[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 12, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1916-S1917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TO EXTEND AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to S. 2745.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the bill by 
title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2745) to extend agricultural programs beyond 
     March 15, 2008, to suspend permanent price support 
     authorities beyond that date, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times, 
passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, there be no 
intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to this 
matter be printed in the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The bill (S. 2745) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
read the third time and passed, as follows:

                                S. 2745

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

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS.

       (a) Extension.--Except as otherwise provided in this 
     section and notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
     authorities provided under the Farm Security and Rural 
     Investment Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-171; 7 U.S.C. 7901 et 
     seq.) and each amendment made by that Act (and for mandatory 
     programs at such funding levels), as in effect on September 
     30, 2007, shall continue, and the Secretary of Agriculture 
     shall carry out the authorities, until April 18, 2008.
       (b) Conservation Programs.--
       (1) Farmland protection program.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to 
     in this subsection as the ``Secretary'') shall continue the 
     farmland protection program established under subchapter B of 
     chapter 2 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act 
     of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838h et seq.) at a funding level of 
     $97,000,000 per year.
       (2) Ground and surface water conservation.--Notwithstanding 
     any other provision of law, the Secretary shall continue the 
     ground and surface water conservation program established 
     under section 1240I of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 
     U.S.C. 3839aa-9) at a funding level of $60,000,000 per year.
       (3) Wildlife habitat incentives program.--Notwithstanding 
     any other provision of law, the Secretary shall continue the 
     wildlife habitat incentive program established under section 
     1240N of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb-1) 
     at a funding level of $85,000,000 per year.
       (c) Exceptions.--This section does not apply with respect 
     to the following provisions of law:
       (1) Section 1307(a)(6) of the Farm Security and Rural 
     Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 7957(a)(6)).
       (2) Section 524(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
     U.S.C. 1524(b)).
       (3) Section 25 of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 
     2034).
       (4) Section 601(j)(1) of the Rural Electrification Act of 
     1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(j)(1)).
       (5) Section 231(b)(4) of the Agricultural Risk Protection 
     Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 1621note; Public Law 106-224).
       (6) Section 9002(k)(2) of the Farm Security and Rural 
     Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8102(k)(2)).
       (7) Section 9004(d) of the Farm Security and Rural 
     Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8104(d)).
       (8) Section 9006(f) of the Farm Security and Rural 
     Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8106(f)).
       (9) Subtitles A through C of title I of the Farm Security 
     and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 7911 et seq.), 
     with respect to the 2008 crops (other than the 2008 crop of a 
     loan commodity described in paragraph (11), (12), (13), or 
     (14) of section 1202(b) of the Farm Security and Rural 
     Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 7932(b))).
       (d) Suspension of Permanent Price Support Authorities.--The 
     provisions of law specified in subsections (a) through (c) of 
     section 1602 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 
     2002 (7 U.S.C. 7992) shall be suspended through April 18, 
     2008.
       (e) Relation to Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), this 
     section does not apply to the Agriculture, Rural Development, 
     Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
     Appropriations Act, 2008 (division A of Public Law 110-161; 
     121 Stat. 1846).
       (2) Repeal of superseded extension.--Section 751 of the 
     Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, 
     and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008 (division A of 
     Public Law 110-161; 121 Stat. 1883) is repealed.
       (f) Effective Date.--This section and the amendment made by 
     this section shall take effect on March 15, 2008.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, there has been progress made on a farm bill. 
We can't leave here without doing a farm bill. I think it is something 
we need to do. We worked hard. We have agreed on how much money it is 
going to take. I had a meeting yesterday with Senator Harkin and 
Senator Baucus on our side. They have had good working relationships 
with their counterparts, Senators Grassley and Chambliss. They are 
working well with their House counterparts. We have had a little 
setback because Chairman Rangel has been hospitalized. We were hopeful 
that he would be out today. In fact, we had a meeting scheduled today. 
But he is not going to be back to work today. That has slowed us up a 
little bit. But we all look toward doing a farm bill. It is something 
we need to do, and we are going to work very hard on a bipartisan 
basis, which is the only way we can have a farm bill.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, let me add to the remarks of the 
majority leader that I, too, believe it is important to have a farm 
bill. It has been a challenging process, to say the least, for our 
negotiators, but they continue to make progress. I, too, am optimistic 
that we can get there. I think it is important to the country that we 
do get

[[Page S1917]]

there. This extension we just passed was regretfully necessary, but it 
doesn't lessen in any way the need to get a farm bill, a 5- or 6-year 
extension, depending upon what is negotiated. We are continuing to work 
along those lines and hope to get there.
  I yield the floor.

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