Agricultural News
New Ranking Republican Member of US House Ag Committee- Frank Lucas (story now has audio with Congressman Lucas)
Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:23:58 CST
As anticipated by many Congressional observers, Republican leadership announced Wednesday afternoon that Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas would serve as the Republican Leader of the House Committee on Agriculture for the 111th Congress. Lucas succeeds Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who was required to step down by Republican Conference rules after three terms as his party’s leader on the Agriculture Committee, serving two as Chairman.
Lucas, a Roger Mills County rancher and member of the House Ag Committee since he first came to Washington in 1994, took time on Wednesday to visit with several members of the media via telephone from Washington- we asked our RON news editor Calvin Wright to ask several key questions of Congressman Lucas as we were en route to the Tulsa Farm Show. That conversation is linked below and can be heard by clicking on the Listen Bar.
“As a life-long farmer in the great state of Oklahoma, it is a great honor for me to be selected to serve as the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture,” Lucas stated. “I look forward to my new role and will strive to work together with Chairman Petersen and the entire committee to resolve the challenges facing America’s ranchers and farmers.”
As the Ranking Member on the Agriculture Committee, Lucas will serve as a policy leader for all areas of the committee’s jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of the House Agriculture Committee includes oversight of USDA and its various agencies and programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program, Disaster Assistance, Rural Development, Livestock Compensation, and Crop Insurance and Food Safety. In addition, the committee has jurisdiction over the Food and Drug Administration and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission.
“I have long served as a strong voice for production agriculture,” stated Lucas. “As the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, I will continue to work with both Republicans and Democrats to ensure that farmers and ranchers have the necessary resources to not only survive, but to thrive in this nation.”
This will mark Lucas’ ninth term as a member of the House Agriculture Committee, serving on it since he was first elected in 1994. Lucas is the second Oklahoman to serve as his party’s leader of the House Agriculture Committee.
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