Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning. I would like to start by quickly thanking Mr. Bryan Blinson for attending today’s hearing. Mr. Blinson serves as the Executive Director for the North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association. We are happy to have him join us today and appreciate all his hard work on behalf of North Carolina’s cattlemen. As we have all observed, the United States is fortunate... Read more »
Chairman Austin Scott has been an important voice of common sense on our Committee for the past four years and I am grateful that he has agreed to chair this subcommittee. With his previous experience in the financial services industry I know he will be an asset to this committee during reauthorization and during our oversight hearings in the coming year. I am equally pleased that David Scott is b... 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 »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good Afternoon. I’d like to welcome you to the inaugural hearing of the Commodity Exchanges, Energy and Credit subcommittee of the House Committee on Agriculture. I am honored that Chairman Conaway asked me to serve the Committee this Congress by chairing our newest subcommittee. When Mr. Conaway asked me to step into this role, he said that he wanted to ensure th... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good Morning. I want to thank each of you for being here today to discuss agricultural biotechnology. Mankind has used biological technologies for more than 10,000 years to improve crops and livestock, and to make useful food products, such as bread and cheese, and to preserve dairy products. When applied to plant breeding, these technologies have led to the evolu... 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 »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Today we will once again consider the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act. As many of you will remember, this Committee met four years ago to mark up this very same bill text. That bill, H.R. 872, was reported out of our committee by voice vote and passed the House floor on suspension with a vote of 292-130. The same bill passed the House in the last Congress as H.R. ... 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 »
