PERSPECTIVE OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU
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April 22, 2011
Budget, redistricting loom as priority legislation moves forward By Kinsey Money, OFB Director of Research and Policy Development The stressful days and long nights of the 2011 session is beginning to show as talk of early adjournment circulates around the capitol. However, early adjournment doesn’t seem likely with redistricting and the budget still waiting to be resolved. Even in the turmoil of the 2011 session, four Farm Bureau priority bills have already been signed by Gov. Mary Fallin. HB 1249, authored by Rep. Wade Rousselot and Sen. Kim David, was signed into law by the Governor on April 12. HB 1249 removes the exemption under current trespass law that allows owners to retrieve animals by entering
the property of another without permission. The Governor signed SB 92 into law on April 13. Authored by Sen. Ron Justice and Rep. Steve Kouplen, SB 92 reforms continuing education requirements for poultry growers. On April 14, HB 1044 and HB 1296 were signed into law. Rep. George Faught and Sen. Anthony Sykes authored HB 1044, which requires certain proposed agency rules to be approved by the legislature before the end of each legislative session. HB 1296 requires municipalities to obtain consent of a majority of the acres before annexing property. It was authored by Rep. David Derby and Sen. Anthony Sykes. This past week marked a deadline week. All bills had to be out of committee in the House and the Senate by April 14. All of Farm Bureau’s priority legislation successfully made it out of committee. The following bills are now waiting for a floor hearing: (See Priority legislation, page 3)
Farm Bureau members hit D.C. for Congressional Action Tour A group of 50 Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders took time out from preparing for the spring growing season to travel to Washington, D.C. for an intense lobbying effort, March 26-31. “This is a valuable trip for farm leaders,” said Mike Spradling, OFB president. “It shows our Oklahoma congressional delegation we support them and it gives our members an opportunity to see how the federal government functions.” During the trip, the farm leaders met with Senators Inhofe and Coburn, plus all five U.S. House members from Oklahoma, including Frank Lucas, the new chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. “Lucas will play a major role in the new farm bill and we’re glad he understands how important the farm bill is for Oklahoma agriculture,” Spradling said. Lucas laid out the time table for the new farm bill, making sure the leaders understood the current farm bill does not expire until end of July, 2012. He told the group he expects field hearings on the farm bill to take place this summer and hopes to have the farm bill written and ready for the president to sign by next July. For Farm Bureau leader Jack Sherry of Holdenville, the trip was a good opportunity to see Congress in action. “The big discussion going on right now in Washington is the tight budget situation,” Sherry said. “I am concerned how it will impact the farm bill and the non-farm economy as well.” In addition to the farm bill and budget discussions, the farm leaders also discussed burdensome EPA regulations with their congressional representatives. “We’ve seen a growing list of attempts by the EPA in recent years to heavily regulate the agriculture industry,” Spradling said. “We’re concerned these regulations are becoming a major obstacle to producing food and fiber in this country.”
FB IN DC – Farm Bureau members met with the Oklahoma congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., including Congressman Dan Boren.
FARM BILL – Congressman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma’s third congressional district, and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, visited with Farm Bureau members about the upcoming farm bill.