Press Releases

February 2002

House Negotiators Balance Farm Bill Conference
Agriculture's interests widely represented

February 28, 2002 – House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest and Ranking Minority Member Charlie Stenholm noted the wide regional representation appointed Thursday morning to the farm bill conference presents a unified, balanced House position to the farm bill conference committee. House Speaker Dennis Hastert on Thursday formally named House Agriculture Committee Republicans: Ag Chairman Larry Combest (Texas), Committee Vice Chairman John Boehner (Ohio), and Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (Va.), Livestock Subcommittee Chairman Richard Pombo (Calif.), Special Crops Subcommittee Chairman Terry Everett (Ala.), Conservation, Credit and Rural Development Subcommittee Chairman Frank Lucas (Okla.), General Farm Commodities Subcommittee Chairman Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), as well as Kansas congressman Jerry Moran. Democrats named as conferees: Charlie Stenholm (Texas), Gary Condit (Calif.), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Cal Dooley (Calif.), Eva Clayton (N.C.) and Tim Holden (Pa.).

"The House goes into conference with a well-thought-out and balanced farm bill, backed by a bipartisan, two-to one margin of support behind its October 5th passage," said Chairman Combest. "We built the House-passed farm bill with input from all kinds of farmers in every region of the country, and we will maintain that balance with the conferees appointed today to speak on producers' behalf."

"I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to develop a bill as quickly as possible," said Charlie Stenholm, the Committee's Ranking Minority Member.

Additional conferees from other House committees of jurisdiction will briefly join the farm bill conference for other sections of the bill.

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