Press Releases

DATE October 25, 2000 Farm Policy, Crop Insurance and future agricultural budgets Read more »

House Advances Financial Modernization for 21st Century Closely aligns with recommendations of President's Working Group (October 19, 2000) In close alignment with the views of the President's Working Group on Financial Services, the U.S. House of Representatives agreed by a nearly-unanimous 377 to 4 vote to modernize the U.S. futures industry regulations, establish legal certainty for the financi... Read more »

House Passes Landmark Rural Schools Legislation H.R. 2389 would restore stability to forest communities (October 11, 2000) Washington, D.C. Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, by voice vote, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-determination Act of 1999 (H.R. 2389) which would provide rural areas with financial stability in revenues used for community schools, roads, and l... Read more »

Congress Aids Producers, Lifts LDP Limits, Opens Cuba Trade Congressional action this week on the Agricultural Appropriations bill will help farmers and producers of livestock and dairy who are suffering another year of weather and financial losses, including an additional provision that lifts limits to $150,000 this crop year on Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) and provides the first move to re-op... Read more »

House Passes Grain Standards and Warehouse Improvement Act of 2000 Last night, the House of Representatives passed, by voice vote, legislation (H.R. 4788) sponsored by Representative Bill Barrett (R-NE) to reauthorize the U.S. Grain Standards Act and to modernize the U.S. Warehouse Act. "This legislation will bring grain inspection and the use of warehouse facilities into the 21st century, all at ... Read more »

Committee Reviews Plan to Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires New Policy Forms Partnership Between State and Federal Land Managers Today, Chairman Larry Combest convened the House Committee on Agriculture to review the causes of this year's catastrophic western wildfires and to examine a new plan included in the House-passed Interior Appropriations bill to prevent future disasters. The year 2000 has be... Read more »

Committee Reviews Implementation of Agricultural Risk Protection Act Chairman Combest focuses attention on tools to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse Today, the House Committee on Agriculture, convened by Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX), heard from Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and representatives from the crop insurance industry regarding implementation of P.L. 106-224, the Agricultural Risk ... Read more »

USDA Delay Frustrates Producers with Price Support Marketing Loans USDA now agrees with Combest idea: lien searches outmoded for some Marketing Loans After five weeks of effort by House Ag Committee Chairman Larry Combest, producers will gain flexibility from the use of marketing certificates as a result of USDA's adoption of Combest's recommendation to waive the time-consuming commodity lien sear... Read more »

Goodlatte Criticizes USDA for Misappropriation of Funds Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry, led by Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) roundly condemned the abuse of authority and misuse of taxpayer dollars in the questionable administration of the USDA's Urban Resources Partnership (URP) Program. In 1994, the Office of the Under Secreta... Read more »

U.S. Farmers Break Trade Barrier of China's Great Wall: Combest, Stenholm praise Senate vote favoring permanent trade climate U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) and Ranking Minority Member Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) praised the market-opening gains for American farmers that are signaled by today's U.S. Senate approval of Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. (PNTR).... Read more »