Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) along with 70 Members of Congress, including House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) and House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL), sent a letter to Department of Health and Humans Services Secretary Burwell and Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack expressing concerns with the repo... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), and House Science, Space, and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy asking for documents to confirm whether or not the agency weighed the impact of the proposed “w... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management held a public hearing to examine implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill was signed into law on February 7, 2014. The legislation both modernized and strengthened the safety net for farmers. By next week, most farmers will have ... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee continued its series of hearings in advance of writing legislation to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which lapsed in September 2013. Members of the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), held a public hearing to examine the reauthorization of t... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee, held a public hearing to examine the implications of potential retaliatory measures against the United States in response to its country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements for beef and pork. In 2002, Congress initially adopted a country-of-origin lab... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit Subcommittee, held a public hearing to examine the reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the challenges end-users face as they use these markets. Authorization for the CFTC lapsed in September 2013. During the 113... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Committee on Agriculture held a public hearing to examine the costs and impacts of states implementing mandatory biotechnology labeling laws. In 2014, 125 bills mandating the labeling of biotechnology were introduced in 30 different states. According to a report by a Cornell Business School professor, shifting from the current voluntary system to a mandatory sys... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - This morning, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of 10 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training (E&T) pilot projects designed to help recipients prepare for and go to work. The pilot projects were authorized under Section 4022 of the bipartisan Agricultural Act of 2014. “I am pleased the Secretary has announced the selection... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Committee on Agriculture approved H.R. 897, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2015. This legislation (H.R. 872 in the 112th Congress and H.R. 935 in the 113th) would clarify Congressional intent regarding pesticide regulation in or near waters of the United States. A 2009 decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit erroneously applied the pr... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, held a public hearing to review the importance of trade to U.S. agriculture. In 2014, U.S. agricultural exports reached a record-setting $152.5 billion, an increase of 58% over the last five years. Members and the witnesses emphasized that with 95 percent of the world’s population residing outside of... Read more »
