Legislative Update...

Senate votes against Senator Lugar's FRESH Farm Bill reform alternative
Senator Lugar votes against Senate Farm Bill

On December 11, Senator Lugar debated a fiscally responsible, reform Farm Bill alternative which would reform many of our agricultural policies on the Senate floor.  Senator Lugar was joined by Senator Lautenberg (D-NJ) and a group of eight bipartisan colleagues. The Farm, Ranch, Equity, Stewardship and Health (FRESH) Act amendment failed to pass by a vote of 37 to 58.

In his floor speech, Senator Lugar stated, “Agriculture policy is too important for rural America and the economic and budgetary health of our country to continue the current misguided path. Our amendment provides a much more equitable approach, produces higher net farm income for farmers, increases farm exports, avoids stimulating over-production, and gives more emphasis to environmental, nutritional, energy security and research concerns. More importantly, this proposal will protect the family farmer through a strong safety-net and encourage rural development in a fiscally responsible and trade compliant manner.”

The FRESH Act would have saved billions in farm payments, while broadening the agricultural safety-net. The savings would be invested in other vital programs with $4 billion left over to reduce the deficit.

More specifically, the FRESH Act would have instituted an equitable safety-net for ALL farmers, brought America’s agriculture policy into trade compliance, fully funded the nutrition title without budget gimmicks, increased specialty crop funding by an additional $770 million, increased conservation spending by an additional $1.2 billion, provided an additional $1 billion to expand research into new bio-fuels and deployment of rural renewable energy projects and provided $75 million for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

Senator Lugar was encouraged that the Senate showed increased interest in farm policy reform during this year’s debate, with more senators voting for his reform alternative (37 votes compared to 30 votes five years ago).  A majority of senators did vote to limit payments to the largest producers of certain crops, although those amendments failed because a super-majority of three-fifths of the Senate was required.  As a result, when the Farm Bill came to a final vote, Senator Lugar opposed passage for the second time in five years.

“I hope that reform momentum can continue to build until we have a more fiscally responsible safety net for all farmers rather than subsidies for a select few.  Our policy must be more encompassing of all agricultural, rural economic development, energy security, nutrition, and environmental needs of the United States,” Senator Lugar said.

“Farm commodity prices are higher than ever and this overall trend will continue in the future because there are more people in the world, who are consuming more food.  And there are limited productive agricultural acres to supply food, fiber and fuel. Strong demand will continue at home and abroad.  We need a policy that is more equitable, less trade distorting and allows for greater opportunities than provided in this bill.”

“This Farm Bill includes many positive elements in the non-crop subsidy sections, but the funding is precarious. It relies on tax and funding gimmicks that could leave nutrition programs under-funded in five years, leaving our most vulnerable Americas at greater risk,” Senator Lugar said.

“I will continue to work in the House-Senate Farm Bill conference and future debates to constructively strengthen American agriculture, nutrition, energy, and rural development for the best interests of all American taxpayers and our national security,” Senator Lugar said.

More information on the FRESH Act can be found at on the FRESH Farm Bill page.

Energy Bill Includes Lugar Initiatives

On December 13, the Senate approved an energy bill that includes provisions initiated by Senator Lugar.

 “We need to continue to get more serious about our energy predicament.  This bill is an important step but we need to do more.  I was hopeful that we would have included tax incentives in the bill, but unfortunately we fell one vote short,” said Senator Lugar who was one of nine Republicans who voted to include tax incentives in the bill. “The bill does include a renewable fuel standard which is very important to reduce our dependence on imported oil.”

The bill includes a renewable fuel standard (RFS) similar to the Biofuels Security Act, sponsored by Senator Lugar and Senator Harkin (D-IA). The greatly expanded RFS would guarantee a market for investment in new biofuels production, with special preference to biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol derived from diverse feedstocks like corn stover and switchgrass.

The bill also raises vehicle fuel efficiency standards which Senator Lugar has supported.

A Senator Lugar sponsored provision urges the Secretary of State to integrate energy security priorities into core State Department activities and create a new coordinator for international energy affairs.

Many provisions of the Energy Efficiency Promotion section of the bill come from legislation that Senator Lugar co-sponsored with Senators Bingaman (D-NM) and Domenici (R-NM). This section would reduce our nation's use of fossil fuels by improving the efficiency of vehicles, buildings, home appliances, and industrial equipment.

In an August 2006 speech at Purdue University, Senator Lugar called for steps to optimize flexible fuel vehicles in order to reduce the mileage gap between E85 and regular gasoline. The bill initiates a study to do so. GM subsidiary SAAB already has developed engines along those lines.

Senators Lugar and Harkin’s Ethanol Infrastructure Expansion Act is reflected in the bill too. This provision calls for a feasibility study of shipping biofuels via pipeline. Doing so would connect current production concentrated in the Midwest with markets throughout the country.

Lugar’s Summer Feeding Programs Expanded

The Lugar Pilots program was expanded to all 50 states in the omnibus appropriations bill passed by Congress on December 18. 

Initiated by Senator Lugar, the Lugar Pilots program is part of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and began operating in 13 states (including Indiana) and Puerto Rico in 2001.  Senator Lugar worked in 2004 to make the program permanent (now called the Simplified Summer Food Program).  Senator Lugar’s legislative efforts in 2006 increased the number of states to 26 and Puerto Rico.  The omnibus appropriations bill passed on December 18 expands the program nationwide. 

The SFSP was created by Congress in 1969 to help fill the gap in low-income neighborhoods by providing needy children with the nutrition they need to learn, play and grow throughout the summer months when school lunches are not provided.  Senator Lugar recognized, however, that too many schools and other potential providers chose not to participate because of bureaucratic red tape in receiving reimbursements.  This lack of participation led to children not having the opportunity to receive summer meals, which was especially concerning because many children in low income homes receive the bulk of their nutrition from schools that do not operate in the summer. 

“The need to feed youth in the summer time is a nationwide problem and it is clear we have a proven method.  Hunger does not stop simply because the school year ends, and expanding this program nation-wide will dramatically increase the availability of nutritious meals to underprivileged children,” Senator Lugar said.

According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), the 13 original Lugar Pilot states have increased participation by 51 percent and non-participating states have experienced a 16 percent decline in participation since 2001.

Senator Lugar is a member and former Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.  His efforts in child nutrition have been recognized nationally by the National Council of La Raza with a 2004 Capitol Award highlighting his efforts through the years for nutrition programs for low-income Americans, especially children. Senator Lugar also has been recognized by FRAC and the School Nutrition Association, among others, for his work in support of child nutrition.

Internationally, Senator Lugar has been honored by the Friends of the World Food Program with the Leaders in the Fight Against Hunger award for his work to strengthen the U.S. school breakfast and lunch programs, expand food stamps, support food banks, and advance international food aid operations.