HR 3161 passes with bells and whistles

The House passed the Ag/FDA fiscal 2008 appropriations bill, HR 3161, yesterday. Here is the link to bill summary status and text. Only 18 Republicans voted against it, but they were abstaining after failing to derail the bill in an earlier vote.The White House has threatened a veto.

Here is a summary of the bill from the office of Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. Note provision for housing farm laborers, emphasis on food safety oversight and nutrition issues. In the nutrition camp were funds for nationwide expansion of the fruit and vegetable program and specialty crop block grants to encourage f/v consumption.
From DeLauro:

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3), chairwoman of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks in support of the fiscal year 2008 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Bill on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill was passed by the House late Thursday evening. It also needs to be voted on by the Senate, approved by both chambers and signed by the President.

“I am proud of this bill and the goals it strives to accomplish – strengthening rural America, protecting public health, improving nutrition for more Americans, transforming our energy future, supporting conservation, investing in research, and finally, enhancing oversight. I believe they reflect our great challenges as a national community – and our priorities as a Committee.

“Each of these key goals is about finally meeting the federal government’s obligation to its citizens – about assuming responsibility again for the things we are supposed to get right.

“Ultimately, the appropriations included here represent modest increases, yet they make a big difference – providing basic services to rural communities, feeding those in need, ensuring the long-term stewardship of our lands, and transforming our food safety system.

“This year’s budget request would have turned back the clock – sometimes even eliminated effective initiatives that make a tremendous impact in the lives and communities of working and middle class Americans:

“Direct loans for rural multifamily rental housing program. Distance Learning and Telemedicine. Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations. Commodity Supplemental Food Programs.

“Now is exactly the wrong time to be undermining the critical efforts of this bill.

“Let me be clear, the appropriations in this bill are NOT based on the belief that we should just throw money at the challenges we face. With new resources should come a new commitment to responsibility and accountability? That commitment allows us to write a new story which reflects this Congress’s new priorities and I believe, we are setting that process in motion today.

“My colleagues, this is just the beginning. The challenges we address in this bill, will not go away – overnight or with the passage of this one bill. But we have a responsibility to pursue a bold vision, to give the ideas we discussed here today, new life tomorrow. It is up to us to summon the political will, provide the creative energy, and build new lasting partnerships across old boundaries. It is up to us to do it together and to do it for the future of our communities, farmers, and families – and our future as a nation. Nothing could be more important.”


Overview of the
FY 2008 Agriculture, Rural Development,
Food and Drug Administration Appropriations

This bill reinvests in rural America, protects public health, improves nutrition for more Americans, transforms our energy future, supports conservation, invests in research, and strengthens oversight.

Bill Total Discretionary
2007 Enacted: $17.812 billion
President’s request: $17.830 billion
Committee Mark: $18.817 billion

A full 95 percent of the increase above the budget request (or $940 million) is used to restore funding that was either eliminated or cut in the president’s budget, in order to acknowledge and meet our obligation to hundreds of rural communities and millions of Americans.

Reinvests in Rural America

Rural Housing Loans: Provides $212.2 million, $176.3 million above the President’s request, to fund $5.1 billion in affordable loans to provide housing to low-income families in rural areas, with no increase in fees. The President’s budget had eliminated direct loans and shifted funding to guaranteed loans, increasing fees, making these loans more expensive and less accessible for low-income families. This will provide approximately 38,000 single family homeownership opportunities.

Homeownership for Rural Families: Provides $40 million, $6.3 million above 2007 and $30.5 million above the President’s request, for grants to allow low-income families in rural areas to build their own houses. The ultimate goal is to double the number of participant families, from the 2002 level by 2010.

Housing for Farm Laborers: Provides $46.6 million, $14.5 million above 2007 and $36.8 million above the President’s request, to fund $75 million in affordable loans and grants for housing for farm laborers, nearly doubling the 2007 target of financing or constructing approximately 2000 units.

Rural Community Advancement Programs: Provides $728.8 million, $158.3 million above the President’s request, to support:

Community Facilities: $55.7 million, $31.2 million above the President’s request, for grants and loans to rural areas for critical community facilities, such as health care, educational, public safety and day care facilities.
Clean Water: $573.1 million, $70.3 million above the President’s request and $18.1 million above 2007, for loans and grants for water and waste disposal systems, supporting $1 billion in loans. In 2006, 985 applicants needing $2.3 billion had their grant requests turned down.
Business Loans and Grants: $100 million, $56.8 million above the President’s request and $15.6 million above 2007, for economic development in rural communities.

Technology Access: Provides $52.8 million, $14.2 million above 2007 and $28 million above the President’s request, for grants for distance learning, telemedicine, and broadband development in rural areas. This increase provides funding to double the broadband grant program and a 41 percent increase in distance learning and telemedicine grants to assist rural schools, learning centers, and rural communities in gaining access to improved educational resources, and assist hospitals and health care centers in gaining access to improved medical resources.

Protects Public Health

The bill would prevent cuts to the Food and Drug Administration’s field operations and provides additional funding for key activities including processing generic drug applications, drug safety reviews and monitoring prescription drug advertisements. The bill also tackles food safety, fully funding the Food Safety and Inspection Service at USDA, shifting funds to fill vacancies in federal meat inspector positions and investing in research, and funds a transformation of FDA food safety regulations.

Food Safety and Inspection Service: Provides $930.1 million, $38 million above 2007 and matching the President’s request, addressing vacancies in federal meat inspector positions.

Food and Drug Administration: Provides $1.69 billion, $128.5 million above 2007 and $62 million above the President’s request, including increases to begin a transformation of food safety regulation, improve drug safety, monitor prescription drug advertisements and review generic drug applications.

Improves Nutrition

The bill would provide nutrition to our country’s most vulnerable populations by investing in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and supports programs to teach children better eating habits.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program: Provides $150 million, $43 million above 2007 and eliminated in the President’s request, for food aid for women, infants, children, and the elderly. In 2007, program participation averaged 485,614 monthly. This amount would allow five new states to participate in the program and expand participation in existing states.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Provides $5.6 billion, $415.6 million above 2007 and $233.4 million above the President’s request, including $145 million to restore the President’s proposed cuts to grants that help states administer the program. 8.38 million Americans are expected to participate in the program next year.

Nutrition: Provides $957.7 million, $45.5 million above 2007 and $69.7 million over the President’s request, for nutrition programs, including the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program ($68.5 million), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable ($21 million) and Simplified Summer Food programs ($5 million) to all states to provide nutritious foods to children in low-income families, and specialty crop grants to encourage more fruit and vegetable consumption ($10 million).

Transforms Our Energy Future

Nearly doubles funding for renewable energy loans and grants to businesses to grow our economy, create new jobs, lower energy prices, and reduce global warming.

Renewable Energy: Provides $1.2 billion, $955.3 million above 2007 and $810.4 million above the President’s request, for bio-energy and renewable energy research and development, including loans and grants in rural areas.

· Wind Energy: $500 million is included in the Rural Electrification and Telecommunications Loans Program for new wind energy projects.
· Business and Industry Loans: $350 million is targeted for biomass and renewable energy projects funded through the Guaranteed Business and Industry loan program.

Supports Conservation

Restores many of the programs the President would have eliminated.

Conservation Programs: Provides $979.4 million, $127.6 million above 2007 and $154.7 million above the President’s request, for conservation efforts and community development. This bill restores many of the programs slated for major reductions in the president’s request, including the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, Resource Conservation and Development, and the watershed programs which are funded $75 million – more than double last year’s levels.

Invests in Research

Provides critical support for ARS and CSREES programs to maintain our edge in areas such as crop development, competitiveness, international trade, nutrition research, food safety and responsiveness to incoming threats. Specifically, the bill provides an overall an increase of $178 million CSREES over the budget request, of that $108.9 million is for research and education.

Strengthens Oversight and Enforcement

Crop Insurance Integrity: Provides $11.2 million, $5.4 million above 2007 and matching the President’s request, for a system to detect potential waste, fraud and abuse in crop insurance and farm loan programs, and an additional $1 million for Inspector General oversight in this area.

Ensuring Livestock Competition: Provides $22.8 million, $2 million above 2007 and matching the President’s request, to enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act to assure fair competition and fair trade practices, safeguard farmers and ranchers, protect consumers and protect members of the livestock, meat, and poultry industries from unfair, deceptive, unjustly discriminatory and monopolistic practices. These funds provide for new agents and other professionals to strengthen enforcement and promote voluntary compliance.

Enforcement Efforts at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Provides $102.6 million, $4.6 million above 2007 for additional staff to enforce the agencies regulations.

Other Important Policy Items

Animal Identification: Does not provide new funding for the program because USDA cannot justify money already appropriated. Drastic action is required as this program is far too important to be allowed to continue to flounder. The agency is directed to develop a detailed plan with measurable goals.

Conflicts of Interest on FDA Advisory Committees: Bars FDA from granting waivers for conflicts of interest rules to voting members of FDA advisory committees.

Food Stamp Benefits: Excludes special pay for military personnel deployed to designated combat areas when determining food stamp eligibility. The Food Stamp Program is provided at $39.8 billion, an increase of $1.7 billion over 2007 to meet increased participation. Rejects the Administration’s proposal to restrict eligibility for food stamps by excluding needy families who are receiving certain other services.

Imported Poultry Products from China: Prohibits USDA from establishing or implementing a rule allowing poultry products from China into the U.S.

Country of Origin Labeling: Sets a timeline for USDA to implement country of origin labeling.