[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 10 (Thursday, February 3, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S980-S981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. COLEMAN (for himself, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Specter, 
        Mr. Graham, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Thune, Mr. Vitter, Mr. 
        Johnson, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Biden, Ms. Collins, Mr. Schumer, Ms. 
        Snowe, Mr. Lautenberg, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Dayton, Mr. Jeffords, 
        Mr. Dodd, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Mr. 
        Rockefeller, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Bond, and Mr. 
        Harkin):
  S. 273. A bill to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 
2002 to extend and improve national dairy market loss payments; to the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my 
legislation, which I introduce today, to extend the Milk Income Loss 
Compensation (MILC) program be printed in the Record.
  I am pleased to be joined by 26 of my colleagues--over a quarter of 
the United States Senate. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation 
that has nation-wide support including in the Midwest, Northeast, Mid-
Atlantic, South, and West. This is not only rare for legislative 
efforts generally but extremely rare in the world of dairy.
  MILC is important because it provides a critical safety net for dairy 
farmers that is equitable to all farmers across the country--also a 
departure from traditional federal dairy policy.

[[Page S981]]

  When milk prices fell to a 25 year low not long ago, MILC was vital 
in preventing a mass exodus of dairy farm families in my State. 
Fortunately, prices have recovered more recently. But should prices 
fall again, my dairy farm families need the kind of safety net provided 
by MILC.
  MILC is important in that it provides a strong safety net to all the 
Nation's dairy farmers in a market-oriented way that does not increase 
milk prices on the grocery shelf.
  For these and other reasons President Bush did the right thing and 
endorsed the extension of MILC. I am pleased to have the support of the 
President in this important endeavor and I hope my colleagues will join 
me in our effort.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 273

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. NATIONAL DAIRY MARKET LOSS PAYMENTS.

       Section 1502 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 
     of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 7982) is amended--
       (1) in the first sentence of subsection (d)(2), by striking 
     ``2,400,000'' and inserting ``4,800,000''; and
       (2) in subsections (f) and (g)(1), by striking ``2005'' 
     each place it appears and inserting ``2007''.

  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I am pleased to join with a long list of 
colleagues in introducing a bill to extend the MILC program. This 
measure is supported by members from different regions of the country 
and both political parties. This broad base of support is a clear 
indication of this issue's importance.
  MILC, as most of my colleagues know, is the program created in the 
2002 Farm Bill after a very painful battle over the Northeast Dairy 
Compact. Many recall what a difficult time that was, with one group of 
dairymen pitted against another. I don't want to revisit that time. The 
MILC program bridged a bitter regional divide by providing a critical 
safety net when prices are low. And when prices rebound, the MILC 
program becomes dormant and costs nothing. The problem with MILC is 
that it expires on September 30 of this year--two years before the rest 
of the Farm Bill.
  In addition to the cosponsors, MILC extension is supported by sixteen 
governors, including the governors of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia, 
Vermont, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Maine, Iowa, 
Michigan, New York, South Dakota, Ohio, Louisiana, and North Dakota. 
Moreover, the President of the United States committed himself to MILC 
extension during the presidential campaign.
  I am hopeful the President's budget will include MILC extension when 
we receive it next Monday. That would be a helpful next step. But the 
fact of the matter is that budget resolutions never get signed into law 
in and of themselves. They are merely a framework for further 
discussion and work. And it will take effort both from Congress and the 
administration to see this extension translated into law. I look 
forward to working with the President and his new Secretary of 
Agriculture to make sure that happens.
                                 ______