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 »
At a hearing today of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Risk Management and Specialty Crops, Chairman Thomas Ewing (R-IL) warned of the dangers of reacting haphazardly to concerns by increasing regulation of the OTC market, emphasizing that U.S. firms must remain competitive in the international derivatives business. The Futures Trading Practices Act of 1992 gave the Commodity Futures Trading ... Read more »
Congressman Bob Smith (R-OR), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, at a full committee hearing today criticized the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for increasing overhead costs of five off-budget funds while the proportion of funds directed to on-the-ground management have decreased. Earlier this year, the Agriculture Committee requested that the General Accounting Office (GAO) investigate fiv... Read more »
By a vote of 364-50, the House of Representatives today passed the Conference Report to S. 1150, the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, making final congressional approval of the first major overhaul of agricultural research programs in over twenty years and the restoration of crop insurance for America's farmers. "American farmers and ranchers are breathing a sigh... Read more »
