Senate voting on farm bill amendments

RFD Radio's Matt Kaye reports the Senate began debating and voting in earnest on amendments to the farm bill today, after reaching a long-awaited deal last night.

Compiled by staff

Published: Jun 19, 2012

Last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced the Senate would begin debating amendments on the farm bill this afternoon. A unanimous consent agreement limits debate to 73 amendments.

Farm Bureau staff are reviewing all the amendments. Currently, the following three are of the most concern: the amendment proposed by Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to reduce the level of federal premium support for crop insurance participants whose adjusted gross income exceeds $750,000; an amendment offered by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) to make all checkoff programs voluntary; and one from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to replace the $4 billion cut in nutrition programs by largely taking money out of the crop insurance program.

Under the agreement, amendments will be considered in an alternating fashion between Democrats and Republicans. Voting will occur today and tomorrow.

4:00 p.m. afternoon update from Matt Kaye:

Among Senate farm bill amendments approved: riders to cap marketing loans and LDPs
at 75-thousand dollars...study milk marketing order reforms...reform bonuses given to
states to issue food stamps...and start a school lunch pilot program to include peas, beans
and lentils.

Defeated: amendments to end state food stamp bonuses and limit food stamp
eligibility...and to reform value-added producer grants, that would have ended those grants
to ethanol facilities...

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