[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 22311-22325]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 22312]]

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; 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;

[[Page 22321]]

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 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

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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.
  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

  Ms. KAPTUR. 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. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman knows that members of our 
subcommittee have been concerned

[[Page 22323]]

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 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

[[Page 22324]]

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, 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:

[[Page 22325]]

   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 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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