111th Congress:  Action on Agriculture

During the 111th Congress, I have agreed to co-sponsor the following selected measures which deal with our nation's agriculture industry. This is not a comprehensive list of all the legislation I have co-sponsored related to agriculture. You can view a comprehensive list at the Legislation Co-Sponsored Section of this site or through the Library of Congress Thomas site.

Legislation I have supported includes:

• S.306. A bill to promote biogas production, and for other purposes. Introduced January 22, 2009.

• S.309. A bill to amend title 23, United States Code, to improve highway transportation in the United States, including rural and metropolitan areas. Introduced January 22, 2009.

• S. 527.  A bill to amend the Clean Air act to prohibit the issuance of permits under title V of that Act for certain emissions from agricultural production. Introduced March 5, 2009.

• S.578. A bill for the relief of Tim Lowery and Paul Nettleton of Owyhee County, Idaho.  Introduced March 12, 2009.

• S.1059. A bill to permit commercial vehicles at weights up to 129,000 pounds to use certain highways of the Interstate System in the State of Idaho which would provide significant savings in the transportation of goods throughout the United States, and for other purposes.  Introduced May 18, 2009.

• S. 1089, A bill to facilitate the export of United States agricultural commodities and products to Cuba as authorized by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, to establish an agricultural export promotion program with respect to Cuba, to remove impediments to the export to Cuba of medical devices and medicines, to allow travel to Cuba by United States citizens and legal residents, to establish an agricultural export promotion program with respect to Cuba, and for other purposes. Introduced May 20, 2009.

Other actions I have taken to support Idaho agriculture include:

• Advocated for funding for critical Idaho agriculture projects in FY2010 budget.

• Signed a letter led by Senator Baucus (D-Montana) to the Senate Appropriations Committee requesting the inclusion of $381 million in the Stimulus bill for the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) Buildings and Facilities Account for projects with completed design work.  Click here to read the letter, dated January 12, 2009.
• Joined Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) in leading a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking that sufficient funding levels be allocated for the Agriculture Subcommittee in future appropriations bills to enable the increases for specialty crops, conservation programs, and renewable energy in the 2008 Farm Bill. Click here to read the letter, dated January 27, 2009..

• Signed a letter led by Senators Russell Feingold (D-Wisconsin) and Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin) to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack urging actions, such as improving Dairy Product Price Support Program (DPPSP) purchase procedures and utilizing the Dairy Export Incentive Program (DEIP), to assist the dairy industry during the current difficulty in the dairy market. Click here to read the letter, dated January 30, 2009.

• Led an Idaho delegation letter, dated February 5, 2009, to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack encouraging efforts to assist the dairy industry, which is facing significant challenges.  

• Signed a letter, dated February 9, 2009, led by Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) and Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack requesting that the Secretary withdraw payment limits changes put forward in an interim rule issued on Dec. 29, 2008 that go beyond the intent of Congress in the payment limit provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill.
• Signed a letter, dated March 19, 2009, led by Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack expressing concerns with some of the comments made by Vilsack regarding cutting agriculture spending and the President’s proposed fiscal year 2010 budget outline.
• Signed a letter, dated March 23, 2009, led by Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) to Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack requesting the use of 2004-2007 for calculating pulse base and asking that the sign-up deadline is extended to provide time to clarify the issue.
• Signed a letter, dated March 23, 2009, led by Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack expressing concern with the delay in implementing the agriculture disaster programs included in the Farm Bill and requesting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) move expeditiously to develop all applicable disaster program application processes and application forms so that disaster program signups will begin no later than June 1, 2009.

• Took the Republican lead on a letter, dated March 24, 2009, led by Senator Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota) to Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack requesting assistance with ensuring that Average Revenue History (crop insurance) program for sugarbeets is able to move forward in 2010.

• Joined Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) in leading a letter, dated March 27, 2009, to President Obama expressing concerns with proposed cuts to the Market Access Program (MAP) in the President’s fiscal year 2010 budget outline.  MAP has been an important program for the agricultural community in providing assistance with expanding and sustaining foreign market opportunities for U.S. agricultural products. 

• Led a letter to President Obama urging the President to work toward a swift solution to bring about the removal of the $2 billion in tariffs Mexico imposed on more than 80 U.S. exports and encouraging him to include this issue in his discussions with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Click here to read the letter, dated April 3, 2009.

• Due to the economic downturn leading to large excess inventories of fresh and processed apples, the apple industry has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a bonus buy of apples for nutrition programs.  Signed a letter, dated May 5, 2009, led by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) and Patty Murray (D-Washington) to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to express support for a USDA bonus purchase of apples.

• Signed a letter. dated May 7, 2009, led by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) to the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee requesting $20 million for pollinator research in Fiscal Year 2010 agriculture appropriations.  The goal is to bolster U.S. agriculture by supporting necessary research into Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). 

• Signed a letter, dated May 7, 2009, led by Senators Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas), and James Risch (R-Idaho) to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture to urge the Subcommittee to provide $56 million in fiscal year (FY) 2010 funding for the Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Program.  The program has been proposed to be eliminated in the Administration’s FY2010 Budget proposal.  

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