House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Smith (R-OR) today announced that Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairperson Brooksley Born has notified him, in a July 24 letter, that the CFTC will not pursue regulation of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives until Congress has the opportunity to act during CFTC reauthorization in 1999. "As Chairperson Born states, the legal status of these fi... Read more »
With reforms in the 1996 Freedom to Farm Act phasing out support mechanisms for farmers and ranchers, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee Bob Smith (R-OR), Speaker of the House Newt Gringrich (R-GA), Ranking Committee Member Charlie Stenholm (D-TX), and others at a news conference today announced bipartisan plans to ensure the future of American agriculture through various trade initiative... Read more »
Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Smith (R-OR) today announced that yesterday the House passed the Interior Appropriations Bill (H.R. 4193) which contains vital provisions originally proposed in his Forest Recovery and Protection Act while soundly beating back amendments to cut the Timber Sale Program and continue the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP). According to For... Read more »
Congressman Bob Smith (R-OR), Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, yesterday voted to support continued normal trading relations with China, citing the importance of China trade to America's farmers and ranchers. Yesterday, by a vote of 166 — 264, the House of Representatives soundly rejected a resolution (H.J. Res. 121) revoking normal trade relations with China. This trade status, whi... Read more »
With economic growth and trade liberalization dramatically increasing opportunities for American farmers and ranchers, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Smith (R-OR), at a hearing today, stressed the importance of building on past successes while continuing to remove barriers to U.S. trade. Today's hearing regarding trade in the Western Hemisphere was the final in a series of four hearings ... Read more »
At a press conference today, Congressman Bob Smith (R-OR) Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, voiced his strong support for legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of senators led by Gordon Smith (R-OR) to reform the Guest Worker Program (H2-A). A recent study by the General Accounting Office (GAO) reported that more than 40 percent of the nation's agriculture labor pool consists ... Read more »
Subcommittee Moves Smith's Strict Liability Legislation: Current Agency Policy Threatens Rural Consumers Today, the House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health discharged to the full committee legislation (H.R. 3187) introduced by Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Smith (R-OR) to reform the strict liability policy applied to electric cooperatives, ensuring fairness for rural consume... Read more »
With the Asian financial crisis and adverse weather conditions exacting a heavy toll on American farmers and ranchers, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA), Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Smith (R-OR), and Republican Farm State members today announced the introduction of Smith's Emergency Farm Financial Relief Act while calling on the President to use his authority to lend assistance to t... Read more »
Following the reinstatement of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Credit Guarantee Programs, Congressman Bob Smith, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, today announced that Pakistan has purchased 300,000 tons of U.S. Wheat in the July 15th tender. On July 14th, the President signed the Agriculture Export Relief Act (S. 2282), legislation with language introduced by Chairman Smith provi... Read more »
As Pakistan prepares to make tender of 350,000 tons of wheat on July 15th, the House of Representatives today unanimously passed S. 2282, amended by language introduced by Congressman Bob Smith (R-OR), Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, to provide a one-year exemption for agricultural commodities from the embargo President Clinton placed on Pakistan and India in May. Earlier today, Sm... Read more »
