Senate to begin consideration of Approps bills
June 19, 2014 | 12:52 PM
The Senate today is expected to begin consideration of a measure containing three fiscal year 2015 appropriations bills, including the Agriculture bill, this afternoon.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in an advisory late Wednesday that all but two of the 30 hours for post-cloture debate had expired and that he expected the Senate to begin consideration of the bill around 12:45 p.m.
But it is unclear whether the bill consideration will go smoothly since there is apparently no agreement on amendments for Agriculture or for the Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bills that are packaged with it.
Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mark Pryor, D-Ark., assured senators on Wednesday in a floor speech that amendments are welcome.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said Wednesday he would offer two amendments to the bill.
One would reprogram $2 million in the fiscal year 2015 Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) budget to address the backlog of undetermined wetlands in all states.
“Conservation compliance is an eligibility requirement for crop insurance premium assistance and most other federal farm program benefits,” noted Thune.
“With a backlog of more than 3,000 undetermined wetlands in South Dakota, these farmers cannot apply any water management practices on their land because they do not know where NRCS will determine wetlands are located. Some farmers have been waiting two or more years for these determinations.”
Thune’s second amendment directs the Agriculture secretary to complete National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) activities, if required, within 30 days of receiving an emergency Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) haying or grazing request due to drought.
“In the drought of 2012, farmers were forced to wait for USDA to complete NEPA requirements before certain CRP practices could be approved by the secretary for emergency haying and grazing,” Thune said. “This amendment requires the secretary to expedite this process to make emergency feed available when a drought occurs.”
The consideration of the appropriations measures is expected to continue into next week. The Senate and the House are scheduled to take a one-week recess for the July 4 holiday beginning June 27.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in an advisory late Wednesday that all but two of the 30 hours for post-cloture debate had expired and that he expected the Senate to begin consideration of the bill around 12:45 p.m.
But it is unclear whether the bill consideration will go smoothly since there is apparently no agreement on amendments for Agriculture or for the Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bills that are packaged with it.
Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mark Pryor, D-Ark., assured senators on Wednesday in a floor speech that amendments are welcome.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said Wednesday he would offer two amendments to the bill.
One would reprogram $2 million in the fiscal year 2015 Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) budget to address the backlog of undetermined wetlands in all states.
“Conservation compliance is an eligibility requirement for crop insurance premium assistance and most other federal farm program benefits,” noted Thune.
“With a backlog of more than 3,000 undetermined wetlands in South Dakota, these farmers cannot apply any water management practices on their land because they do not know where NRCS will determine wetlands are located. Some farmers have been waiting two or more years for these determinations.”
Thune’s second amendment directs the Agriculture secretary to complete National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) activities, if required, within 30 days of receiving an emergency Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) haying or grazing request due to drought.
“In the drought of 2012, farmers were forced to wait for USDA to complete NEPA requirements before certain CRP practices could be approved by the secretary for emergency haying and grazing,” Thune said. “This amendment requires the secretary to expedite this process to make emergency feed available when a drought occurs.”
The consideration of the appropriations measures is expected to continue into next week. The Senate and the House are scheduled to take a one-week recess for the July 4 holiday beginning June 27.
