The power shift in the House has led to a big change in the House Agriculture Committee. As the 112th Congress got underway on Wednesday, Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) announced his priorities and named his Subcommittee Chairs. All are, of course, Republican. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) will serve as Vice Chairman of the full committee.The new subcom chairs are listed below. (Lucas, above)
Lucas has been a member of House Ag since he was first elected in to Congress in 1994, and was the Ranking Member before assuming the chairmanship. His homestate is one of the largest farming states in the US, with a diverse Ag economy. Lucas is a fifth generation family farmer, and has a degree in Agriculture Economics from Oklahoma State University. He is a friend to production and science-based agriculture (pro mono culture, pro genetic engineering). He also serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Science and Technology.
"The next year will be an exercise in educating our freshmen members on both sides of the aisle, providing oversight of the administration, and building a strong working relationship as we prepare to reauthorize the farm bill in 2012," Lucas said.
Priorities
Topping Lucas' list of priorities is the 2012 Farm Bill. He's already issued a statement promising to hold oversight hearings to investigate the EPA, thanks to the agency's "fondness for overreaching regulations that defy Congressional intent and threaten production agriculture and rural economies.” Also on the list:
Food safety: Lucas voted against the stronger House version of the food safety bill, which passed in July of 2009, and he also gave a Nay to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which President Obama signed into law on Tuesday. The $1.4 billion legislation has yet to be funded. The GOP, led by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), has pledged to investigate FDA's food safety management. Issa deems FDA a "broken bureaucracy.
Cap and trade: It's a form of taxation that will "devastate agriculture," Lucas has said.
Free trade agreements: Lucas is all for them. President Obama recently announced the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement, which has a major Ag component.
Rural America: Lucas was part of a 3-member Rural America Solutions Group created by the GOP in 2009, when the party was in the minority. Revitalizing rural America has been an Obama Administration priority.
Subcommittee Chairmen and their jurisdictions
"Our Subcommittee Chairmen have demonstrated a commitment to ensuring the success of American agriculture and rural economies, " Lucas said. "They are ready to join me in addressing the challenges that farmers, ranchers, and small businesses face across rural America."
Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA-5): Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
Jurisdiction: Soil, water, and resource conservation, small watershed program, energy and biobased energy production, rural electrification, forestry in general and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE-1): Department Operations, Oversight, and Credit
Jurisdiction: Agency oversight, review and analysis, special investigations, and agricultural credit.
Rep. K. Michael Conaway, (R-TX-11): General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
*Rep. Conaway's language for ‘Cut-as-you-go’, previously introduced as the ‘No New Programs’ legislation, which requires cutting spending in existing programs for any increases in mandatory programs of equal or greater cost, is included in the new House rules the GOP is introducing, now that the party is in the majority.
Jurisdiction: Program and markets related to cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains, soybeans, oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, lentils, the Commodity Credit Corporation, risk management, including crop insurance, commodity exchanges, and specialty crops.
Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL-16): Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
Jurisdiction: Livestock, dairy, poultry, meat, seafood and seafood products, inspection, marketing, and promotion of such commodities, aquaculture, animal welfare, and grazing.
Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH-2): Nutrition and Horticulture
Jurisdiction: Food stamps, nutrition and consumer programs, fruits and vegetables, honey and bees, marketing and promotion orders, plant pesticides, quarantine, adulteration of seeds and insect pests, and organic agriculture.
Rep. Timothy V. Johnson (R-IL-15): Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture
Jurisdiction: Rural Development, farm security and family farming matters, biotechnology, foreign agriculture assistance, and trade promotion programs, generally.
The full list of Republican Members of the Agriculture Committee:
Timothy V. Johnson (IL)
Steve King (IA)
Randy Neugebauer (TX)
K. Michael Conaway (TX)
Jeff Fortenberry (NE)
Jean Schmidt (OH)
Glenn Thompson (PA)
Tom Rooney (FL)
Rick Crawford (AR)
Scott DesJarlais (TN)
Renee Ellmers (NC)
Stephen Fincher (TN)
Bob Gibbs (OH)
Chris Gibson (NY)
Vicky Hartzler (MO)
Tim Huelskamp (KS)
Randy Hultgren (IL)
Reid Ribble (WI)
Martha Roby (AL)
Bobby Schilling (IL)
Austin Scott (GA)
Steve Southerland (FL)
Marlin Stutzman (IN)
Scott Tipton (CO)
*Photo from Lucas' Congressional office
