[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 8, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E304-E305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  AMERICAN FARM PROTECTION ACT OF 1995

                                 ______


                           HON. AMO HOUGHTON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 8, 1995
  Mr. HOUGHTON. Mr. Speaker, I am joined today by several of my 
colleagues, including Mr. Payne of Virginia, Mrs. Johnson of 
Connecticut, Mr. McCrery, Mr. Coyne, Mr. Brewster, Mr. Weldon of 
Pennsylvania, and Mr. English, in introducing legislation to provide an 
election to exclude from the gross estate of a decedent the value of 
certain land subject to a qualified conservation easement, and to make 
technical changes to the alternative valuation rules.
  The bill, to be titled ``American Farm Protection Act of 1995,'' 
offers direct relief from the burden of the Federal estate tax to the 
families of the owners of these farms and other rural families, while 
insuring the future agricultural use of their land.
  The best caretakers of America's land are the farm and ranch families 
who have owned and cared for it for generations. Once these families 
are displaced from their land, no amount of regulation or tax spending 
can replace their productive stewardship of the land. According to 
``The Second RCA Appraisal,'' published by the Department of 
Agriculture in 1989,

       1.5 million acres of agricultural land, most of them prime 
     farmland, are irreversibly removed from production and 
     converted to nonagricultural use each year.

  The problem is especially acute near metropolitan areas. Here 
development pressure has caused the value of farm and ranch land to 
escalate dramatically over the past several decades. Yet this is some 
of our most productive agricultural land.
  An important factor contributing to the displacement of America's 
farm and ranch families is the Federal estate tax. That is because 
rural land is valued for estate tax purposes, not necessarily at a 
value representing its actual rural use as a farm, but at its potential 
value as development property. The tax can force families to sell land 
on which they have lived and made their living, sometimes for 
generations. Once farm and ranch families are gone the cycle of 
speculation, sprawl development, and overregulation often takes over.
  The bill removes this problem for America's rural families and lets 
them do what they can do better than anyone else: take care of the 
land. For rural landowners who voluntarily and permanently provide for 
the commitment of their land to rural uses through the donation of a 
qualified conservation easement, the act will exempt that land from the 
Federal estate tax.
  The concept embodied in the bill has been endorsed by the American 
Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union, as well as many 
other local, regional, State, and national forestry and land 
conservation organizations. We welcome other Congressmen as cosponsors 
of this legislation.
  


[[Page E305]]

                       SENATE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

  Title IV of Senate Resolution 4, agreed to by the Senate on February 
4, 1977, calls for establishment of a system for a computerized 
schedule of all meetings and hearings of Senate committees, 
subcommittees, joint committees, and committees of conference. This 
title requires all such committees to notify the Office of the Senate 
Daily Digest--designated by the Rules Committee--of the time, place, 
and purpose of the meetings, when scheduled, and any cancellations or 
changes in the meetings as they occur.
  As an additional procedure along with the computerization of this 
information, the Office of the Senate Daily Digest will prepare this 
information for printing in the Extensions of Remarks section of the 
Congressional Record on Monday and Wednesday of each week.
  Meetings scheduled for Thursday, February 9, 1995, may be found in 
the Daily Digest of today's Record.

                           MEETINGS SCHEDULED

                              FEBRUARY 10
     9:00 a.m.
       Judiciary
         To hold hearings on the national drug control strategy.
                                                            SD-226
     9:30 a.m.
       Budget
         To hold hearings on the President's proposed budget 
           request for fiscal year 1996 for the Department of 
           Defense.
                                                            SD-608
     10:00 a.m.
       Small Business
         To hold hearings on the future of the Small Business 
           Administration.
                                                           SR-428A

                              FEBRUARY 14
     9:00 a.m.
       Judiciary
         To hold hearings to examine Federal crime control 
           priorities.
                                                            SD-226
     9:30 a.m.
       Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
         To hold hearings to examine how to reduce excessive 
           government regulation of agriculture and agribusiness.
                                                            SR-332
       Armed Services
         To resume hearings on proposed legislation authorizing 
           funds for fiscal year 1996 for the Department of 
           Defense and the future years defense plan, focusing on 
           the military strategies and operational requirements of 
           the unified commands.
                                                            SR-222
       Indian Affairs
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation authorizing 
           funds for fiscal year 1996 for Indian programs.
                                                            SR-485
     2:30 p.m.
       Environment and Public Works
       Water Resources, Transportation, Public Buildings, and 
           Economic Development Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation authorizing 
           funds for programs of the Water Resouces Development 
           Act and the President's proposed budget request for 
           fiscal year 1996 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
                                                            SD-406

                              FEBRUARY 15
     9:30 a.m.
       Appropriations
       Defense Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1996 for defense programs, focusing on Pacific 
           issues.
                                                            SD-116
       Energy and Natural Resources
         To hold hearings on the President's proposed budget 
           request for fiscal year 1996 for the Forest Service.
                                                            SD-366
       Labor and Human Resources
         To hold hearings on S. 141, to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act 
           of 1931 to provide new job opportunities, effect 
           significant cost savings on federal construction 
           contracts, promote small business participation in 
           Federal contracting, and reduce unnecessary paperwork 
           and reporting requirements.
                                                            SD-430
     2:00 p.m.
       Environment and Public Works
         To hold hearings on the President's proposed budget 
           request for fiscal year 1996 for the Environmental 
           Protection Agency.
                                                            SD-406
       Judiciary
       Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine the court imposed major 
           league baseball antitrust exemption.
                                                            SD-226

                              FEBRUARY 16
     9:30 a.m.
       Indian Affairs
         To continue hearings on proposed legislation authorizing 
           funds for fiscal year 1996 for Indian programs.
                                                            SR-485
     10:00 a.m.
       Appropriations
       Foreign Operations Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1996 for foreign assistance, focusing on U.S. 
           policy toward Russia and the New Independent States.
                                                            SD-192
       Labor and Human Resources
       Children and Families Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine the effectiveness of the 
           Federal child care and development block grant program.
                                                            SD-430
     2:00 p.m.
       Small Business
         To hold hearings on the small business owner's 
           perspective on the Small Business Administration.
                                                           SR-428A

                              FEBRUARY 23
     2:00 p.m.
       Indian Affairs
         To hold oversight hearings to examine the structure and 
           funding of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
                                                            SR-485

                                MARCH 1
     9:30 a.m.
       Veterans' Affairs
         To hold joint hearings with the House Committee on 
           Veterans' Affairs to review the legislative 
           recommendations of the Disabled American Veterans.
                                               345 Cannon Building

                                MARCH 2
     10:00 a.m.
       Appropriations
       Transportation Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1996 for the Department of Transportation.
                                                            SD-192

                                MARCH 7
     9:30 a.m.
       Veterans' Affairs
         To hold joint hearings with the House Committee on 
           Veterans' Affairs to review the legislative 
           recommendations of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
                                               345 Cannon Building
     10:00 a.m.
       Indian Affairs
         To hold oversight hearings to review Federal programs 
           which address the challenges facing Indian youth.
                                                            SR-485

                                MARCH 9
     10:00 a.m.
       Appropriations
       Transportation Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1996 for the National Transportation Safety Board.
                                                            SD-192

                                MARCH 16
     10:00 a.m.
       Appropriations
       Transportation Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1996 for the Federal Highway Administration, 
           Department of Transportation.
                                                            SD-192

                                MARCH 23
     10:00 a.m.
       Appropriations
       Transportation Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1996 for the Federal Railroad Administration, 
           Department of Transportation, and the National 
           Passenger Railroad Corporation (Amtrak).
                                                            SD-192

                                MARCH 30
     9:30 a.m.
       Veterans' Affairs
         To hold joint hearings with the House Committee on 
           Veterans' Affairs to review the legislative 
           recommendations of AMVETS, American Ex-Prisoners of 
           War, Vietnam Veterans of America, Blinded Veterans 
           Association, and the Military Order of the Purple 
           Heart.
                                               345 Cannon Building
     10:00 a.m.
       Appropriations
       Transportation Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1996 for the Federal Aviation Administration, 
           Department of Transportation.
                                                            SD-192

                                APRIL 27
     10:00 a.m.
       Appropriations
       Transportation Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1996 for the Federal Transit Administration, 
           Department of Transportation.
                                                            SD-192

                                 MAY 4
     10:00 a.m.
       Appropriations
       Transportation Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal 
           year 1996 for the United States Coast Guard, Department 
           of Transportation.
                                                            SD-192
Vol. 141


WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1995

No. 25


House of Representatives

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