Conferees Try to Break Stalemate

September 30, 1999

House and Senate leaders are collecting signatures from conference committee members on a final version of the fiscal 2000 agriculture appropriations bill. The stalemated bill has been locked in controversy, and its fate remains in doubt.

With the decision made that dairy compacts and trade sanctions on Cuba were off the table, Senate and House Republican leaders turned their attention to getting conferees to sign on to a package of income and disaster relief now worth $8.7 billion.

"We're working on it (getting a final bill ready); I think we're about one signature away" from getting a majority of the 28 House and Senate negotiators to approve the package, House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) told BLOOMBERG NEWS.

Capitol Hill officials close to the negotiating process say the $1.2 billion in disaster aid provision leaves it up to the Secretary of Agriculture to determine who actually has incurred a loss. But the bill allows for quantity losses, quality losses or severe economic losses due to damaging weather or related conditions. All crops are eligible, even tree crops, livestock and fisheries.

The $5.5 billion for income assistance goes to farmers with 1996 farm law transition contracts and is tied to the amount of the payments received in fiscal 1999.

In addition the bill includes: $400 million to get more farmers to buy more crop insurance for 2000 crops, $328 million for peanut producers, $475 million in payments to 1999 crop oilseeds producers, $325 million for livestock and dairy producers, restoration of the cotton Step 2 program, extension for one year of the milk price support program, suspension of the marketing assessment on sugar and a doubling to $150,000 of the limit on loan deficiency payments and marketing loan gains.