|
|
Texas Wheat Producers Association applauds House passage of 200Texas The Texas Wheat Producers Association applauds the passage of H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007. The Bill passed the House of Representatives on July 27 by a 231 to 191 vote with 14 Democrats voting "no" and 19 Republicans voting "yes". After months of tough negotiations made tougher by extraordinarily tight budget authority, a compromise bill passed the House Committee on Agriculture. This effort was praised by a large, bipartisan group as late as July 24, when the House Committee on Agriculture held a widely-attended press conference on the bill. By July 25, disagreements had surfaced about a tax provision introduced by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-TX, that would be included as an offset for the increase in nutrition spending. While Democrats said this was closing a tax loophole for foreign-owned businesses, Republicans said it was a tax increase that would threaten American jobs. In addition, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns held a press conference late on the morning of July 25 to announce that the Committee version of the bill would garner a veto recommendation from him and other advisors if it arrives on President George W. Bush's desk. Later, the Kind-Flake proposal was soundly rejected by a vote of 309 to 117. Reps. Ron Kind, D-WI, and Jeff Flake, R-AZ, had proposed an alternative approach that would have effectively gutted the current farm safety net for most American agricultural producers. A number of other changes were also made to the bill language before the Committee on Rules passed a final rule for the bill. These included the addition of $840 million in mandatory spending for the McGovern-Dole food aid program and the elimination of $1 billion from crop insurance reimbursement funds. The TWPA continues to seek information about and analyze these last-minute changes and will work with Members in both chambers to ensure policies in the Senate's bill and the final conference bill are compatible with wheat growers' goals. Texas Wheat Producers Association reaction Immediately after passage, TWPA President Jack Norman said: "It has been a hard week in Washington, but we are appreciative of the House Members who stood behind the Committee on Agriculture and supported the 2007 farm bill on the floor today. "Texas farmers provide the world with the safest, most abundant and affordable food supply in the world. Over the life of the 2007 farm bill, we hope to become more vital providers of renewable fuel in an effort to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Supporting American agriculture is supporting an industry that provides employment for 20 percent of the U.S. workforce and contributes $3.5 trillion a year to the U.S. economy. "While we didn't get everything we were looking for, we are pleased the House has acted and are thankful for the work Members of Congress did on this bill. We are especially appreciative of the open and transparent process used by Chairman Peterson and other Members as we moved through the committee process. "Much work on the farm bill remains. We look forward to working with Members of the Senate on this important legislation in the coming weeks." To see how your member voted on the final bill and the amendments, please visit the following website and look for roll call votes 747 through 756: clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/index.asp. B 10 9/10/07 5 Star OK Date: 9/6/07 Advertisement
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2010. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
Market Snapshot Inside Futures |
