SENATE RESTARTS FARM BILL DEBATE

Debate on the Senate version of the farm bill (S.1731) picked up again on Wednesday, February 6. You can help by contacting potential farm bill conference committee members today (see Action Alert, February 8, 2002). Lawmakers have made significant changes to the conservation title since the bill was first introduced in November as S. 1628 (see Policy Update, November 28, 2001). Before winter recess, Senators twice bumped up funding levels for the Farmland Protection Program (FPP) and other conservation programs. The first increase came soon after the Senate Agriculture Committee voted on the bill when additional money was freed up by lower-than-anticipated Congressional Budget Office scores on some programs. The second boost came in early December at the urging of Senators Reid (D-Nev.) and Leahy (D-Vt.), with help from Senator Daschle (D-S.D.). The total for the title as a whole is now set at $4.4 billion annually for the next five years, with the following specific funding levels for fiscal years '02-'06: S 1731 5-Year Total Average FPP EQIP WRP WHIP CRP $1.75 billion $6 billion 1.25 million acres $1.45 billion 41.1 acres $350 million $1.2 billion 250,000 acres $290 million N/A Dollars for the second increase came from two sources. An agreement brokered by Senator Leahy to scale back the national dairy program to a Northeast regional dairy program generated the bulk of the money. The balance of additional funds was shifted from the FY'07-'12 out-year spending on conservation programs included in the Congressional Budget Office 10-year score of the bill. These out-year funding levels were hollow since the programs are authorized only through FY'06 and were only included to facilitate comparison with the 10-year budget resolution and the House version of the farm bill (H.R.2646.) Once the farm bill passes the Senate, which is expected to happen quickly, a conference committee chaired by the House Agriculture Committee Chairman, Larry Combest (R-Texas-19th), will be convened. Senate conferees are likely to support the much larger conservation funding levels in S.1731, while a few key House conferees may require some encouragement to secure substantial increases over H.R. 2646. For a detailed comparison of the House and Senate proposals for the farm bill conservation title please go to: http://www.nacdnet.org/govtaff/FB/HouseSenate.htm. Contact: Tobey Williamson, AFT's Federal Policy Program Manager, (202) 331-7000 x3020