[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 91 (Tuesday, June 9, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H3926-H3929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     UNITED STATES GRAIN STANDARDS ACT REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2015

  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2088) to amend the United States Grain Standards Act to 
improve inspection services performed at export elevators at export 
port locations, to reauthorize certain authorities of the Secretary of 
Agriculture under such Act, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2088

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``United States Grain 
     Standards Act Reauthorization Act of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF UNITED STATES GRAIN STANDARDS ACT.

       (a) Policy and Purpose of Act.--Section 2(b) of the United 
     States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 74(b)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``to both domestic and 
     foreign buyers'' and inserting ``responsive to the purchase 
     specifications of domestic and foreign buyers'';
       (2) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (2);
       (3) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (3) and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (4) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(4) to provide an accurate, reliable, consistently 
     available, and cost-effective official grain inspection and 
     weighing system.''.
       (b) Definitions.--
       (1) Major disaster defined.--Section 3 of the United States 
     Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 75) is amended by adding at the 
     end the following new paragraph:
       ``(aa) The term `major disaster' has the meaning given that 
     term in section 102(2) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
     Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122(2)), 
     except that the term includes a severe weather incident 
     causing a region-wide interruption of government services.''.
       (2) Conforming amendments.--Section 3 of the United States 
     Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 75) is further amended--
       (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (a), by striking 
     ``otherwise-'' and inserting ``otherwise:'';
       (B) by striking ``the term'' at the beginning of each 
     paragraph (other than paragraphs (n) and (t)) and inserting 
     ``The term'';
       (C) in paragraph (i)--
       (i) by striking ``Act (the term'' and inserting ``Act. The 
     term''; and
       (ii) by striking ``);'' and inserting a period;
       (D) in paragraphs (n) and (t), by striking ``the terms'' 
     and inserting ``The terms'';
       (E) in paragraph (o)--
       (i) by striking ``personnel (the term'' and inserting 
     ``personnel. The term''; and
       (ii) by striking ``);'' and inserting a period;
       (F) in paragraph (s), by striking ``the verb'' and 
     inserting ``The verb'';

[[Page H3927]]

       (G) in paragraph (x)--
       (i) by striking ``conveyance (the terms'' and inserting 
     ``conveyance. The terms''; and
       (ii) by striking ``accordingly);'' and inserting 
     ``accordingly.'';
       (H) by striking the semicolon at the end of each paragraph 
     (other than paragraphs (i), (o), (x), and (y)) and inserting 
     a period; and
       (I) in paragraph (y), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
     period.
       (c) Official Inspection and Weighing Requirements.--
       (1) Discretionary waiver authority.--Section 5(a)(1) of the 
     United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 77(a)(1)) is 
     amended in the first proviso by striking ``may waive the 
     foregoing requirement in emergency'' and inserting ``shall 
     promptly waive the foregoing requirement in the event of an 
     emergency, a major disaster,''.
       (2) Weighing requirements at export elevators.--Section 
     5(a)(2) of the United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 
     77(a)(2)) is amended by striking ``intracompany shipments of 
     grain into an export elevator by any mode of transportation, 
     grain transferred into an export elevator by transportation 
     modes other than barge,'' and inserting ``shipments of grain 
     into an export elevator by any mode of transportation''.
       (d) Delegation of Official Inspection Authority.--
       (1) Authorized inspection personnel at export elevators at 
     export port locations.--Paragraph (1) of section 7(e) of the 
     United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79(e)) is amended 
     to read as follows:
       ``(1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (3) and 
     (4) of this subsection, the Secretary shall cause official 
     inspection at export elevators at export port locations, for 
     all grain required or authorized to be inspected by this Act, 
     to be performed--
       ``(A) by official inspection personnel employed by the 
     Secretary; or
       ``(B) by other persons under contract with the Secretary as 
     provided in section 8 of this Act.''.
       (2) Delegation to state agencies.--Section 7(e) of the 
     United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79(e)) is 
     amended--
       (A) in paragraph (2)--
       (i) by striking ``, meets the criteria'' and all that 
     follows through ``the Secretary may delegate'' and inserting 
     ``and meets the criteria specified in subsection (f)(1)(A) of 
     this section, the Secretary may delegate'';
       (ii) by striking ``at export port locations within the 
     State, including export port locations'' and inserting ``at 
     export elevators at export port locations within the State, 
     including at export elevators at export port locations''; and
       (iii) in the last sentence, by striking ``Any such 
     delegation'' and inserting ``The delegation under this 
     paragraph of authority to conduct official inspection 
     services shall be for a term not to exceed five years, and 
     may be renewed thereafter in accordance with this subsection, 
     except that any such delegation'';
       (B) by transferring paragraph (4) to the end of subsection 
     (f), redesignating such paragraph as paragraph (5), and, in 
     such paragraph, by striking ``or subsection (f)'' and 
     inserting ``or subsection (e)''; and
       (C) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following 
     new paragraphs:
       ``(3) Prior to delegating authority to a State agency for 
     the performance of official inspection services at export 
     elevators at export port locations pursuant to paragraph (2) 
     of this subsection, the Secretary shall comply with the 
     following:
       ``(A) Upon receipt of an application from a State agency 
     requesting the delegation of authority to perform official 
     inspection services on behalf of the Secretary, publish 
     notice of the application in the Federal Register and provide 
     a minimum 30-day comment period on the application.
       ``(B) Evaluate the comments received under subparagraph (A) 
     with respect to an application and conduct an investigation 
     to determine whether the State agency that submitted the 
     application and its personnel are qualified to perform 
     official inspection services on behalf of the Secretary. In 
     conducting the investigation, the Secretary shall consult 
     with, and review the available files of the Department of 
     Justice, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of 
     Agriculture, and the Government Accountability Office.
       ``(C) Make findings based on the results of the 
     investigation and consideration of public comments received.
       ``(D) Publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing 
     whether the State agency has been delegated the authority to 
     perform official inspection services at export elevators at 
     export port locations on behalf of the Secretary, and the 
     basis upon which the Secretary has made the decision.
       ``(4)(A) Except in the case of a major disaster, if a State 
     agency that has been delegated the authority to perform 
     official inspection services at export elevators at export 
     port locations on behalf of the Secretary fails to perform 
     such official services, the Secretary shall submit to 
     Congress, within 90 days after the first day on which 
     inspection services were not performed by the delegated State 
     agency, a report containing--
       ``(i) the reasons for the State agency's failure; and
       ``(ii) the rationale as to whether or not the Secretary 
     will permit the State agency to retain its delegated 
     authority.
       ``(B) A State agency may request that the delegation of 
     inspection authority to the agency be canceled by providing 
     written notice to the Secretary at least 90 days in advance 
     of the requested cancellation date.
       ``(C) If a State agency that has been delegated the 
     authority under paragraph (2) of this subsection to perform 
     official inspection services at an export elevator at an 
     export port location on behalf of the Secretary intends to 
     temporarily discontinue such official inspection services or 
     weighing services for any reason, except in the case of a 
     major disaster, the State agency shall notify the Secretary 
     in writing of its intention to do so at least 72 hours in 
     advance of the discontinuation date. The receipt of such 
     prior notice shall be considered by the Secretary as a 
     mitigating factor in determining whether to maintain or 
     revoke the delegation of authority to the State agency.''.
       (3) Conforming amendments.--(A) Section 7(f)(1) of the 
     United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79(f)(1)) is 
     amended by striking ``other than at export port locations'' 
     and inserting ``(other than at an export elevator at an 
     export port location)''.
       (B) Section 16(d) of the United States Grain Standards Act 
     (7 U.S.C. 87e(d)) is amended by striking ``The Office of 
     Investigation of the Department of Agriculture (or such other 
     organization or agency within the Department of Agriculture 
     which may be delegated the authority, in lieu thereof, to 
     conduct investigations on behalf of the Department of 
     Agriculture)'' and inserting ``The Office of Inspector 
     General of the Department of Agriculture''.
       (4) Evaluation of current delegations.--Not later than two 
     years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary of Agriculture shall complete a review of each 
     State agency that, as of the date of the enactment of this 
     Act, has been delegated inspection authority under section 
     7(e) of the United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 
     79(e)) and determine if the State agency is qualified to 
     continue to perform official inspection services at export 
     elevators at export port locations on behalf of the Secretary 
     under such section, as amended by this subsection. The 
     Secretary shall conduct the review subject to the 
     requirements of section 7(e) of the United States Grain 
     Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79(e)), as amended by this 
     subsection, and a State agency determined to be qualified to 
     continue to perform such official inspection services shall 
     be subject thereafter to such requirements.
       (e) Continuity of Operations.--Section 7(e) of the United 
     States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79(e)) is further 
     amended by inserting after paragraph (4), as added by 
     subsection (d), the following new paragraphs:
       ``(5) Except in the case of a major disaster, the Secretary 
     shall cause official inspections at an export elevator at an 
     export port location--
       ``(A) to be performed without interruption by official 
     inspection personnel employed by the Secretary or by a State 
     agency delegated such authority under paragraph (2) of this 
     subsection; or
       ``(B) if interrupted, to be resumed at the export elevator 
     by utilizing official inspection personnel employed by the 
     Secretary or by another delegated State agency as provided 
     under paragraph (2) of this subsection as follows:
       ``(i) Within six hours after the interruption, if the 
     interruption is caused by a State agency delegated such 
     authority under this subsection and the Secretary received 
     advance notice of the interruption pursuant to paragraph 
     (4)(C) of this subsection.
       ``(ii) Within 12 hours after the interruption, if the State 
     agency failed to provide the required advance notice of the 
     interruption.
       ``(6)(A) If the Secretary is unable to restore official 
     inspection services within the applicable time period 
     required by paragraph (5)(B) of this subsection, the 
     interested person requesting such services at the export 
     elevator at an export port location shall be authorized to 
     utilize official inspection personnel, as provided under 
     section 8 of the Act, employed by another State agency 
     delegated authority under paragraph (2) of this subsection or 
     designated under subsection (f)(1) of this section.
       ``(B) A delegated or designated State agency providing 
     inspection services under subparagraph (A) may, at its 
     discretion, provide such services for a period of up to 90 
     days from the date on which the services are initiated, after 
     which time the Secretary may restore official inspection 
     services using official inspection personnel employed by the 
     Secretary or a State agency delegated such authority under 
     this subsection, if available. The State agency shall notify 
     the Secretary in writing of its intention to discontinue 
     inspection services under subparagraph (A) at least 72 hours 
     in advance of the discontinuation date.
       ``(7) Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall make 
     available to the public, including pursuant to a website 
     maintained by the Secretary, a list of all delegated States 
     and all official agencies authorized to perform official 
     inspections on behalf of the Secretary. This list shall 
     include the name, contact information, and category of 
     authority granted. The Secretary shall update the list at 
     least semiannually.''.
       (f) Geographic Boundaries for Official Agencies.--
       (1) Official inspection authority.--Section 7(f)(2) of the 
     United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79(f)(2)) is 
     amended by striking ``the Secretary may'' and all that 
     follows through the end of the paragraph and inserting the 
     following: ``the Secretary shall

[[Page H3928]]

     allow a designated official agency to cross boundary lines to 
     carry out inspections in another geographic area if--
       ``(A) the current designated official agency for that 
     geographic area is unable to provide inspection services in a 
     timely manner;
       ``(B) a person requesting inspection services in that 
     geographic area requests a probe inspection on a barge-lot 
     basis; or
       ``(C) the current official agency for that geographic area 
     agrees in writing with the adjacent official agency to waive 
     the current geographic area restriction at the request of the 
     applicant for service.''.
       (2) Weighing authority.--Section 7A(i)(2) of the United 
     States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79a(i)(2)) is amended by 
     striking ``the Secretary may'' and all that follows through 
     the end of the paragraph and inserting the following: ``the 
     Secretary shall allow a designated official agency to cross 
     boundary lines to carry out weighing in another geographic 
     area if--
       ``(A) the current designated official agency for that 
     geographic area is unable to provide weighing services in a 
     timely manner; or
       ``(B) the current official agency for that geographic area 
     agrees in writing with the adjacent official agency to waive 
     the current geographic area restriction at the request of the 
     applicant for service.''.
       (g) Duration of Designations of Official Agencies.--Section 
     7(g)(1) of the United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 
     79(g)(1)) is amended by striking ``triennially'' and 
     inserting ``every five years''.
       (h) Inspection Fees.--
       (1) Collection and amounts.--Section 7(j)(1) of the United 
     States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79(j)(1)) is amended--
       (A) by inserting ``(A)'' after ``(1)'';
       (B) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(B) For official inspections and weighing at an export 
     elevator at an export port location performed by the 
     Secretary, performed by a State agency delegated the 
     authority to perform official inspection services at the 
     export elevator on behalf of the Secretary, or performed by a 
     State agency utilized as authorized by subsection (e)(6)(A), 
     the portion of the fees based upon export tonnage shall be 
     based upon a rolling five-year average of export tonnage 
     volumes. In order to maintain an operating reserve of between 
     three to six months, the Secretary shall adjust such fees at 
     least annually.''.
       (2) Duration of authority.--Section 7(j)(4) of the United 
     States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79(j)(4)) is amended by 
     striking ``September 30, 2015'' and inserting ``September 30, 
     2020''.
       (i) Official Weighing or Supervision at Locations Where 
     Official Inspection Is Provided Other Than by the 
     Secretary.--Section 7A(c)(2) of the United States Grain 
     Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79a(c)(2)) is amended--
       (1) in the first sentence, by striking ``with respect to 
     export port locations'' and inserting ``with respect to an 
     export elevator at an export port location''; and
       (2) in the last sentence by striking ``subsection (g) of 
     section 7'' and inserting ``subsection (e) and (g) of section 
     7''.
       (j) Collection of Fees for Weighing Services.--Section 
     7A(l)(3) of the United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 
     79a(l)(2)) is amended by striking ``September 30, 2015'' and 
     inserting ``September 30, 2020''.
       (k) Limitation and Administrative and Supervisory Costs.--
     Section 7D of the United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 
     79d) is amended by striking ``2015'' and inserting ``2020''.
       (l) Issuance of Authorizations.--
       (1) Duration.--Section 8(b) of the United States Grain 
     Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 84(b)) is amended by striking 
     ``triennially'' and inserting ``every five years''.
       (2) Persons who may be hired as official inspection 
     personnel.--Section 8(e) of the United States Grain Standards 
     Act (7 U.S.C. 84(e)) is amended--
       (A) by striking ``(on the date of enactment of the United 
     States Grain Standards Act of 1976)'';
       (B) by striking ``the United States Grain Standards Act'' 
     and inserting ``this Act''; and
       (C) by striking ``, on the date of enactment of the United 
     States Grain Standards Act of 1976, was performing'' and 
     inserting ``performs''.
       (m) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 19 of the 
     United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 87h) is amended 
     by striking ``2015'' and inserting ``2020''.
       (n) Expiration of Advisory Committee.--Section 21(e) of the 
     United States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 87j(e)) is 
     amended by striking ``September 30, 2015'' and inserting 
     ``September 30, 2020''.
       (o) Technical Corrections.--Section 17B(b) of the United 
     States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 87f-2(b)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``notwithstanding the provisions of section 
     812 of the Agricultural Act of 1970, as added by the 
     Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 
     612c-3)'' and inserting ``notwithstanding section 602 of the 
     Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5712)''; and
       (2) by striking ``or the Secretary''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Conaway) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume, and rise today in support of H.R. 2088, the United States 
Grain Standards Act Reauthorization Act of 2015.
  Mr. Speaker, for nearly 100 years, the United States Grain Standards 
Act has been the cornerstone of the vibrant grain trade, both 
domestically and internationally. This law is relied upon not only by 
exporters and domestic shippers but the entire U.S. agricultural 
sector.
  The law establishes official marketing standards and procedures for 
the inspection and weighing of grains and oilseeds, and I would like to 
underscore the importance this law has played in establishing value and 
price-discovery in the grain and oilseed marketplace.
  Many of the provisions in this current law are set to expire on 
September 30 of this year. A lapse in authorization would disrupt 
export weighing and grading services, imposing heavy burdens on 
farmers, merchants, traders, inspectors and, ultimately, consumers. We 
should not delay in passing this reauthorization.
  I cannot emphasize enough: it is imperative that these inspections 
and weighing services are provided in a reliable, uninterrupted, 
consistent, and cost-effective manner. To ensure that we fulfill this 
obligation, we must provide a safeguard to ensure we avoid disruptions 
in service like the one that took place last year in Washington State.
  The Washington State Department of Agriculture currently provides 
inspection and weighing services for grain intended for export at the 
Port of Vancouver. USDA's Federal Grain Inspection Service has 
delegated this responsibility to the Washington State Department of 
Agriculture. In the event that the Washington State Department of 
Agriculture cannot provide services for any reason, then the Federal 
Government, through FGIS inspectors, are statutorily required to step 
in and resume inspection and weighing services.
  That is not what happened last summer. Amid an ongoing labor dispute, 
WSDA discontinued services. In statements issued at the time, WSDA, the 
State-based program, acknowledged they withheld inspection services 
because of their belief that ``the continued provision of inspection 
services appears to be unhelpful in leading to a foreseeable 
resolution'' of the labor dispute.
  Instead of fulfilling their statutory obligation, the leadership of 
the USDA politicized this situation when the agency also declined to 
fulfill its statutory responsibility to resume inspection and grain and 
weighing services. Services were eventually restored, but not before 
significant costs accrued to all parties involved.
  We have worked hard to gain access to overseas markets. We are 
shooting ourselves in the foot when we cannot ship our products to 
these markets because State and Federal agencies are unable or 
unwilling to comply with their obligations. The inability to ship our 
grain because there are no inspectors at a facility does a disservice 
to our farmers, and it harms our economy.
  To address this situation, we could have been punitive. In fact, 
there were some who would have preferred that we do just that. But that 
is not what we have done and had no interest in doing. We simply want a 
safeguard mechanism to avoid this situation being repeated.
  To do that, we worked with the State of Washington delegation, the 
Washington State Department of Agriculture, labor unions, the grain 
trade industry, and USDA. What we developed was a bipartisan consensus 
on a workable safeguard provision.
  I am pleased with this work product, and I appreciate the help and 
support of Ranking Member Peterson, Subcommittee Chairman Crawford, and 
Subcommittee Ranking Member Walz,

[[Page H3929]]

as well as Representatives from Washington State, both on and off the 
committee, for their advice and counsel as we developed this 
legislation.
  H.R. 2088 provides a certainty to American agriculture, and I would 
urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and 
I, too, rise in support of the U.S. Grain Standards Act Reauthorization 
Act, H.R. 2088.
  I would like to, first of all, thank the chairmen of the full 
committee and of the subcommittee, both of whom provided great 
leadership, provided the necessary space to get all parties together, 
and then provided for a final product that meets all of the necessary 
requirements that you heard the chairman talk about.
  I think it is well known that U.S. grain producers produce the 
highest quality grain in the world. It is the inspections of them, the 
gold standard of assuring that quality, backed by the Federal 
Government, that allows us to continue this trade. I think no one here 
wants to see any interruption to that service. No one here wants to see 
any lowering of the quality that we have.
  So this piece of legislation, I think, in the best tradition of the 
Agriculture Committee and this House, was a true, bipartisan 
compromise. It was working to find working solutions that made those 
things happen, and I would urge my colleagues to support this piece of 
legislation.
  This is how we are supposed to do business. This honors those 
producers of our grain and makes sure that business and capital flow 
correctly, and it makes sure that there are standards in place to 
ensure that our buyers of U.S. grain know that they are getting the 
world's highest quality product.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Crawford), the subcommittee chairman.
  Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership on 
this and certainly want to thank the ranking member of the full 
committee as well and my friend, the gentleman from Minnesota, who 
serves as the ranking member on our subcommittee.
  This is a great piece of bipartisan legislation. As has been noted 
here, this is about 100 years since this has been signed into law, and 
the grain trade has thrived over that century. GSA has supported its 
evolution by providing a backbone of stability relied upon by 
exporters, shippers, farmers, and, of course, consumers.
  With the farm economy and so many of our constituents relying on the 
ability of grain and oilseeds to get to market, it is critical that we 
act to provide stability for the grain trade, like we are doing here 
today.
  This legislation accomplishes that goal in the following two ways. 
Many of the provisions in current law are set to expire on September 30 
of this year. A lapse in that authorization would disrupt the current 
grain inspections process; therefore, Congress should not delay in 
passing its reauthorization. The House is getting its job done well 
ahead of schedule by considering this bill today, and I hope my 
colleagues in the Senate will act soon as well.
  Secondly, this legislation provides stability by ensuring we can 
avoid disruptions like that which took place last year in Washington 
State, which was alluded to earlier by the chairman. Last summer, the 
Washington State Department of Agriculture discontinued its export 
inspections amid an ongoing labor dispute. Since labor disputes do 
happen from time to time, this kind of situation was anticipated by our 
predecessors, which is why current law provides a mechanism for USDA to 
step in and provide inspection services in the event of a disruption.
  However, the dispute devolved into a political situation in which the 
Secretary of Agriculture declined to use his discretionary authority to 
maintain inspections. While inspection services were eventually 
restored, it is critical we avoid a repeat of that unfortunate 
decision.
  Fortunately, the Agriculture Committee arrived at a bipartisan 
consensus and found a way to avoid any future disruptions to the grain 
trade by giving the industry more control of its own destiny.
  I urge support from my colleagues for this vital legislation. I thank 
the committee for all of its hard work to move this bill forward.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, again, I have no further speakers on my side. 
I can't stress enough my thanks for working this out. It was, at times, 
a somewhat delicate situation, but leadership from my friends on the 
Republican side, bringing in folks, all engaged parties in this, helped 
us find a great compromise.
  I, too, would urge our colleagues in the Senate to take up this piece 
of legislation, move it forward, and give certainty to those producers 
who feed, clothe, and power the world. I urge our colleagues here, 
let's just pass this thing and get further work done.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleagues' comments, both the ranking 
member as well as the chairman of the subcommittee. We did work in a 
bipartisan manner. We worked out the differences of the bill, came up 
with a good work product. It is worthy of the system.
  I would like to, again, emphasize, as my colleague from Arkansas did, 
we are actually getting this done ahead of time. These rules aren't 
out-of-date yet. And so I would encourage my colleagues in the Senate 
to follow our example and get it done quickly so we can get this to the 
President's desk. I urge support of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 2088, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________