Staff Resume Farm Bill Meetings

March 21, 2002

A day after lawmakers agreed on how to divide up farm bill money, their staff again planned long meetings to hammer out details, a Congressional staffer said. Members of the House and Senate conference will not complete their work before the two-week Easter recess, but hope to finish up in mid-April.

Staff meetings may occur every day except for Easter Sunday, the staff member said. He also said it was possible some House members or Senators might try to change the distribution of funds next month if they do not like the outcome of staff discussions.

Separately, a member of the conference committee expressed confidence that a final farm bill could be concluded in April. He said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) and ranking Democrat Charles Stenholm (D-TX) are determined to complete the bill quickly.