House to take up Ag approps on Wednesday
June 10, 2014 | 11:32 PM
By ALEX GANGITANO
and JERRY HAGSTROM
The House is expected to take up the fiscal year 2015 Agriculture appropriations bill on Wednesday.
It is scheduled to come into session at 10 a.m. for the morning hour, but not to consider legislation until noon.
General debate and amendments on the Ag appropriations bill are expected, although it is unclear when final votes will occur. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., has said that all House floor votes this week will be held by 3 p.m. Thursday.
The House Rules Committee today voted 7 to 4 to adopt a modified open rule on the Agriculture bill. The committee defeated a motion by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., to adopt an open rule on the bill. That vote was 4-7.
The Agriculture bill includes a controversial provision to require the Agriculture Department to grant a waiver from the current healthier school meals rules if the school maintains that it has lost money in its meals program for six months.
During the Rules committee debate, House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., told the committee that the Agriculture bill “will have benefits for each and every one of your constituencies.”
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said, “You’ve done a pretty good job here. I would probably give you a 95 on this.”
But House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Sam Farr, D-Calif., noted that retired military officers oppose the waiver because so many young people weigh too much to serve in the military.
“We have to recognize that our nation is really having a dietary problem, it’s a health risk, it’s a huge cost to us and it’s affecting our ability to compete in the world market,” Farr said
“Obviously I’m not a nutrition underachiever,” Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said. “When the big famine hits, I’ll be the last to go.”
McGovern said he looks forward to this bill being on the House floor.
“Schools are a place where kids are supposed to learn something,” he said. “I hate the thought that we’re going to potentially blow this opportunity to really help change the nutritional status of this country.”
“I get it,” McGovern added. “If you’re used to junk-food, you want to have more junk-food … constant advertisements and constant deals, it’s over the top. I’d like to think these shouldn’t be partisan issues.”
But Farr noted the Agriculture Department indicated officials would work with school districts to show them the opportunities that come with healthy eating. Schools are seeing “plate waste” as a teaching moment, to show students what they should be eating.
“If we’re going to change habits, it’s got to start with schools,” Farr said.
Aderholt concluded, “we’re talking about simply giving these schools a waiver, school nutritionists just want some flexibility on the standards."
and JERRY HAGSTROM
The House is expected to take up the fiscal year 2015 Agriculture appropriations bill on Wednesday.
It is scheduled to come into session at 10 a.m. for the morning hour, but not to consider legislation until noon.
General debate and amendments on the Ag appropriations bill are expected, although it is unclear when final votes will occur. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., has said that all House floor votes this week will be held by 3 p.m. Thursday.
The House Rules Committee today voted 7 to 4 to adopt a modified open rule on the Agriculture bill. The committee defeated a motion by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., to adopt an open rule on the bill. That vote was 4-7.
The Agriculture bill includes a controversial provision to require the Agriculture Department to grant a waiver from the current healthier school meals rules if the school maintains that it has lost money in its meals program for six months.
During the Rules committee debate, House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., told the committee that the Agriculture bill “will have benefits for each and every one of your constituencies.”
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said, “You’ve done a pretty good job here. I would probably give you a 95 on this.”
But House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Sam Farr, D-Calif., noted that retired military officers oppose the waiver because so many young people weigh too much to serve in the military.
“We have to recognize that our nation is really having a dietary problem, it’s a health risk, it’s a huge cost to us and it’s affecting our ability to compete in the world market,” Farr said
“Obviously I’m not a nutrition underachiever,” Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said. “When the big famine hits, I’ll be the last to go.”
McGovern said he looks forward to this bill being on the House floor.
“Schools are a place where kids are supposed to learn something,” he said. “I hate the thought that we’re going to potentially blow this opportunity to really help change the nutritional status of this country.”
“I get it,” McGovern added. “If you’re used to junk-food, you want to have more junk-food … constant advertisements and constant deals, it’s over the top. I’d like to think these shouldn’t be partisan issues.”
But Farr noted the Agriculture Department indicated officials would work with school districts to show them the opportunities that come with healthy eating. Schools are seeing “plate waste” as a teaching moment, to show students what they should be eating.
“If we’re going to change habits, it’s got to start with schools,” Farr said.
Aderholt concluded, “we’re talking about simply giving these schools a waiver, school nutritionists just want some flexibility on the standards."
