Senate reappoints conferees, sends farm bill back to House
October 01, 2013 | 05:46 PM
The Senate has acted on the House farm bill, reappointed its conferees and sent the bill back to the House.
The action paves the way for House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, to name conferees. Boehner has not said whether he will follow tradition and name members of the House Agriculture Committee or whether he will name members who are not on the committee.
On the 2008 farm bill conference, then-House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, R-Calif. named Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., as a conferee.
The Senate action took place in the following manner:
At 3:56 p.m., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., went to the Senate floor and said, “I ask unanimous consent the Senate disagree on the House amendment, the Senate insists on its amendment, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes of the two houses and the chair be appointed conferees with a ratio of seven to five.”
There was no objection, and Reid named the following conferees:
“I’m pleased that the Senate has once again agreed to go to conference with the House on the farm bill and has re-appointed conferees,” Stabenow said.
“The government shutdown and the expiration of the farm bill has created a double whammy of uncertainty for the economy and for the 16 million Americans who work in this country because of agriculture,” she said. “The Senate has twice passed a comprehensive, bipartisan farm bill that will create jobs, reform agriculture policy and reduce the deficit by tens of billions of dollars. It’s time to finally get this done.”
The action paves the way for House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, to name conferees. Boehner has not said whether he will follow tradition and name members of the House Agriculture Committee or whether he will name members who are not on the committee.
On the 2008 farm bill conference, then-House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, R-Calif. named Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., as a conferee.
The Senate action took place in the following manner:
At 3:56 p.m., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., went to the Senate floor and said, “I ask unanimous consent the Senate disagree on the House amendment, the Senate insists on its amendment, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes of the two houses and the chair be appointed conferees with a ratio of seven to five.”
There was no objection, and Reid named the following conferees:
Democrats
- Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
- Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont
- Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa
- Sen. Max Baucus of Montana
- Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
- Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado
Republicans
- Senate Agriculture ranking member Thad Cochran of Mississippi
- Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas
- Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia
- Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas
- Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota
“I’m pleased that the Senate has once again agreed to go to conference with the House on the farm bill and has re-appointed conferees,” Stabenow said.
“The government shutdown and the expiration of the farm bill has created a double whammy of uncertainty for the economy and for the 16 million Americans who work in this country because of agriculture,” she said. “The Senate has twice passed a comprehensive, bipartisan farm bill that will create jobs, reform agriculture policy and reduce the deficit by tens of billions of dollars. It’s time to finally get this done.”
