H.R. 2389 would restore stability to forest communities In a bipartisan vote of 274-153, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed the County Schools Funding Revitalization Act of 1999 (H.R. 2389) which would provide rural areas with financial stability in revenues used for community schools, roads, and local forest management. "I sincerely believe that the future stability of rural education... Read more »
Preparing to lead next month's agricultural delegation to the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks in Seattle, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) hailed the president's recent granting of export credit guarantees for agricultural sales as a valuable trade tool for U.S. farmers and ranchers. U.S. export credit guarantees provide federal backing as security to the financin... Read more »
At a hearing today of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry, Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) led Members in roundly criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its disregard of congressional intent and use of unscientific methods in promulgating new regulations that will potentially cost farmers, ranchers, and timber workers mil... Read more »
Today, the House Committee on Agriculture, led by Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) passed by voice vote legislation (H.R. 728) responding to the maintenance and improvement issues involving a large number of water projects originally authorized by the federal government. More than 10,000 small flood prevention dams, mainly located in Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas, have provided conservation and other econ... Read more »
After a nine-day delay, President Clinton today signed the agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 1906) which contains $8.7 billion in emergency farm aid for income and disaster assistance and is designed to expedite delivery of the funds to producers. "I'm glad the president signed this important bill, though I don't understand why he delayed for so long," said House Agriculture Committee Chairman... Read more »
Producers desperately needing $8.7 billion in emergency aid have waited more than a week for the president's signature on the aid legislation that his spokesmen have said the president will sign -- although they will not say when. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) noted that producers could have been halfway toward receiving promised aid by now. The president's 8-day delay... Read more »
Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Risk Management, Research, and Specialty Crops led by Chairman Tom Ewing (R-IL), reviewed the National Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Act of 1999 (H.R. 2827) and issues related to the growing biomass industry. "Because human activity will drastically reduce available fossil fuels during the next century, we must seek new ways to supply the energy needs... Read more »
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) will lead the agriculture delegation to World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations November 30 through December 3 in Seattle. Combest will lead the delegation of 14 members of the House Agriculture Committee as one of his many steps to ensure that U.S. agriculture and the Committee are fully represented at the onset of the negotiations ... Read more »
Emergency farm aid designed to place money quickly in the hands of financially struggling producers cleared Congress Wednesday afternoon, matching the Secretary of Agriculture's highest estimated disaster funding needs. As designed by Congress, within two weeks of the president's signature the $8.7 billion aid package will deliver $5.5 billion to farmers, each receiving an amount equal to their 1... Read more »
On Friday, October 1, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry, introduced legislation aimed at restoring financial accountability to the U.S. Forest Service. "The Forest Service has shown little if any accountability to the American people for its policies or its finances. Giving the agency increased fun... Read more »
