[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
[April 4, 1996]
[Pages 544-545]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Signing the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act 
of 1996
April 4, 1996

    I am today signing into law H.R. 2854, the ``Federal Agriculture 
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996.'' H.R. 2854 would authorize most 
agriculture programs for fiscal years 1996-2002, including commodities, 
credit, conservation, rural development, trade, and nutrition.
    I am signing H.R. 2854 with reservation because I believe the bill 
fails to provide an adequate safety net for family farmers. The fixed 
payments in the bill do not adjust to changes in market conditions, 
which would leave farmers, and the rural communities in which they live, 
vulnerable to reductions in crop prices or yields. I am firmly committed 
to submitting legislation and working with the Congress next year to 
strengthen the farm safety net.
    I am, however, keenly aware that farm legislation is long overdue 
and American farmers need to know now the conditions under which they 
are operating. In addition, the bill includes a considerable number of 
my Administration's proposals. I believe these authorities will enhance 
our environmental and economic development goals. They will form a 
lasting legacy of the 1996 farm bill.
    The hallmark of the bill's commodity title is the planting 
flexibility provisions. At long last, farmers will be free to plant for 
the market, not for government programs. The expansion of planting 
flexibility will improve U.S. competitiveness in world markets. In 
addition, this legislation will reduce the adverse environmental effects 
of production agriculture and greatly simplify farm programs.
    I am very pleased with the rural development title of the bill. The 
Congress has incorporated the Administration's principle that we must 
continue our investment in traditional infrastructure while expanding 
the investment in information infrastructure and in human capital. These 
investments will ensure that all Americans, regardless of how remote an 
area they live in, will have the opportunity to better their lives and 
share in the economic growth spurred by the revolution in information 
technology.
    My Administration is keenly aware that there is no ``one size fits 
all'' Washington solution to local economic development needs. That is 
why we proposed the Rural Performance Partnership Initiative, which 
provides flexibility to States to tailor Federal program funds to their 
unique

[[Page 545]]

situation. I salute the Congress for enacting this proposal, as well as 
providing $300 million in additional resources for rural development and 
agricultural research through the ``Fund for Rural America.''
    I also wholeheartedly endorse the bill's conservation provisions. 
The bill will enhance contributions to environmental quality and farm 
income from the Conservation Reserve Program, a program whose importance 
I have repeatedly stressed. This bill provides more than $1 billion over 
7 years for on-farm conservation measures, including assistance for 
livestock producers, which will help prevent soil erosion and clear our 
streams and air. I am also glad to see that farmers will still have the 
choice to enroll permanent easements in the Wetlands Reserve Program.
    In addition, the bill would provide $200 million, with the 
possibility of an additional $150 million, for restoration of the 
Everglades. This project is one of the Administration's top 
environmental priorities, and the funds in this bill are a good 
downpayment toward our goal. Moreover, I call on the Congress to enact 
the Administration's comprehensive Everglades restoration plan, 
including the one-cent per pound marketing assessment on Florida sugar. 
This assessment would ensure that the benefitting industry pays its fair 
share.
    I am also generally pleased with the trade title, which includes 
almost all of the Administration's proposed export program enhancements. 
While the Administration opposed the reduced funding for certain export 
programs in the bill, it will use these, and newly authorized tools, to 
expand upon the record levels of agricultural exports we have achieved. 
This will ensure that America's farmers continue to take advantage of 
the growing opportunities in the world market.
    I am disappointed that the Congress has rolled back an important 
reform of the crop insurance program, which was enacted just 18 months 
ago, to ensure that every farmer has crop insurance where it is 
available. Still, the farm bill embodies a clear commitment to maintain 
crop insurance as an alternative to costly and unreliable ad hoc crop 
disaster programs of the past. In this respect, the Administration 
strongly supports the development of new ``revenue insurance'' 
approaches over the coming years so that the crop insurance safety net 
can play an increasingly large role in the farm economy. This is a key 
component of our strategy to continue to help farmers manage the risks 
they face.
    While commodity and conservation programs remain the core of any 
farm bill, much of the future of agriculture and rural America will be 
determined by many other factors outside the traditional scope of those 
programs. This bill recognizes the growing importance of those forces 
and incorporates many of the reforms the Administration sought. While 
seeking improvements in the farm safety net, I will also charge my 
Administration with using the bill's new tools to ensure that 
agriculture sustains the growth it has achieved, that the pace of 
environmental improvements is accelerated, and that we create new 
economic opportunities for farmers and rural citizens.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,

April 4, 1996.

Note: H.R. 2854, approved April 4, was assigned Public Law No. 104-127.