Washington Week Ahead: Farm bill conference questions loom

July 15th, 2013

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Category: Grains, Oilseeds, Policy, Sugar

(Agri-Pulse) – Agricultural stakeholders and lawmakers will be focused intensely this week on what is next for the farm bill after the House advanced a bill (H.R. 2642), which would strip the nutrition title from the rest of the farm policy legislation.

The bill needs to be conferenced with the Senate-passed farm bill, which does include Title IV provisions such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., is scheduled to hold a teleconference with reporters today to discuss a way forward. Because the House approved the legislation without a nutrition title, it is unclear how the bill can be conferenced with the Senate bill.

Despite assurances from several Republican lawmakers, many Democratic lawmakers are uncertain that House leadership will bring legislation with a nutrition title to the conference table. They are also uncertain that leadership will name conferees.

Also on the congressional radar is possible action on a House immigration bill that could affect farm workers. The Senate-passed bill includes provisions that seek to provide a path to legal status for undocumented farm workers and others.

Notably, Stabenow’s committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday on the reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

“Reauthorizing the CFTC is an opportunity to examine these derivatives markets and weigh policy changes that would help protect markets and the public,” Stabenow said. “As ranking member [Thad] Cochran [R-Miss.] and I said earlier this year, this process will be transparent, bipartisan and consensus-driven.”

In addition, lawmakers are interesting in furthering the debate on climate change.

 

On Thursday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on “Climate Change: It’s Happening Now” and the House Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade will hold a hearing on “The President’s Climate Action Plan: What is the Impact on Small Businesses?”

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