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by Chris Clayton, DTN Ag Policy Editor
OMAHA (DTN) — Agreement was reached to move ahead on the farm bill late Monday when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced the Senate will begin debate Tuesday on 73 amendments to the bill.
Earlier Monday, Reid had threatened to move to a cloture vote on the farm bill if the two parties couldn’t come to terms.
The Senate will hold a series of debates and votes starting Tuesday, alternating between Democratic and Republican amendments, according to a statement by the Senate Democratic Majority office.
The floor debate will provide votes on amendments on limiting subsidies to millionaires, or even those with lower means as one amendment suggests a $250,000 income test.
Amendment #2439 from Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., would lower the crop-insurance premium subsidy by 15{fd15d42d1b024b97d6d50958be27cc8145b6addb99e015780abccf2984117bb0} for producers earning more than $750,000 adjusted gross income.
There will be votes on making commodity checkoff programs voluntary and whether the export-oriented Market Access Program should be cut. Other amendments will demand mandatory funding for rural development and increasing the budget and acreage cuts in major conservation programs.
Still, other amendments appear to have fallen by the wayside. Senators won’t debate whether to place a $40,000 cap on crop-insurance premium subsidies. Senators also opted not to debate an amendment that would have established specific federal rules for the size of cages for egg-laying chickens.
Democratic and Republican amendments will determine whether the EPA will be allowed to continue using flyovers to monitor livestock operations for potential violations of the Clean Water Act.
Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., issued a statement citing that the farm bill was developed through bipartisan collaboration at it passed through the committee in late April.
“My colleagues on both sides of the aisle understand we must act as soon as possible to give farmers the certainty they need to keep growing the economy,” Stabenow said. “This farm bill is unlike any other before it — it cuts spending, ends subsidies, improves accountability and strengthens healthy food systems. We are now closer than ever to achieving real reform in America’s agriculture policy.”
Proposed amendments include:
– Akaka amend #2440 (Highly fractionated tribal lands);
– Akaka amend #2396 (Tribal relations office);
– Baucus amend #2429 (Livestock);
– Bingaman amend #2364 (Multi-state aquifers);
– Brown (OH) amend #2445 (Rural development);
– Cantwell amend #2370 (Pulse pilot);
– Casey amend #2238 (Technical/study -federal milk marketing)
– Coons amend #2426 (Poultry insurance study);
– Feinstein amend #2422 (Conservation innovation grants);
– Feinstein amend #2309 (Insurance recall);
– Gillibrand amend #2156 (SNAP);
– Hagan amend #2366 (Crop insurance – plain language);
– Kerry amend #2187 (Commercial fishermen);
– Landrieu amend #2321 (Rural development loans);
– Manchin amend #2345 (Dietary study);
– Merkley amend #2382 (Organic crop insurance);
– Schumer amend #2427 (ACER);
– Stabenow amend #2453 (NAP);
– Udall (CO) amend #2295 (Bark beetle);
– Warner amend #2457 (Rural broadband);
– Wyden amend #2442 (Microloans);
– Wyden amend #2388 (Farm to school);
– Leahy amend #2204 (Rural development);
– Nelson (NE) amend #2242 (Rural housing);
– Klobuchar amend #2299 (Transportation study);
– Carper amend #2287 (Poultry feed research);
– Sanders amend #2254 (Biomass);
– Thune amend #2437 (Crop insurance);
– Durbin-Coburn amend #2439 (Crop insurance);
– Snowe amend #2190 (Milk marketing order reform);
– Ayotte amend #2192 (Value added grants);
– Collins amend #2444 (Dairy);
– Grassley amend #2167 (Pay cap marketing loans);
– Sessions amend #2174 (SNAP);
– Nelson (NE) amend #2243 (SNAP);
– Sessions amend #2172 (SNAP);
– Paul amend #2181 ($250,000 income limit);
– Alexander amend #2191 (Wind loans);
– McCain amend #2199 (Catfish);
– Toomey amend #2217 (Organic/AMA);
– DeMint amend #2263 (Broadband funding);
– DeMint amend #2262 (Sense of the Senate Free MKT);
– DeMint amend #2268 (Loan guarantees);
– DeMint amend #2276 (Checkoffs);
– DeMint amend #2273 (Broadband);
– Coburn amend #2289 (MAP);
– Coburn amend #2293 (Limit Millionaires);
– Kerry amend #2454 (North Korea);
– Kyl amend #2354 (North Korea);
– Lee amend #2313 (Forest Legacy);
– Lee amend #2314 (CSP/CRP cut);
– Boozman amend #2355 (Agriculture research, law info);
– Boozman amend #2360 (TEFAP);
– Toomey amend #2226 (Energy title);
– Toomey amend #2433 (Sugar);
– Lee Motion to Recommit (FY 2008 levels);
– Johnson (WI) Motion to Recommit;
– Chambliss amend #2438 (Conservation crop insurance);
– Chambliss amend #2340 (Sugar);
– Chambliss amend #2432 (FMPP);
– Ayotte amend #2195 (GAO crop insurance fraud report);
– Blunt amend #2246 (Veterans);
– Moran amend #2403 (Food aid);
– Moran amend #2443 (Beginning farmers)
– Vitter amend #2363 (Pets);
– Toomey amend #2247 (Paperwork);
– Sanders amend #2310 (Genetically engineered food);
– Coburn amend #2214 (Convention funding);
– Boxer amend #2456 (Aerial inspections);
– Johanns amend #2372 (Aerial inspections);
– Murray amend # 2455(Sequestration);
– McCain amend #2162 (Sequestration report – DoD); and
– Rubio amend #2166 (RAISE Act).
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Posted with DTN Permission by Haylie Shipp
