ISSUES AND POLICY
Major Achievements in Washington, D.C.
D
By Scott George, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president
ESPITE A CHALLENGING LEGISLATIVE EN- vironment, the National Cattle- men’s Beef Association (NCBA)
team in Washington, D.C., has continued to make progress on several key priorities this year. In early July, Congress took action on 2 topics important to cattle producers — the 2013 farm bill and im- migration reform and border security. The fi rst achievement came after the
House of Representatives managed to pass its version of the farm bill. Members of the House took the unprecedented step of separating the nutrition title from the farm bill, passing a bill that only encom- passes agriculture. This step is a major departure from
the usual business of agricultural policy, but we were pleased that cattlemen and -women are a step closer to completion of fi nal legislation that provides certainty for producers and incorporates priorities important to the cattle industry. The next step in the process is a con-
ference committee, and NCBA is asking for Congress to name the conferees and start working through the differences between the 2 bills on the farm policy. For cattle producers, I am pleased to
say the House and Senate bills include di- saster programs that will extend disaster assistance for 5 years and retroactively cover losses in 2012 and 2013. The House legislation also authorizes
conservation programs important to cattle producers as a tool to leverage private dol- lars with some federal support to further protect the land and natural resources. Furthermore, it contains language to prevent USDA from moving forward on the proposed GIPSA rule from the 2008 Farm Bill. There are also important amendments
104 The Cattleman September 2013
included in the House legislation which rein in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These amendments pro- vide regulatory relief to cattle producers, prevent EPA from releasing producers’ personal information to third parties such as environmental activist groups and prohibit EPA from regulating forest roads under the Clean Water Act. As this bill moves toward completion, NCBA will continue to work with the House and Senate conferees to ensure the fi nal bill meets the priorities of America’s cattle industry. Our team on Capitol Hill will continue
to engage with the House on immigration and border security because the House has stated it may consider a border se- curity bill yet this month. In June the Senate passed its comprehensive immi- gration and border security bill. As the debate moves to the House, NCBA will continue to work to ensure that the needs of rural America and cattle producers in particular are met. We will continue to focus on the dual
initiatives of securing our borders and providing a strong year-round workforce for agriculture. We will make sure that these goals remain an integral part of any eventual fi nal immigration reform. These advances in key NCBA issues
illustrate the importance of a strong pres- ence in Washington, D.C. We’re thankful for the strong working relationships our team has managed to build on both sides of the aisle in Congress. It’s these rela- tionships that ensure the voice of cattle producers is considered every time our issues are discussed on the Hill. If you’re not already an NCBA member , we hope you will join NCBA and lend your voice to the effort.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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