Agricultural News
Lucas Pleased with Stabenow's Version of Farm Bill, Upbeat About Chances for Passage and Reconciliation
Fri, 10 May 2013 12:49:05 CDT
Senator Debbie Stabenow, chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee has unveiled her version of the 2013 Farm Bill for markup. Stabenow's bill contains the Agricultural Risk Coverage proposal, but she has also included a target price provision. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas spoke with Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays in Lahoma today and said Stabenow's inclusion of those provisions is opening a door for House members. (Click on the LISTEN BAR at the bottom of this story to hear the full interview.)
"It looks like in a couple of particular groups like peanuts and rice, she's attempting to do that. I think that represents a great step forward. It lays the groundwork for compromise, but ultimately we have to address all the commodity groups. And when it comes to giving people an option in addition to ARC, the shallow loss revenue stuff, all commodity groups need to be able to participate and I think we'll work that out, but the Senate's not quite to a perfected document yet and I'm going to work and help them."
Lucas acknowledges there is still a very wide gap between the Senate's proposed savings in the nutrition title and the House's version.
"Even at that, they're in the $5 billion range, we're in the $20 billion range, we agree, on a committee-to-committee basis, about what various reforms achieve-what the savings are or if you want to say a dollar amount, what reforms are required to achieve that. We agree on that, it's just putting the pieces together.
"I would not be surprised if in the final discussions in the conference committee if that nutrition number is decided with the involvement of the majority leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the United States because whatever the consensus number is, we've got to have the support to move it as part of the overall bill. But I promise you, in the House, the fundamental reforms will be passed out of committee and may even be strengthened on the floor of the House."
According to rules and customs, Lucas will chair the conference committee that will reconcile the House and Senate versions of the farm bill once passed in both chambers. He said that prospect gives him a great opportunity to craft the final product to ensure inclusion of all producers nationwide.
"I have studied carefully a number of what my political colleagues call 'old political bulls' in the Congressional process. Yes, I've paid very good attention. We're going to have that bill with all commodity groups and all regions. It's going to have it."
Lucas said there is a lot of reason for producers to be optimistic about how the process is playing out. He said he is very confident that a significant bill will be passed that can be signed by the President.
"The way the bill has come together in committee this time-we did 100 amendments last July, we were in committee for 15 hours. I don't see that many amendments. Oh, there will be 30 or 40 or maybe 50. I think we can get the bill done in an orderly time, maybe six or eight hours as opposed to 15 hours.
"I'm very optimistic about that, but also having increased the savings numbers, the reform numbers, not just in the commodity title, but also in the nutrition title in order to make the bill more palatable on the floor of the United States House. I've been surprised by how well my democrat members of the committee have responded to that. And do not underestimate the importance of having leadership say, both to me personally and in their public statements to the Republican conference, that we'll have floor time in June. I could never get that done last time.
"I've got to get across the floor. Debbie's demonstrated she could pass a bill across the Senate floor last year, and on to conference we go.
"Will conference be one day or will it be six months? I can't answer that, but I would tell you, having worked with Debbie in the super committee process-almost a couple of years ago now-and at that point having achieved a consensus on what was then a $23 billion package, I think we can get there. She's a hard worker. As a matter of fact, I've told several people back east, if anybody can get a bill out of a Senate committee, across the floor, and work out the differences in conference with me, it's Debbie. If she tried hard enough, she might make the sun come up in the west in the morning."
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