Much More Work Ahead for 2007 Farm Bill

Last week, I was looking forward to voting for the 2007 Farm Bill that is important to Texas farmers, ranchers and all consumers.  While I voted in favor a bill similar to the one we passed out of the House Agriculture Committee, I could not support the final version that included tax increases to pay for significant new spending. 

The bill the Agriculture Committee wrote had much bipartisan support.  However, in the middle of last week, the majority decided to include tax increases on domestic energy producers and a tax increase on companies that employ millions of Americans, pitting agriculture against energy independence and jobs.  At a time when farmers are struggling with increased fuel and fertilizer costs, the Farm Bill is no place to discourage more energy production. 

This was a difficult vote for me, but I could not support allowing narrow, non-agriculture interests to win out at the expense of rural America. 

The House-passed bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, which may debate a Farm Bill in September but has not yet released a draft bill. 

Much more work lies ahead for the 2007 Farm Bill; last week’s vote is by no means the last step in this process.  I stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move a good Farm Bill out of Congress and signed into law.  We have a long way to go, and my job is not done until a good Farm Bill is complete.

Health Care for Needy Children

Congress has an important task to complete this year: the renewal of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, SCHIP.  Congress created SCHIP in 1997 with the goal of enabling uninsured children from low-income families to receive health care coverage.  SCHIP has proven to be a worthy program, and I support extending it before it expires at the end of September.

For the past ten years, SCHIP has targeted those children who do not qualify for Medicaid, but whose annual family income falls below twice the federal poverty level, which for a family of four would be $41,300.  As of 2006, more than 6 million children received health care coverage thanks to SCHIP.

As Congress moves toward renewing SCHIP, several proposals are on the table this week.  While I support funding to cover eligible children, I believe we should focus limited tax dollars on providing coverage for those children most in need of health insurance.  Others have proposed expanding SCHIP to children whose families earn around $80,000 and covering adults, which are not the intentions of this program.  As this debate moves forward, I will provide updates on the status of SCHIP legislation in the House.

--Randy