[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 39 (Wednesday, April 13, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REORGANIZATION ACT

  Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, I would like to take this opportunity 
to make a comment or two about the bill that just passed.
  I think it may have been overlooked, but the distinguished chairman 
of the committee and the distinguished ranking member of the committee 
deserve a great deal of credit for the fact that this legislation has 
been developed and passed.
  It was not an effort that just recently started. I can recall that 
the two of them began hearings on this subject when President Bush was 
in office and Secretary Madigan appeared before our committee and 
talked in great detail about the need for reorganizing, streamlining, 
and bringing new efficiencies to the Department of Agriculture. As a 
member of that committee, I participated in some of those hearings and 
saw first hand the influence that they both brought to bear on this 
issue.
  It is to their credit, in my view, that this bill has passed today 
and been brought to the floor in the way that it has.
  It has, of course, had the support of Secretary Espy. At his 
confirmation hearing, I can remember the chairman asking about his 
intentions with respect to reorganization. They talked about it at some 
length.
  So a great deal of credit goes to the chairman and the distinguished 
Senator from Indiana, both of whom worked very, very hard, and to all 
those others they mentioned, including members of the staff.
  I would like to mention Mark Keenum, a member of my staff, who worked 
very hard with other committee staff to develop the provision of the 
legislation to preserve the integrity of the county committee structure 
of our agriculture programs.
  I have already put a more complete statement on the issues in the 
Record, but I did want to make that comment about the work done by our 
leaders on the Agriculture Committee.
  Mr. MITCHELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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