Senate Pushes Back Farm Bill

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, notified the public that his committee will not work on the 2007 Farm Bill this month. Sen. Harkin originally planned to release a draft proposal this week, and hold markups sometime in the third week of September. However, due mainly to the fact that Congress has not passed any of the twelve spending measures for fiscal year 2008, the Farm Bill has been moved back to October, at the earliest. Sen. Harkin will not release the committees draft proposal until just before the Committee moves forward with a markup. To make up for the delay, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) promises that the Senate will consider the bill on the Floor of the Senate within a week of the bill passing through the committee, assuming no other pressing issues take precedence.

Harkin has stated more than once his intention to expand the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). The exact details of that expansion are not clear, but it is likely to mirror the House proposal, or possible an even greater expansion. The House Farm Bill, passed in July, authorizes $70 million for expanding the FFVP into 35 schools in each state. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) would then distribute additional funds, as necessary, to states based on population. The original proposal called for 50 schools in every state to receive funds, but the $100 million was contingent on offsets. The new language guarantees the $70 million, but calls for a scaled back expansion. Currently, the FFVP operates in 14 states (Utah, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Washington, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania) and on 3 Indian Tribal Organizations (Pine Ridge in South Dakota, Zuni in New Mexico and the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona). A total of 375 schools currently participate.

Resources:
Beth Crowley, "Harkin: Senate Won't Take Up Farm Bill This Month," Congress Now, September 4, 2007.
Author: SAS