Moran Announces House Passage of One Month Farm Bill Extension

Press Release

Congressman Jerry Moran today announced passage of a one month extension to the 2002 Farm Bill. Agricultural programs funded in the bill, officially entitled the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, are set to expire on March 15. The House voted yesterday to extend the current law for one month.

"We should never have let the process get to this point," Moran said. "Farmers should not have such uncertainty because of inaction in Congress on the farm bill. I was hopeful we would not get to this point, but this is what happens when the well-being of farmers and ranchers is not a high priority in Washington, D.C. We had no choice but to pass an extension yesterday, with a mere three days before funding for farm programs was set to expire."

When it became evident that Congress would not pass a farm bill before the end of 2007, Moran introduced legislation to extend the current bill for one year. The 2002 Farm Bill expired on September 30, 2007. The House passed its version of the 2007 Farm Bill in July and the Senate passed its version in December. Negotiations are ongoing between House and Senate leadership and the White House about the funding level for the bill. Once a dollar amount is agreed upon, a conference committee will work out the differences in the two versions of the bill.

Moran is a senior member of the House Committee on Agriculture where he serves as the Republican leader of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.

Source