Farm
Bill Timeline:
Senate Floor, February 2002
February 13, 2002: Farm Bill Passes!
Today, the Senate approved the Farm Bill by a vote
of 58-40. Prior to final
passage, the Senate voted on a number of amendments. One of the
most important of these was the passage on Tuesday night of
Senator Wellstone’s modified amendment to place a payment
limitation and sensible restrictions on EQIP funding. This
provision was not as far-reaching as the amendment that failed
last week, but it does require a comprehensive nutrient
management plan, limits contracts to multiple CAFO-owning
agribusinesses, and prioritizes practices such as managed
grazing. This measure passed by voice vote, so there is no
voting record on it.
February 12, 2002
After a few days of Senate debate, family farmers and
conservationists scored two big victories on Tuesday with the
failure of the Crapo amendment and the passage of language to
clarify the intent of the Johnson-Grassley packer ownership ban.
The Crapo amendment would have removed a voluntary water
conservation program that allows farmers to transfer water
rights on a temporary or needs-only basis, in order to preserve
stream flows for endangered fish and wildlife. A motion to kill
the Crapo amendment passed
55-45.
The other victory was on secondary amending language offered
by Grassley to clarify that the packer ownership ban, which
passed in December, is not intended to outlaw contracts or joint
ventures. A motion to kill the amendment failed,
46-53, and the amendment
passed by voice vote. Passage of the clarifying amendment will
make it very difficult for Senator Craig to pass his amendment,
which would replace the packer ownership ban with a study of the
issue.
Other amendments offered recently include Santorum’s animal
care standards provision (No. 2542), Feinstein’s sugar
shortfall provision (No. 2829), Baucus’ emergency assistance
provision (No. 2839), and Enzi’s livestock feeding disaster
provisions (No. 2843)
Senate Farm Bill: February 8, 2002
Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) introduced an amendment to reverse
the Johnson-Grassley-Thomas-Daschle-Wellstone packer ownership
ban adopted by the Senate, and replace it with a
"study" of the issue.
Senator Crapo has also introduced an amendment that would
strike Farm Bill section 215, the Resource Conservation and
Development Program. We have also heard that amendments will be
introduced today by Senators Conrad, Lincoln, Santorum and
Feinstein, but nothing will be voted on until Monday afternoon.
Senate Farm Bill: February 7, 2002
The Senate resumed debate on the Farm Bill yesterday.
Senators Harkin and Lugar presented opening statements and
debate on amendments began. Senator Harkin offered his amendment
to bring pork and beef contract producers under the authority of
the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
This amendment, which was strongly supported by family farm and
sustainable agriculture advocates, won handily, 82-14.
Unfortunately, we lost the vote on the Wellstone amendment,
which would have placed sensible restrictions on funding for
confined animal feeding operations through the Environmental
Quality Incentives Program. However, considering the intense
pressure that the livestock industry brought to bear against the
Wellstone amendment, the 44-52 vote was perhaps better than we
had hoped.
Vote counts for both votes are available at:
In another victory, Senator Burns withdrew two amendments
that would have placed restrictions on the administration of the
Conservation Reserve Program.
The Senate resumed debate on the Farm Bill today, and almost
unanimously (96-1) passed the Durbin amendment, which would
limit farm subsidies on newly broken out land. The money saved
by this amendment will expand nutrition assistance to legal
immigrants.
The Senate today also took up the Dorgan-Grassley payment
limitation amendment. The amendment faced fierce opposition from
southern Senators. Despite the opposition, a motion to kill the
amendment failed, 31-66, and then the amendment PASSED by voice
vote.
The Senate spent much of the afternoon and evening debating
Senator Lugar’s amendment that would replace the commodity
title with provisions of his crop-insurance based proposal. This
amendment failed, 11-85. The Senate adopted (93-0) Senator
Carnahan’s proposal to permanently re-enact the family farmer
bankruptcy provision.
For more details on these amendments see Senate
Farm Bill on Thomas. |