House Members Ask for Crop Insurance Reform in Senate

October 22, 1999

Fifteen members of the House Agriculture Committee, led by Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), have urged the Senate leadership to consider crop insurance reform legislation before Congress adjourns this fall. The necessity for the Senate to act "could not be more urgent," they told Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD).

The House members said they were "extremely concerned" that Congress "may walk away from its responsibility to provide America's farm and ranch families a sound risk management program."

Crop insurance reform legislation passed the House Sept. 29. "Through the hard work of our farm-state colleagues on the House and Senate Budget Committees, Congress included $6 billion in funding for crop insurance reform over the next five years," the House members said in a letter dated Wednesday.

"If we do not act on crop insurance reform before the next budget resolution is written, we will leave $6 billion in budget authority for crop insurance unused, leaving us faced with the difficult task of once again persuading our colleagues to include additional funds for crop insurance in the fiscal year 2001 budget," they added.