[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 156 (Tuesday, November 13, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H8067-H8081]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2330, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD
AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2002
Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the previous order of the
House, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 2330) making
appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 2002, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of
Thursday, November 8, 2001, the conference report is considered as
having been read.
(For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of
November 9, 2001, at page H7962.)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla) and
the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla).
Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring before the House today the
conference report on H.R. 2330, providing appropriations for
Agriculture, Rural Development, the Food and Drug Administration and
Related Agencies for fiscal year 2002.
Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the good work of my friend, the
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), my ranking member who has
contributed greatly to this process. It has been a real pleasure
working with her and all the members of the subcommittee in getting to
this point today. It has really been a pleasure, and I want to
acknowledge that as we present this conference report.
Mr. Speaker, I believe we have produced a good, bipartisan conference
agreement that does a lot to advance important nutrition, research and
rural development programs and still meet our conference allocations on
discretionary and mandatory spending. My goal this year has been to
produce a bipartisan bill, and I believe we have done a good job in
reaching that goal.
This conference agreement does have significant increases over fiscal
year 2001 for programs that have always enjoyed strong bipartisan
support, and they include: Agriculture Research Service, $83 million
for salaries and expenses and $45 million for buildings and facilities;
Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service, $45
million; Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, $83 million; Food
Safety and Inspection Service, $20 million; Farm Service Agency, $240
million; Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund $232 million; Natural
Resources Conservation Service, $55 million; Rural Economic and
Community Development Programs, $101 million;
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Domestic Food Programs, $3.7 billion, including the Food Stamp Program,
$1.9 billion in reserve to respond to economic conditions; and WIC,
$305 million to respond to economic conditions that may worsen; the
Foreign Assistance and Related Programs including Public Law 480, $34
million; and the Food and Drug Administration, $120 million.
Mr. Speaker, we all refer to this bill as an ``agriculture bill,''
but it does far more than assist basic agriculture. It also supports
human nutrition, the environment, and food and drug and medical safety.
This is a bill that will deliver benefits to every one of our citizens
every day.
I would say to all Members, if they can support this conference
agreement, they can tell all of their constituents that they voted to
improve their lives while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
The conference agreement is a bipartisan product with a lot of hard
work and input from both sides of the aisle. I would like to thank my
friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), chairman of the full
Committee on Appropriations, as well as the gentleman from Wisconsin
(Mr. Obey), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on
Appropriations, who put in a lot of hard work and contributed to this
effort.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank all of my subcommittee
colleagues, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh), the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Kingston), the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt),
the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham), the gentlewoman from Missouri
(Mrs. Emerson), the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goode), the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms.
DeLauro), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey), the gentleman from
California (Mr. Farr), and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd).
Mr. Speaker, I would again like to single out in particular the
ranking member, who has put so much effort into this bill, and my
friend, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), for all her hard work.
Mr. Speaker, we have tried our best to put together a good, solid
bill that works for all of America. Much of it is compromise, to be
sure, but I believe it is a good compromise and good policy.
In closing, I would also like to thank the subcommittee staff for all
of their hard work. None of this could get done without the strong,
good commitment, the hard work that the staff puts in day in and day
out: Hank Moore, the subcommittee clerk; Martin Delgado; Maureen
Holohan; Joanne Orndorff; Leslie Barrack; Martha Foley of the staff of
the gentleman for Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), and Jim Richards, a great
American, who is in my personal Congressional office. Without their
good work we would not have a bill here today.
Mr. Speaker, I would urge all of my colleagues to support this
conference agreement.
Mr. Speaker, I include at this point in the Record tabular material
related to this bill.
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Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, obviously I rise in very strong support of this bill and
say it is truly an improvement over the original measure that passed
the House 4 months ago. The conference committee actually did make it
better. And while there are individual items with which we could each
disagree, and those items will continue to be a focus for myself and
other subcommittee members as we move ahead with other appropriations
bills during this session, the product before us truly is worthy of our
support.
Let me reciprocate to my very able colleague and fairly new chairman
of our committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla) for
successfully guiding us through the challenges surrounding his first
bill as our subcommittee chair. And I think that the buoyant attitude
of the members and the cooperative spirit in which they worked is due
to the tone that he set on the subcommittee.
Mr. Speaker, I want to issue my own thanks to our subcommittee staff
that worked so very hard, such long hours, and they are never covered
by C-SPAN, and the American people do not get to see the depth of their
dedication: Hank Moore and Martin Delgado, Maureen Holohan, Joanne
Orndorff, Jim Richards, and our detailee, Leslie Barrack, as well as
Roger Szemraj from our own office and Julie Little as well. They just
did an outstanding job of representing the interests of this House in
this conference.
I wanted to pay special thanks to Martha Foley, who is our lone
minority staff member, who ably and successfully represented our side
of the aisle in painstaking negotiations with the other body. I am just
so pleased she is able to be with us here on the floor today. I hope
that all of her relatives and friends are watching because she surely
deserves the appreciation of the American people.
Mr. Speaker, we bring to you a conference report that is $860 million
below the enacted level for the last fiscal year, but it is $1.8
billion over the administration's request and $1.4 billion over the
original bill that passed the House.
Now, should anyone have concerns about these points of comparison,
let me respectfully point out that our needs today are far different
from those that were submitted with the President's budget earlier this
year, and they are substantially different from those that our Nation
faced prior to September 11.
As I pointed out earlier this year, we are touched in our country by
agriculture many times each day. It might be in the food we eat, the
fabrics we wear, the biofuels that are being produced or the
medications or vitamins that are prescribed. We are touched each day by
research, by education, by training, by our food and animal, plant and
health inspection services and by marketing services.
This bill continues the essential points that nearly 80 percent of
the spending in this bill is mandatory. When one combines all the food
assistance programs and the farm price support programs, only about 20
percent of what we can really affect in the bill is discretionary. Over
half is what is projected to be spent in this measure is for food
programs. That includes Food Stamps, the Women, Infant and Children
Food Program and the Child and Elderly Nutrition Programs.
Now, there are significant accomplishments in this conference bill.
We have provided an increase of $211 million for the WIC program over
the initial House bill. With recent economic difficulties and
increasing unemployment, we have added funds that are available in the
program, should we need them. In fact, we have established a $2 billion
reserve for the Food Stamp Program to reflect these concerns, the
largest reserve we have ever had in this program.
I might just mention, if you look at New York City and many of the
service workers that worked in the World Trade Center who are contract
workers and have no benefits, those families absolutely have the right
to be fed, to have a good holiday season; and this program will help
cushion the blows that this economy and the situation we are facing
with regard to terrorism is having on American families.
{time} 1745
So we provided the largest reserve we ever have in the history of
this program.
We have provided $10 million in supplemental funding for the Senior
Farmers Market Nutrition program, an effort that has been more
successful than anyone had anticipated and one which we hope will be
continued as a part of the regular farm bill.
Both these funds are to support the program in addition to the other
resources from the Commodity Credit Corporation that we hope the
Secretary will use to sustain and hopefully expand this program to the
full $25 million level.
Let me also mention we have the strongest possible language included
in the statement of managers to be certain the Secretary of Agriculture
understands that we expect her to continue the Global Food for
Education program. This program can help boys and girls throughout the
world get the necessary food while receiving education; and when we
think about what is going on in Afghanistan and the surrounding region,
it is particularly vital that we see the impact that this program can
have in the months and years ahead.
We have so many Members here in the House to thank, Members like the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Hall), and certainly our retired Members from the other body, Bob
Dole and George McGovern, for inspiring and carrying us through on the
vision for this program and what it can do around the world.
The House did go along in this measure also with the higher Senate
level for title II of the Food for Peace Program, PL-480, as the House
had instructed before we went to conference. I respectfully and
seriously thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla) and the staff
for their efforts in securing this important funding.
We do have some successes with increasing food safety funding,
particularly with respect to the Food and Drug Administration. The bill
provides 10.7 percent over last year's level, and we know how important
that agency is now in safeguarding our food supply and the safety of
our pharmaceuticals.
It also includes the additional funds to fully fund the pay increases
so essential to keeping staff in place and adding staff where necessary
so that we can deal with threats to public health and ensuring public
health and safety here at home.
We also included an increase of $15 million over last year for BSE
prevention and enforcement. This is commonly known as mad cow disease.
We have seen what it has done in other parts of the world, and we know
that increasing monitoring of imports and inspection of feed mills here
at home is essential to keeping that tragedy out of the American food
chain.
We have included additional funds for food safety activities,
including our import inspections and monitoring activities; and we have
also important successes in this bill on funding for animal welfare,
for rural development, for water and housing programs and research
programs at our 1890 Institutions.
I know that the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), who
has worked so hard in order to increase funding, will speak on this
matter very shortly; and we thank her so very much for her leadership
and dedication on this important improvement to what our country
offers, not just here at home but around the world.
Let me just say as I wrap up here, I am concerned about inadequate
funding levels for food safety activities, particularly in the wake of
what happened on September 11; and I am really encouraged that
Secretary Thompson has recommended over $61 million in supplemental
funds for the purpose of strengthening FDA's food safety and security
activities. This truly is a step in the right direction, but only a
step; and we look forward to working with the Bush administration on
improving those numbers.
We also had research funding requests from hundreds and hundreds of
members that had to be reduced due to limits imposed in this bill.
Hopefully in future years, we will be able to find a way to meet these
important research
[[Page H8077]]
activities which are the seed bed for innovation and advancement in our
Nation.
Let me also say that the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey) was
such a leader on this matter in our subcommittee, and this deals with
the assistance to specialty-crop producers, particularly apple
producers, that in the conference bill we have provided $75 million to
assist those who have been so adversely affected by weather and drought
conditions. In our original bill we had hoped to get $150 million. We
just did not have the funds. We just did not have the allocation to do
that; and I wanted to again recognize the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Hinchey), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh), and the gentleman
from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt), who have my personal commitment to
work with them to make sure producers get the help they need.
On two final points, let me just say the conferees were successful in
retaining language to retain the pork check-off program. We expect the
Department to honor the votes of producers to terminate that program or
to put any settlement agreement to a new vote.
Finally, and this is truly emotional for all Americans, we were so
pleased to be able to work with the able gentleman from Massachusetts
(Mr. Meehan) to include language naming our very well-respected Farmer
to Farmer program as the John Ogonowski Farmer to Farmer Program. John
Ogonowski was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 11 which crashed
into one of the World Trade Towers and citizen of Massachusetts.
He had exemplified the intent of the Farmer to Farmer program in
reaching out among others to Cambodian producers, new immigrants to our
shores, who had the need of improved skills to maximize their farming
proficiencies, and naming this program for him offers the program an
example of an outstanding American who knew both the responsibilities
and joy of helping others to improve their situation while taking
satisfaction from the accomplishment that such help provides.
Today, in the Sun newspaper from Massachusetts, there was a story
that talks about American Airlines pilot John Ogonowski, and it talks
about the former Under Secretary of Agriculture August Schumacher, who
was a friend of John Ogonowski, and talked about how he was a fourth
generation farm boy who never forgot his roots and he made real
differences with his new entry programs for farmers in our country.
John Ogonowski's father, Alexander Ogonowski, also a farmer, was
overwhelmed when he learned of this great honor for his son and
American patriot; and he said it is a little too much right now to even
comment on.
As we move this bill to the floor today, we especially honor pilot
John Ogonowski, and all those who fly on behalf of our commercial
airlines and all those in service to our country in every walk of life.
We owe them the freedom of expression that we enjoy here in this
Chamber today.
I include for the Record the article from the Sun newspaper.
Bill Aims To Rename U.S. Farm Program For Late Dracut Pilot
(By Kathleen Deely)
DRACUT--A federal program in which U.S. farmers help their
counterparts overseas will be named after deceased Dracut
resident John Ogonowski if a bill before Congress is
approved.
Ogonowski, who died piloting American Airlines Flight 11
when it was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center
on Sept. 11, had for years harvested hay and produce on his
150-acre farm on Marsh Hill Road.
Renaming the Department of Agriculture's Farmer-to-Farmer
program after Ogonowski has been included in the federal
Agriculture Appropriation bill for 2002. The House and Senate
are expected to pass the legislation, which will then go to
President Bush for his signature, in the next few weeks.
John's sister, Carol Ogonowski, said naming the program
after her brother is ``one of many tributes that John
deserves.''
``John would be honored. It's only a fitting tribute to his
life that touched so many others,'' she said.
The program is similar to the New Entry Sustainable Farming
Project that Ogonowski ran for Cambodian farmers on his
Whitegate Farm for several years. The partnership between
Tufts University, the University of Massachusetts Extension
Service and the state Department of Food and Agriculture
helps immigrants grow their native vegetables and learn the
farming industry.
Likewise, the program provides agricultural technical
assistance to developing countries around the world and
increases food production there.
The idea to name the program after Ogonowski came from
August Schumacher Jr., the former undersecretary for farming
and international agricultural programs, who was a friend of
Ogonowski.
U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan, a Lowell Democrat, worked to have
the name changed included in the 2002 agriculture bill.
``John was a fourth-generation farm boy who never forgot
his roots,'' said Meehan. ``He made a real difference with
his New Entry programs.''
Attaching Ogonowski, who was a full-time pilot, to the
project makes sense, those who knew him said, because farming
was his true passion.
John's father, Alexander Ogonowski, also a farmer, was
overwhelmed when he learned of the honor.
``It's a little too much right now.'' he said.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut
(Ms. DeLauro), a member of the subcommittee without whose excellent
work this bill would not have been possible.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms.
Kaptur) for yielding me the time, and I rise in strong support of this
conference report.
It addresses the many and often competing priorities of agriculture,
health and nutrition; and I want to say thanks to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Bonilla), the chairman; and the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms.
Kaptur), the ranking member, for their leadership, and the subcommittee
and associate staff for their hard work.
Connecticut is a leader in New England's agriculture, in eggs,
peaches, milk production per cow. Like other farmers, Connecticut
farmers are facing the toughest times since the Great Depression:
plunging commodity prices, urban sprawl which puts it in the top 10
States in lost farm land. This spring, record low temperatures
eliminated almost 40 percent of our peach and pear crops.
I am proud of the funding for programs that reach out and help our
farmers: rural development, conservation, pest management, and
commodity marketing assistance. I am also proud of the extension of
dairy price supports through May 31, 2002. This program is an essential
safety net for Connecticut's dairy farmers, all the more so since
reauthorization of the Northeast Dairy Compact has not happened yet.
The compact is vital to the very existence of Connecticut's 228 dairy
farms, each one a small family farm, and their way of life. In 2000, it
returned $4.8 million in income back to these dairy farms. This is an
average of $21,000 per farmer. Congress must address this issue.
Without the compact, New England's farms are lost.
The conference report also funds coverage for more than 7.5 million
WIC participants. I cannot emphasize enough how important WIC is in
addressing the economic problems that this country faces. As
unemployment increases, so does the number of families eligible for
WIC. This essential nutrition, which currently serves approximately 47
percent of all infants born in the United States, provides low-income
mothers and their children with nutritious supplemental food packages,
nutrition education and counseling and a gateway to pre- and post-natal
health care.
WIC does more than help families get through tough times. It
contributes to better birth outcomes and reductions in childhood
anemia.
This bill also funds safety efforts, but we do need to do more to
protect American families from potential bioterrorist threats. Each
year, 5,000 Americans die from food-borne illnesses; 76 million get
ill, and 325,000 are hospitalized.
FDA inspects all types of food except meat, poultry and eggs. Yet, to
cover the 37,000 companies that make this food, the FDA has only 400
inspectors. For the 4.1 million imported food items, the FDA has less
than 120 inspectors. These inspectors can barely cover 1 percent of the
food coming into the country. In today's times, this is a crisis
waiting to happen unless we do something.
I also want to work through the supplemental funding process to
provide assistance to America's apple farmers. There are apple farmers
in the State of Connecticut and the plunging market prices for apples
are destroying the years of hard work put in by these dedicated men and
women. We must be there for them.
[[Page H8078]]
Once again, I am proud of the work of the conference committee. I am
proud to serve on the agriculture appropriations subcommittee. My
thanks to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla) and to the gentlewoman
from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for their leadership throughout the year in
support of America's farmers and America's families.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Farr), a very distinguished member of our subcommittee,
and I just hope that his constituents know how hard he works on their
behalf. It is truly a joy to have someone with his vision and abilities
working on this subcommittee.
Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for yielding me the time.
I rise in strong support of this bill. I was just back here thinking
that this is the one appropriations bill that comes to the floor with
aroma and with taste. This is about food, and we often do not
appreciate how much work goes into supporting the diversity of
agriculture in the United States. We hear a lot of debate about the
commodity programs in this country and the debate we ought to have. It
is healthy.
What my colleagues do not know is all of the agriculture in this
country gets not one bit of help from our U.S. Department of
Agriculture except in academic areas like research dollars for finding
alternatives to pesticides and herbicides; to research dollars that
improve the nutritional quality of food for our school children and for
adults and senior citizens; for programs that really benefit
agriculture without giving a direct subsidy to crops such as marketing
promotions where we are able to assist with local raised money to
promote crops grown in America and other countries.
I would like to thank the chairman of this committee because he has
taken the lead in being able to put specialty crops back up where they
need to be, giving them more attention. In my district, one county, we
grow 85 different crops. That is more crops than any other State, other
than the State of California, grows in the United States.
One of the things that we are working on and continue to work on that
with the authorization from the Committee on Agriculture is the ability
to buy out development rights from farmers so that the agriculture can
remain protected forever in agricultural areas and that we can preserve
the prime agricultural lands of the United States just as we would
preserve the great forests and the great river basins of this country.
Lastly, one of the things that this committee is very actively
involved in and I hope we will move even more so in the direction is
that we have spent a lot of money in this country determining what are
the nutritional values of food that ought to be served, particularly to
school children and infants; but we do not buy that same food. We need
to shift our buying policy from the U.S. Government to buy more of the
foods that we advertise and recommend as healthy foods. Those are
organic foods that are fresh fruits and vegetables. Those are the
specialty crops of America.
This bill moves a lot of that policy forward; and I would like to
compliment the committee, I would like to compliment the Secretary of
Agriculture for her good work in working closely with this committee,
and I would like to think that in a bipartisan way the Democrats and
Republicans can come together and unite around agriculture in America,
and this is the bill for it.
I urge an ``aye'' vote.
{time} 1800
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from
North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), a distinguished member of the
authorizing committee who I must say works tirelessly to connect the
work of the authorizing committee to the Committee on Appropriations,
and certainly in her work on the 1890 colleges and assistance to
Africa, there is no better advocate in this House.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the
conference report before us, and to thank the chairman and the ranking
member for their diligent work on this bill. I thank the ranking member
of the full committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and his
diligent staff for their efforts.
As always, this appropriation bill has required them to make many
difficult choices and to weigh many competing priorities. However, in
so doing, they have chosen well and have provided this House with a
conference report that deserves quick passage. I would like to thank
the appropriators especially for their efforts in two areas. First of
all, as mentioned, I would like to express my thanks to the chairman
and the ranking member for increasing the funding for research and
extension of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The minority-serving land grants, including the Historically Black
Colleges and Universities, the American Indian College and Hispanic-
serving Institutions, have long played a positive role in advancing the
interests of the minority agricultural community.
This bill increases funding for both research and extension at the
Black Colleges and Universities. The chairman and the ranking member
have been very helpful in this effort and they deserve to be recognized
for their friendship with the minority land grant universities.
Finally, I thank the chairman and ranking member for their efforts in
maximizing the funds available to all of the nutrition programs in this
bill. This is an agricultural commodity and nutrition bill.
Providing nutritious food for American children and working families
is one of the most important responsibilities of this bill.
Unfortunately, the shameful hunger always outpaces the limited dollars
available to address this plague. I know that making decisions about
how best to spend our nutrition dollars are always difficult ones, and
I commend the gentlemen.
They also deserve a thanks for their efforts to ensure that the
innovative and popular Senior Farmer's Market Program can continue, and
for their diligence in working to preserve the integrity and increase
the caseload of the WIC program.
This conference report provides $10 million so that this popular
program for seniors will continue. This report also expresses its
expectation that the administration will do its part by releasing funds
from the Commodity Credit Corporation for the program. I add my voice
to this, and urge the administration to follow the recommendation of
the conference report by releasing $15 million so that we can
strengthen and expand the Senior Farmers Market Program.
We must continue to increase funds to nutrition programs and to
eradicate hunger from our midst. We could not have a more lofty goal
for this Congress. There is no excuse for hungry families in America
today. This bill is one small part of a problem that requires our
continuous effort, but it is indeed a very important part which
benefits millions of Americans. I urge my colleagues to support this
program. I thank the entire committee and the chairman and the ranking
member for their support.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes for the purpose of
conducting a colloquy with the gentleman from Texas (Chairman Bonilla).
(Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman knows that members of our
subcommittee have been concerned about food safety, and we know that
contaminated food products cause an estimated 76 million food-borne
illnesses annually in our country. Seafood represents more than 10
percent of the documented illnesses in the United States.
The conferees have accepted report language offered by the other body
that calls for the Food and Drug Administration to report by January 1
regarding implementation of regulations by the General Accounting
Office with respect to the compliance of seafood producer with HACCP,
the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.
That language concluded by calling for the development of food safety
technologies that could ensure constant safe temperatures of seafood
throughout the food chain. As a point of clarification, since some
might construe the phrase ``food chain'' in a fashion different than we
intend, would the chairman agree with me that our intent is to review
the development of
[[Page H8079]]
food safety technologies through the food supply chain?
Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
Ms. KAPTUR. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, I would agree with the gentlewoman that our
intent with respect to the accepted language is the ``food supply
chain.''
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his concurrence.
Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Conference
Report to accompany H.R. 2330, the Fiscal Year 2002 Agriculture and
Related Agencies Appropriations bill. I also wish to express some
concern with the level of resources dedicated to FDA pre-market device
review functions.
The rapid increase in private and public sector biomedical research
efforts will contribute to the development of many new breakthrough
technologies to improve healthcare in the near term. It is my concern
that FDA does not have sufficient resources dedicated to the pre-market
review function at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health to
quickly review these products so they may be used safely with patients.
In the House version of the Agriculture and Related Agencies
Appropriations bill, we directed the FDA to provide updates on medical
device application review performance in January and July 2002. I urge
the agency to adhere to this language and provide these reports to the
members of our Committee on a timely basis. I also look forward to
working with the Administration in the coming months to ensure that
next year's budget includes a request for sufficient resources to meet
the statutory review times for medical devices.
Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my appreciation that
this year's Agriculture Appropriations Conference Report will rename
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farmer-to-Farmer Program
after Captain John Ogonowski, who died on September 11, 2001 while
piloting American Airlines' Flight 11.
Captain John Ogonowski was a highly respected resident of Dracut,
Massachusetts, a pilot, and a fourth-generation farmer of his 150-acre
farm. John also sponsored a program for Southeastern Asian immigrants
to learn to farm and maintain their agriculture heritage through the
New Entry Sustainable Farming Project--a partnership between Tufts
University, the University of Massachusetts Extension Service, and
Massachusetts's Department of Food and Agriculture. He provided land to
these immigrants and became a close friend to many.
Similar to the program that John sponsored, the USDA Farmer-to-Farmer
Program will be renamed the John Ogonowski Farmer-to-Farmer Program.
This program provides assistance to farmers in developing countries to
help increase food production and distribution, and improve the
effectiveness of farming and marketing operations.
John made a notable difference in the lives of many immigrants
learning to farm, and it is only fitting that the Farmer-to-Farmer
Program, which embodies John's commitment to training new farmers, will
now carry his name.
It is comforting to know that John's family and friends will have
this lasting tribute to him, which encompasses his love of the land and
his commitment to helping others. If his family, including the members
I have gotten to know--his wife, Margaret; his children, Laura,
Caroline, and Mary Katharine; and his brother, James--are any
indication of the kind of person John was, then he was a truly
magnificent man, both in spirit and in his deeds. Their strength of
heart and commitment to John's legacy, combined with tributes like
this, will ensure that John's memory never dies.
I am grateful for the willingness of Chairman Bonilla and Ranking
Member Kaptur to include this designation in the Conference Report. I
also want to thank August Schumacher, Jr., John's friend and the former
Under Secretary for Farming and International Agriculture Programs, for
his commitment to remembering John. I imagine that John would be truly
grateful, and modest, in his acceptance of such an a honor.
Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support for the
Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 Agriculture Appropriations legislation (H.R.
2330) that would provide $75.9 billion in funds for the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and other related
agencies. I believe we must support our nation's agriculture programs
and am very pleased that this year's bill includes sufficient federal
funding for nutrition research programs.
I am particularly pleased that this legislation includes $979 million
in additional federal funding for the Agriculture Research Service
(ARS), a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The ARS
conducts and funds a variety of research projects, including nutrition
research. The ARS provides funding for six human nutrition research
centers, including the Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) at
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. The CNRC is the only
human nutrition research center which focuses primarily on pediatric
nutrition and helps to make recommendations about childhood diets.
As the representatives for the CNRC, I applaud the innovative
pediatric nutrition research which the CNRC conducts each year. I am
also pleased that this bill includes an additional $400,000 for the
CNRC so they can expand their pediatric nutrition research next year. I
believe that this investment will not only save lives but also reduce
health care costs as we learn more about what is the best, most
nutritional food for our children to eat. This additional funding will
fund valuable research which will help families to provide nutritional
food for their children so that these children will live longer,
healthier lives.
There are many examples of CNRC's research which will have a direct
impact on our lives. For instance, CNRC researchers are currently
examining the nutritional factors necessary for optional health and
development of infants and children of all ages. Another CNRC study is
working to identify the factors that influence children's eating habits
and how best to help children and families to adopt healthier habits to
avoid the long-term health problems linked to poor nutrition, such as
obesity, diabetes, stroke, and osteoporosis. The CNRC is also doing
research on the nutrition of mothers and their infants during pregnancy
and lactation. These studies will examine the optimal dietary calorie,
protein, and mineral requirements for maternal health during pregnancy
and lactation. With this study, mothers and their infants will learn
more about the necessary nutrients they need to maintain optimal health
during pregnancy and lactation.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill which provides necessary
funding for agriculture and nutrition research programs.
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, this Member rises in support of the
conference report for H.R. 2330, the Agriculture appropriations
legislation for fiscal year 2002.
This Member would like to commend the distinguished gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Bonilla), the Chairman of the Agriculture Appropriations
Subcommittee, and the distinguished gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur),
the ranking member of the Subcommittee, for their hard work in bringing
this conference report to the Floor.
Mr. Speaker, this Member certainly recognizes the severe budget
constraints under which the full Appropriations Committee and the
Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee operated. In light of this
constraints, this Member is grateful and pleased that this legislation
includes funding for several important projects of interest to the
state of Nebraska.
First, this Member is pleased that the conference report provides
$452,000 for the Midwest Advanced Food Manufacturing Alliance (MAFMA).
The Alliance is an association of twelve leading research universities
and corporate partners. Its purpose is to develop and facilitate the
transfer of new food manufacturing and processing technologies.
The MAFMA awards grants for research projects on a peer review basis.
These awards must be supported by an industry partner willing to
provide matching funds. During the seventh year of competition, MAFMA
received 39 proposals requesting a total of $1,382,555. Eleven
proposals were funded for a total of $348,147. Matching funds from
industry for these funded projects total $605,601 with an additional
$57,115 from in-kind funds. These figures convincingly demonstrate how
successful the Alliance has been in leveraging support from the food
manufacturing and processing industries.
Mr. Speaker, the future viability and competitiveness of the U.S.
agricultural industry depends on its ability to adapt to increasing
world-wide demand for U.S. exports of intermediate and consumer good
exports. In order to meet these changing world-wide demands,
agricultural research must also adapt to provide more emphasis on
adding value to our basic farm commodities. The Midwest Advanced Food
Manufacturing Alliance can provide the necessary cooperative link
between universities and industries for the development of competitive
food manufacturing and processing technologies. This will, in turn,
ensure that the United States agricultural industry remains competitive
in a increasingly competitive global economy.
This Member is also pleased that the conference report includes
$196,000 to fund the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This project is in its fourth year and
has assisted numerous states and cities in developing drought plans and
developing drought response teams. Given the nearly unprecedented
levels of drought in several parts of our country, this effort is
obviously important.
Another important project funded by this conference report is the
Alliance for Food Protection, a joint project between the University of
Nebraska and the University of Georgia,
[[Page H8080]]
which received $293,000 under the conference report. The mission of
this Alliance is to assist the development and modification of food
processing and preservation technologies. This technology will help
ensure that Americans continue to receive the safest and highest
quality food possible.
This Member is also pleased that the legislation funds the following
ongoing Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
(CSREES) projects at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln:
Food Processing Center, $42,000; Non-food agricultural products,
$64,000; Sustainable agricultural systems, $59,000; Rural Policy
Research Institute (RUPRI) (a joint effort with Iowa State University
and the University of Missouri), $1,040,000.
This Member would also note that the conference report includes a
loan subsidy of $3.9 million for the Section 538 rural rental multi-
family housing loan guarantee program, which is to support $99.77
million in loan authorizations. The program provides a Federal
guarantee on loans made to eligible persons by private lenders.
Developers will bring ten percent of the cost of the project to the
table, and private lenders will make loans for the balance. The lenders
will be given a 100% Federal guarantee on the loans they make. Unlike
the current Section 515 direct loan Program, where the full costs are
borne by the Federal Government, the only costs to the Federal
Government under the 538 Guarantee Program will be for administrative
costs and potential defaults.
Mr. Speaker, this Member certainly appreciates the appropriations for
the $40.166 million loan subsidy for the Department of Agriculture's
Section 502 Unsubsidized Loan Guarantee Program, which is to support
$3.1 billion in loan authorizations. The program has been very
effective in rural communities by guaranteeing loans made by approved
lenders to eligible income households in small communities of up to
20,000 residents in non-metropolitan areas and in rural areas. The
program provides guarantees for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages for the
purchase of an existing home or the construction of a new home.
Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, this Member supports the conference
report for H.R. 2330 and urges his colleagues to approve it.
Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak in support of the FY
2002 Agriculture Appropriation conference report. On the whole, it is a
very good bill, and I commend Chairman Bonilla and Ranking Member
Kaptur and the entire Subcommittee staff and minority staff for their
efforts. As good as it is, it does have several shortcoming that I will
address in a minute.
agricultural research
I am pleased, however, at the level of support for agricultural
research in this bill. Basic research is one of the best investments
the government can make, but it's too easy for critics to poke fun at
projects in this bill without ever considering the importance of the
underlying research. USDA scientists and their collaborators at land
grant universities work every day to ensure our food security, to
preserve the competitiveness of American agriculture in a global
economy, and to fight against bio-terrorism.
I am proud to represent Cornell University, which is the recipient of
many of these special research grants. By way of illustration, Cornell
scientists are using USDA funds to investigate the causes and cures of
fire blight, a disease that is infecting apple orchards across the
country. In the five years of this research program, they have made
progress in disease detection, development of biological controls,
controlling the problems of antibiotic resistance, development of
disease-resistant cultivars and rootstocks, plant nutrition, and
chemical control. It will take at least another five years before we
can evaluate the long-term success of preliminary findings.
farmers markets
The FY 2002 agriculture bill is also notable for its support of
farmers market programs. Farmers markets are also one of the best
investments we can make in American agriculture. Not only do they
provide farmers with a direct market for their crops, but they also
give city residents access to fresh, locally-grown produce. Many of the
farmers in my district live within 100 miles of New York City and sell
their produce in the dozens of markets throughout the City. Most of
these markets would not exist if not for programs that allow low-income
families to use their food stamp and WIC benefits at the markets. I am
also pleased that the conference report funds the new senior farmers
market coupon program for low-income elderly shoppers.
I would like to point out one provision that is especially important
to the farmers' market community in my state. The bill contains funds
for a pilot program in New York to implement wireless handheld
technology in the markets. This innovation is critical to the survival
of farmers markets in low income communities, as food stamps and WIC
benefits are increasingly delivered electronically through electronic
benefit transfer (EBT) cards. Because farmers markets operate outdoors
with limited access to electricity or telephone lines, it is much more
difficult for people to use their EBT cards in the markets. New York
has been testing this technology on a limited basis with great success,
and will be able to use these funds to expand the program into more
markets across the State. It is my hope that this pilot will prove to
be so successful that the Department will adopt it as a model for a
nationwide wireless EBT program.
rural broadband deployment
Another provision in this bill will provide greatly needed assistance
to help New York retain jobs and employers displaced by the September
11 terrorist attacks on New York City. These events have created a
massive need for the City and surrounding communities to replace
millions of square feet of office space equipped with advanced
telecommunications services including broadband service. The New York
City metropolitan area is experiencing a huge demand for this type of
office space, both for immediate relocation as well as for remote,
redundant back-up locations.
My colleagues in the New York Congressional delegation, the Mayor,
and the Governor want to keep as many of these displaced jobs in New
York as possible. We believe that the Rural Utilities Service
telecommunications loan and grant programs have a key role to play in
this effort. There are existing RUS broadband borrowers in the Hudson
River Valley of New York who can help accommodate companies who are
trying to resume normal business operations just outside of the city.
This provision will make it possible for these borrowers to respond
quickly to preserve New York jobs.
We already know that New York will need to deploy additional
broadband communications services rapidly to accommodate the increasing
demand emerging in some of the rural areas in upstate New York.
Connecting businesses, data facilities, and telecommuters to New York
city are critical to recovery efforts. The conference report give the
Administrator of RUS certain flexibilities and encouragement to
expeditiously process loan applications from existing RUS broadband
borrowers who are responding to recovery and rebuilding effort in New
York.
The measure is self-executing, needs no new regulation, and requires
no additional funding. It provides needed regulatory flexibility so the
RUS can work with qualified, existing borrowers to receive additional
financing to respond to this crisis. It also allows the RUS to modify
terms of a borrower's existing loan, in order to provide operational
flexibility to better respond to this crisis.
There are already several RUS borrowers in New York State. One,
Hudson Valley DataNet, has already qualified for the broadband program
and is providing broadband services in the Hudson Valley area, less
than 100 miles north of New York City. This region of New York will be
essential to the recovery effort for many companies seeking to restore
operations, as well as companies seeking remote, secure, redundant data
locations. Given the dramatic increase in demand for new deployment,
however, the RUS needs this new authority to help:
Carriers respond to the intense need to deploy services
immediately for the recovery effort. These companies will need help to
expedite their applications through RUS procedures, redefine terms of
existing loans, and make adjustments to some of the existing program
requirements to accommodate the recovery effort in New York State;
Communities in the Hudson Valley, which are surrounded by
rural areas that fall just above the 20,000-population limit for the
broadband program that could benefit from some RUS process flexibility;
RUS borrowers who wish to receive RUS financing to extend or
acquire facilities into New York city for the express purpose of
providing high capacity service connections into the Hudson Valley.
These direct connections will provide a means for City-based companies
to have broadband access to their secure redundant data site in the
Hudson Valley.
This measure will not have an adverse impact on other borrowers or
future borrowers participating in RUS loan and grant programs. The
language permits the Administrator to use some flexibility in handling
applications related to the recovery effort in New York and expedite
processing. Any project funded through this authority will be fully
scrutinized for financial feasibility. Providing regulatory flexibility
to the RUS to process applications related to the recovery effort in
New York will help many companies and their employees resume normal
operations and restore the areas's economy.
apple market loss assistance
As I mentioned at the beginning of my statement, there are parts of
this bill that are not as great as the few I have highlighted. In
particular, I am very disturbed that the conference report cuts the
Apple Market Loss Assistance
[[Page H8081]]
Program to $75 million, a 50 percent reduction from the House-passed
bill. I worked very hard with my colleagues Jim Walsh and John Sweeney
to include this provision in the House version of H.R. 2330. The
Appropriations Committee approved $150 million for the Apple Market
Loss Assistance Program by a very strong bipartisan vote, and the House
passed it overwhelmingly.
The U.S. apple industry is suffering serious financial hardship for
the fifth straight year. Though the causes can be attributed to a
variety of factors, the essence of the problem is low prices,
compounded by bad weather and plant diseases. Between 1995 and 1998,
U.S. apple prices fell precipitously, down 27 percent. In 1998, apple
prices fell more than 20 percent in a single year, to their lowest
point in over a decade. Prices never rebounded in 1999, and were hard
hit again in 2000. During the last five years, the overall value of the
U.S. apple production fell 25 percent--and losses from the 2000 crop
alone are estimated to be nearly $500 million.
A good share of the apple industry's trouble comes from the illegal
dumping of apple juice concentrate by China, an issue that the U.S.TR
has since addressed. Even so, increased tariffs have not made a
significant improvement in the price of apple juice in the late year.
In addition to low process, apple producers in New York and the
northeast incurred ``quality losses''--reduction in sales prices
resulting from severe hail damage to their crops. In Michigan, growers
suffered a crippling epidemic of fire blight that destroyed thousands
of acres of orchards.
The newspapers have been full of reports of growers pulling up their
orchards and selling prime farmland for real estate development because
they can no longer make a living from apples. Our Apple Market Loss
Assistance Program is a very modest lifeline to farmers who are barely
hanging on. While I am very grateful for the $75 million, it is not
nearly enough to combat the conditions I have described.
The cut to the Apple Market Loss Assistance program is one more
example of how U.S. agricultural policy shortchanges specialty crops at
the expense of program crops. Most of the money delivered by U.S.DA
this year is mandatory spending dictated by the authorizing committee,
that we do not have the authority to touch. Not a dollar of those
billions goes to specialty crop growers. The same is true for the
additional billions that we pay in supplemental and emergency payments
every year.
I worked very hard with many of my colleagues to correct this
imbalance earlier this year when the farm bill was on the floor.
Unfortunately, our effort fell short by a few votes. It is my hope that
the other body will pass a farm bill that evens out our priorities and
results in a better deal for specialty crop growers in the end. Until
that time, the greatly reduced Apple Market Loss Assistance Program is
the only help we can offer our growers.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the conference report.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the conference report.
Pursuant to clause 10 of rule XX, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question
will be postponed.
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