Congress Approves CR, Departs Washington Until After Election
With no fiscal year 2015 appropriations bills having been enacted so far this year, Congress this week approved a continuing resolution (H.J. Res. 124) to fund federal government operations past the end of the current fiscal year on September 30. The measure would fund programs at current year levels until December 11th and contains additional funding to counter ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq. The CR passed the House by a 319-108 margin in the House and a 78-22 margin in the Senate.
Having completed the one “must-do” item on its agenda, both the House and Senate went into recess this week, several days ahead of schedule; members are headed back to their states and districts to campaign for the mid-term elections. Barring any unforeseen national security emergencies, Congress will not return to the nation’s capital until mid-November to begin a post-election lame duck session.
The outlook for that lame duck remains very much in flux and depends heavily on the election results; if Republicans gain control of the Senate, expect a brief session focused on just a few items that need to be wrapped up before year’s end. One of these will obviously be federal government funding, since the just-passed CR expires in December, and how this will be handled (i.e., another short-term CR to punt the issue to next Congress or an omnibus package to carry us through to FY 2016) will again depend on election results and political calculations by congressional leaders.
Washington Notes: President Issues Executive Order on Antibiotics; Rail Bill Passes Senate Commerce Committee; House Ag Holds Hearing on SNAP Pilot
- President Issues Executive Order on Antibiotics: This week, President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order designed to address the issue of the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The order creates the Task Force for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, which will consist of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Defense and Health and Human Services. The task force is directed to develop new regulations to address antibiotic resistance and to outline a 5-year plan to implement the proposed regulations.
- Rail Bill Passes Senate Commerce Committee: With Congress heading for recess and the prospect of a short lame duck on the horizon, the Senate Commerce Committee took a mostly symbolic vote this week to approve legislation (S. 2777) to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Board. The bill, introduced by Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) and Ranking Member John Thune (R-S.D.), would increase the STB from three members to five; would institute a voluntary arbitration process to settle disputes between railroads and shippers; and would give the board power to initiate its own investigations. Rail issues have come into renewed focus in Washington with the ongoing difficulties farmers, co-ops and other agribusinesses have experienced in moving grain and oilseeds out of the Midwest. Expect to see similar legislation introduced shortly after the start of the 114th Congress in January.
- House Agriculture Committee Holds SNAP Hearing: This week, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) held a hearing to review the implementation of state pilot projects under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of the recently passed farm bill. One of the reforms in the 2014 Farm Bill included new Employment and Training pilot projects, which allow for up to ten states to develop and test methods to help adults secure employment and job training and reduce their dependency on SNAP. For a transcript or archived video of the hearing, visit the ag committee web site at http://agriculture.house.gov.
NCFC Announces Call for Entries for 2014 Cooperative Information Fair
NCFC is pleased to announce a call for entries for our 69th Cooperative Information Fair. The Fair recognizes excellence in communications and marketing projects of farmer cooperatives that effectively promote business, inform members and disseminate information to the public.
Professors from the journalism and mass communications school of a major university will judge entries in 34 categories, ranging from best press releases and best magazines to best marketing plans and best advertising campaigns and multi-media campaigns. Winning entries will be showcased to CEOs and co-op directors at the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives Annual Meeting, held February 11-13, 2015 at Paradise Point in San Diego, California.
The deadline to enter is Friday, October 17, 2014. For a rulebook and entry forms, please visit the NCFC web site at http://www.ncfc.org/information/ncfc-cooperative-information-fair.
Upcoming Events:
- Fall NCFC Executive Council Meeting—September 25 & 26, 2014—NCFC offices, Washington, D.C.
- LTA Subcommittee Chairs/Vice Chairs Meeting—October 2 & 3, 2014—Four Seasons Hotel, Austin, Texas
- NCFC Human Resources Conference—October 23-24, 2014—Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Chicago, Ill.
- Government Affairs Committee Meeting—November 12-14, 2014—Benson Hotel, Portland, Ore.
- 86th NCFC Annual Meeting—February 11-13, 2015—Paradise Point Hotel, San Diego, Calif.