sorts of things. So, the differences have to be worked out there."
Lucas said that on the other issues, like the conservation title, the House and Senate are already very close.
"This process, while it should go quickly, will still require both the House, myself included, and my friends in the Senate on the Ag Committee, to achieve some consensus so we can finish this."
Lucas said that the current wrangling over the government shutdown and budget issues could make the process more difficult.
You can listen to Ron Hays's extensive conversation with Congressman Lucas by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
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