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 »
Washington, D.C. - At a hearing this morning of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Under Secretary for Agriculture Kevin Concannon indicated that the Department would grant a short-term 30 day comment period extension for the report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. “The 571 page report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee not only went way out of scope in de... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, held a public hearing to review the definition of “waters of the United States” proposed rule and its impact on rural America. Enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) established a federal-state government partnership to better regulate and manage the nation’... Read more »
