[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 37 (Thursday, March 20, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2727-S2728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL AGRICULTURE DAY--MARCH 20, 1997

 Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
America's farm families and those involved, both directly and 
indirectly, in production agriculture.
  Today, is National Agriculture Day. It is an opportunity for all of 
America to pause, reflect, and be thankful that we enjoy the safest and 
most abundant food supply in the world. But, this doesn't happen by 
accident.
  Every day, 77,000 farm families in Illinois go about the business of 
producing the food and fiber that our State and our Nation needs to 
survive. To them I say, thank you.
  Mr. President, I am honored to represent the State of Illinois. It is 
the home of some of the most productive farm land in the world. 
Illinois farms produce corn, soybeans, pork, beef, wheat, dairy 
products, and many specialty crops. Our agribusiness community is 
vibrant. And, our researchers help provide answers to some of the most 
common as well as the most complex agricultural questions we know.
  Over the last few months, I've traveled my home State and talked to 
farmers and others involved in production agriculture. The message from 
my fellow Illinoisans has been clear--health insurance affordability 
and economic opportunity are priority issues.
  I believe that a 100-percent tax deduction for health insurance 
premiums is one of the most basic issues to farm families across this 
country. Because of the high cost of health insurance, especially 
individually purchased insurance, lack of affordability is a growing 
problem. Health insurance is particularly important to those involved 
in production agriculture because farming is one of the more dangerous 
occupations. Therefore, it is essential that farmers have access to 
quality health care and that they be covered by health insurance.
  To help with affordability of health insurance, I plan to introduce 
legislation that would allow farmers and other self-employed 
individuals to pay for their health insurance premiums with pretax 
dollars. When it comes to health insurance, farmers and small business 
owners deserve to be treated the same as corporations. Corporations are 
allowed to take an income tax deduction for the full cost of the health 
insurance premiums that they pay.
  The self-employed, including farmers, can only deduct 40 percent of 
their premiums this year. My bill would allow farmers to deduct 100 
percent of their health insurance premiums from their taxable income 
this year and every year thereafter. A 100-percent deduction for health 
insurance premiums can reduce the net cost of health insurance for a 
farm family by as much as $500 to $1,000 annually. This savings can 
make the difference between whether health insurance is affordable or 
price-prohibitive. The affordability of quality health insurance is 
vitally important to Illinois' and America's farm families.
  Mr. President, another important issue for rural America is finding 
new or alternative uses for our agricultural products to help ensure 
economic opportunity for farm families. Ethanol, a renewable fuel made 
from corn, is one of the best alternative use opportunities that exists 
today.
  Last week the Government Accounting Office released a report, Alcohol 
Fuels: Tax Incentives Have Had Little Effect on Air Quality or Energy 
Security.'' Unfortunately, this report misses the point. That point is 
simple: Ethanol has a significant economic, environmental, and energy 
security impact in this country; one that past GAO reports have clearly 
recognized. The effect on air quality and energy security would be 
larger if more of our Nation s gasoline contained ethanol.
  Ethanol should not be a poster child for Government handouts or 
corporate welfare. The primary incentive--a 5.4-cents-per-gallon 
reduction in the gasoline excise tax for 10 percent ethanol blends--is 
not claimed by major ethanol-producing corporations. The incentive is 
claimed by thousands of gasoline marketers--mostly independent, small 
businesses--that sell ethanol blends all across the country. In other 
words, the incentive is claimed at corner gas stations, not in 
corporate boardrooms.
  On a day like today, it is important to point out the benefits of 
ethanol. The industry is responsible, both directly and indirectly, for 
more than 40,000 American jobs. Ethanol contributes more than $5.6 
billion annually to our economy. Five percent of our Nation's corn crop 
goes to ethanol production. Corn growers have seen their incomes 
increased by more than $1.2 billion because of ethanol. This year over 
1.4 billion gallons of ethanol will be produced. Thanks to the 
reformulated gasoline program, toxic air pollutants like benzene and 
carbon monoxide have fallen substantially. And, ethanol contributes 
over $2 billion annually to the U.S. trade balance.
  Finally, Mr. President, in order for our country to continue to have 
a safe and abundant food supply we must support agricultural research. 
This year, we have an opportunity to reauthorize the research title of 
the farm bill. Congressional reauthorization will establish national 
policy for important agricultural research into the 21st century. In 
these times of constrained Federal budgets, it is vitally important to 
maintain an effective system for agricultural research.
  Agriculture-related research in this country is currently conducted 
at over 100 ARS labs, including Peoria, IL, and over 70 land grant 
institutions, including the University of Illinois. Unfortunately, the 
United State ranks behind Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and 
Germany in the percentage of total research and development funding 
that is dedicated to agriculture. From soybean diseases to water 
quality to biotechnology, agricultural research plays an important part 
in the safety and quality of our food and fiber system.
  Mr. President, last year Congress passed a comprehensive 
reauthorization of most farm programs. This year we need to continue 
that commitment by ensuring affordable health care and deductibility of 
premiums for farmers and the self-employed, promoting the use of 
alternative agricultural products like ethanol, and modernizing our 
agriculture system by continuing a strong and active investment in 
research.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle

[[Page S2728]]

and from rural and urban areas to ensure that American agriculture 
remains a model of quality and efficiency for all nations.

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