THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 12, 1996 TAG: 9602120062
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines
Farm bill: By a vote of 64 to 32, the Senate passed a bill (S 1541) extending federal farm laws for seven years while converting key subsidy programs to a market-based system. The bill gradually replaces subsidies for crops such as wheat, feed grains, cotton and rice with fixed, declining payments to farmers who would gain freedom from Washington to make their own planting decisions. But for sugar and peanut growers, it continues longstanding protectionist policies (see votes below). The legislation will cost about $46 billion in payments to farmers and other direct agricultural expenditures through 2002. It awaits House action.
Also, the bill extends the current structure of dairy price supports (below), funds nutrition and land conservation programs, reauthorizes food stamps for seven years, extends international food aid programs and continues to subsidize foreign advertising by certain U.S. corporations (below).
Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said farming ``is a struggle for a prohibitive majority of Americans who are engaged in it. . . . Today we are about to give them greater flexibility. . . '' to make a profit.
Tom Daschle, D-S.D., called the measure ``a very narrow budget bill that fails to address many of the very legitimate concerns of rural America.''
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Robb Yes Warner Yes
Helms Yes Faircloth Yes
Market promotion: The Senate approved, 59 to 37, a 30 percent cut in a program that uses public funds to help corporations boost overseas sales of agricultural and food products. The amendment to S 1541 (above) reduced the Market Promotion Program budget from $100 million to $70 million annually, limited the program to small businesses and barred foreign firms from participating. In recent years, the program has provided millions to large companies such as Gallo, Pillsbury, and Tyson Foods, according to Senate debate.
Sponsor Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said his amendment would ``strike a modest blow for fiscal sanity. . . .''
Thad Cochran, R-Miss., said the program ``has created American jobs because it has expanded our level of exports. . . .''
A yes vote was to cut the Market Promotion Program.
Robb Yes Warner Yes
Helms No Faircloth No
Peanuts: Voting 59 for and 36 against, the Senate tabled (killed) an amendment to S 1541 (above) to slash peanut price supports by 30 percent, from $610 a ton next year to $475 a ton in 1999. The peanut program caps production for domestic markets with government-set quotas licensed to a limited number of growers. This amendment sought to phase out the quota system and replace it with a federal loan program to support prices.
Paul Coverdell, R-Ga., who voted to kill the amendment, said ``the peanut program has been part of rural America for nearly 50 years. The amendment. . . is like throwing a light switch off.''
Sponsor Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said that under his amendment ``we still keep a safety net in place for all peanut growers, not just the privileged few who happen to own quotas. . . .''
A yes vote opposed revamping the federal peanut program.
Robb Yes Warner Yes
Helms Yes Faircloth Yes
Sugar: The Senate rejected, 35 to 61, an amendment to limit the sugar program to two more years rather than extend it for seven years as called for in S 1541 (above). Critics saw the amendment as an attempt to kill the program, which protects cane and beet sugar growers with price supports and tariffs on imports. The program does not cost the Treasury but results in higher consumer prices.
Amendment sponsor Judd Gregg, R-N.H., called the sugar program ``the only surviving element of Marxist economics in the Western Hemisphere outside of Cuba. . . . a program totally dominated by the government. . . . where the price is set in a manner that has no relationship to the marketplace. . . .''
Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, said: ``Despite all the criticism being circulated by corporate food processors that are trying to put American sugar farmers out of business, sugar is one of the best bargains you'll find at the grocery store today. A pound of refined sugar costs 39 cents.''
A yes vote was to limit and possibly kill the federal sugar program.
Robb No Warner No
Helms No Faircloth No
Filibuster: The Senate failed to end a Democratic filibuster against a bill extending farm programs for seven years (S 1541). On a tally of 59 for and 34 against, Republicans fell one vote short of the three-fifths majority they needed to advance the bill toward passage. The next day, Democrats allowed a final vote (above) and the measure was passed.
Any one of five absent Republicans, including presidential candidate Phil Gramm, R-Texas, could have ended the filibuster had they been present. Gramm was in Louisiana competing in a primary caucus.
The vote drew national attention because some of Gramm's foes in Iowa's presidential caucus claimed his failure to vote showed a lack of commitment to farmers. Gramm responded that Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., also a candidate in Iowa, scheduled the vote to embarrass him.
The other absent Republicans were Trent Lott of Mississippi, John McCain of Arizona, Frank Murkowski of Alaska and Bob Smith of New Hampshire.
The absent Democrats were Sam Nunn of Georgia and Harry Reid of Nevada.
A yes vote was to move the farm bill closer to Senate approval.
Robb Yes Warner Yes
Helms Yes Faircloth Yes
Dairy issue: Voting 50 for and 46 against, the Senate stripped pending farm legislation (S 1541, above) of language establishing a Northeast Dairy Compact by which farmers in the six New England states were to negotiate minimum prices for their milk.
Herb Kohl, D-Wis., denounced the compact as ``an effort by one region to remove itself from the national system and establish a regional dairy policy. It takes an already outmoded milk pricing system and twists it even further.''
Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said: ``We are talking about beverage milk. . . . a regional market. You do not drive milk halfway across the country. You (market) it in the region. Over 97 percent of the package milk sold in New England comes from bottlers regulated in New England.''
A yes vote opposed creation of a Northeast Dairy Compact.
Robb Yes Warner Yes
Helms No Faircloth Yes ILLUSTRATION: ROLL CALL: How area members of Congress voted for the week
ending Feb. 10.
[Photos, telephone numbers and addresses of senators and
representatives from Virginia and North Carolina.]
To reach any representative or senator on any issues that concern
you, call (202) 224-3121.
by CNB