The House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities today in a hearing urged the Clinton Administration to support Most Favored Nation (MFN) status for China, funding for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), fast track authority, implementation of the Export Enhancement Program (EEP) for wheat and wheat flour, and the exemption of food and agriculture commodities in sanctions imposed ... Read more »
With one-third of approximately 9, 700 food tolerances to be reviewed by August 1999, Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Nutrition, and Foreign Agriculture, at a hearing today sharply criticized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not establishing protocols based on reliable scientific data as required by the Food Qu... Read more »
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry, Resource Conservation, and Research today passed legislation to provide eligibility for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guaranteed loans to certain farmers who received debt forgiveness prior to passage of the 1996 Farm Bill. In 1987, Congress enacted the Agricultural Credit Act, which provided farmers with debt relief through loan ser... Read more »
Today the House passed by a vote of 373-48 the FY 1999 Agriculture Appropriations Act (H.R. 4101) overturing President Clinton's grain embargo, funding $56 billion in agricultural programs, and rejecting amendments which would have broken the promises made to American farmers under the 1996 Farm Bill. As passed by the House today, H.R.4101 protects U.S. farmers from the wide-ranging sanctions Pres... Read more »
The House Committee on Agriculture today reviewed H.R. 3765, Congressman Bob Smith's (R-OR) bill to gradually increase U.S. Forest Service (USFS) special-use permit fees and examine the USFS appraisal process for recreational dwellings. In 1915, Congress began authorizing permits to individuals to construct and maintain dwellings in our National Forests. Permit holders currently pay an annual fee ... Read more »
The House Agriculture Committee by voice vote today passed the Selective Embargoes Act (H.R. 3654) after adopting an amendment sponsered by Chairman Bob Smith (R-OR) and ranking member Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) to exempt credit, credit gaurantees, and other financial assistance for the provision of food or agricultural commodities from sanctions under the Arms Export Control Act. Following the deton... Read more »
At a hearing today of the House Agriculture Committee, Chairman Bob Smith (R-OR) announced his intention to introduce an amendment to the Selective Embargoes Act (H.R. 3654) to exempt credit, credit guarantees, and other financial assistance for the provision of food or agricultural commodities from sanctions under the Arms Export Control Act. Following the detonation of nuclear devices by Pakista... Read more »
Congressman Bob Smith (R-OR), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, today sharply criticized President Clinton for his indecision with regard to sanctions imposed on Northwest farmers in response to last month's nuclear tests in Pakistan. On May 28, 1998, President Clinton called for wide-ranging sanctions against Pakistan as mandated under Section 102 of the Arms Export Control Act followi... Read more »
Just thirty months before phase-out of the crop protectant methyl bromide, members of the House Subcommittee on Forestry, Resource Conservation, and Research yesterday criticized the Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for neither supporting nor submitting legislation to allow U.S. farmers the same opportunitirs to use methyl bromide as our trading p... Read more »
Congressman Bob Smith (R-OR), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, announced at a hearing today that he will introduce legislation to reduce Forest Service overhead costs and restore fiscal accountability within the agency. Today's hearing revealed that the Forest Service Federal Timber Sale Program's overhead costs have increased by 50 percent over the last five years. Overhead costs now ... Read more »
