June 13, 2012
www.gfb.org
Vol. 30 No. 24
SENATE BEGINS DELIBERATING FARM BILL The full Senate has begun discussion on S. 3240, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, the Senate’s version of the 2012 farm bill. On June 7, the Senate voted 90-8 in favor of cloture and moved to its deliberations on the bill, which was introduced to the full Senate on May 24. The bill, which authorizes funding for the USDA’s farm and nutrition programs, passed the Senate Ag Committee by a 16-5 vote on April 26. Because of differences in the way the bill treats various regions and various crops, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) voted against it in committee. Sen. Dianne Feinstein offered the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012 as a farm bill amendment. Feinstein’s measure would institute national care standards for egg-laying hens, implementing an agreement between the Humane Society of the United States and United Egg Producers. Georgia Farm Bureau policy opposes any laws which would mandate specific farming practices in livestock or poultry production. Feinstein’s amendment was one of more than 200 submitted for consideration in the farm bill, addressing a wide variety of issues. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) offered an amendment that would prevent the Secretary of the Army and the EPA Administrator from finalizing guidance that would expand waters protected by the Clean Water Act or using the proposed guidance as the basis for any decisions. An amendment offered by Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) redefines navigable waters. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Richard Durbin (R-Ill.) submitted an amendment that would cut premium subsidies for crop insurance if a producer’s adjusted gross income exceeds $750,000. Another amendment from Paul sets a limit on the adjusted gross income of anyone receiving any type of payment under the 2012 farm bill, including those enrolled in conservation programs. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) submitted one amendment to set a $75,000 payment limit for marketing loans and loan deficiency payments and another to prohibit ranchers who own a slaughter/packing facility from also owning a feed lot where the cattle are fattened for slaughter. Grassley also offered an amendment to remove the separate payment limit for peanuts. An amendment from Jon Tester (D-Mont.) establishes a percentage of research funding for the purpose of developing publicly available plant genes, with an emphasis on locally adapted plants. A number of amendments addressed the implementation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including multiple amendments to structure SNAP as block grants issued to states.