October 5, 2012 Farm Bureau Supports Issue #1 Arkansas Farm Bureau is supporting Issue #1 on the November 6 ballot. If the ballot issue passes it will create a temporary ½ cent sales tax (ends after ten years) to finance $1.3 billion bonds for highway improvements and maintenance. The tax will also generate $700 million in funds for counties and city road work. Farm Bureau has a long history of supporting highway programs. In addition to county and city funds, the bonds will be used to expand four lane projects all over the state. A map of road projects and an estimate of individual county and city turnback funds is available at www.MoveArkansasForward.com. We ask all Farm Bureau members to help us pass Issue #1 by voting in support of the issue in November and telling other voters to vote in support of the issue. Some facts about Issue #1: • Issue #1 WILL NOT raise taxes on groceries, medicine or gasoline. • Money for every county and city in Arkansas. More than $700 million in new state turnback revenue - $350 million for counties and $350 million for cities. • Cities and Counties will have discretionary control over funds they receive from Issue #1 but the sales tax funds can only be used for roads and highways. • Issue #1 will create a permanent $20 million a year State Aid Street Fund for cities and towns to apply for grants for local street and bridge projects. • Issue #1 will support 40,000 statewide jobs and improve Arkansas’s economy, while making roads safer for all, including school buses, emergency vehicles, and drivers sharing the highways with big trucks. • Farm Bureau policy supports this method of highway funding. We recommend the first alternative for paying for a highway program be a users' tax, and the second alternative be bonds in conjunction with a sales tax, toll roads (where feasible), or other measures. We request adequate funds for rural road improvements.
NATIONAL NEWS Farm bill on hold until after the November election Congress has recessed until after the November election. With the election just a month away, Representatives and Senators have hit the campaign trail with a vengeance and left D.C. The House recessed without taking floor action on the House’s FARRM bill. The bill will most likely be considered in a lame duck session post elections. Some House members including Rep. Crawford signed a discharge petition to force consideration of the bill but it was well short of the necessary 218 signatures needed to call the legislation to the floor. At last count the petition had only 79 signatures. House leadership says there aren’t enough votes right now to pass the bill and members haven’t agreed on the amendments that will be considered when the bill is debated on the House floor. Supportive members of Congress and farmers alike are expressing more urgency to pass a farm bill. Other groups, perhaps sensing an opportunity, are attacking the farm bill and calling for more drastic changes. Emily Goff of the Heritage Foundation was quoted in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette saying, “It’s time for farmers to start assuming responsibility for their businesses by reaping the rewards of their risks and also dealing with the consequences.”
Christine Harbin, a policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity, released an op-ed column picked up by several news outlets that attacked food programs while calling the rest of the farm bill, “corporate welfare. Farmers have long enjoyed benefits like unlimited insurance subsidies, direct payments, price supports, import quotas, grants and loan guarantees. Many of these programs are passed under the guise of helping struggling farmers. But they disproportionately benefit the biggest and best-connected farms that know how to navigate the Washington maze.” The Environmental Working Group Statement applauded the failure of the House saying "We applaud Speaker Boehner for his wise decision to reject the terrible farm bill produced by the House Agriculture Committee. The committee proposed to increase farm welfare at a time of record farm income — and to cut programs for the poor and the environment in order to lavish new subsidies on highly profitable farm businesses. What's more, the committee's bill would have weakened consumer and environmental protections. We applaud Speaker Boehner and urge the committee to produce a farm bill that includes real reforms." During the recess we ask Farm Bureau members to stress to leaders that they must pass a farm bill when Congress returns to D.C. If you would like to use the Farm Bureau Legislative Action Center, use this link to send a message.
FIFRA Legislation introduced in the Senate Sens. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) introduced legislation last week that clarifies that lawful application of pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) does not trigger regulatory requirements in other programs. The bill, S. 3605, is cosponsored by Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) S. 3605 includes language identical to H.R. 872, which clarifies that Clean Water Act permits are not required for pesticide applications in or near water. The Senate bill also asks the Environmental Protection Agency to do a study and report back to Congress on whether the FIFRA process can be improved to better protect human health and the environment from pesticide applications.
Pryor introduces companion bill to Crawford’s SPCC legislation Working with Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) introduced a bill to amend the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule and ease the regulatory compliance for farms. Companion legislation sponsored by Rep. Rick Crawford recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives without a single objection. This bill will exempt farmers from regulations for aboveground oil storage tanks that have an aggregate storage capacity of less than 10,000 gallons. In addition to providing this exemption, it will also allow farmers who are regulated and have less than 42,000 gallons of above ground storage capacity to self-certify their own plans. This will dramatically decrease costs by eliminating the need to hire a professional engineer. In June 2011, Pryor and Inhofe, along with a bipartisan group of 31 other Senators sent a bipartisan letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson requesting that EPA extend the implementation timeline for the amended SPCC rule for farmers, and work to ensure that the rule is not overly burdensome or confusing. In November 2011, EPA announced on its website that it would be extending the SPCC compliance date to May 10, 2013.
STATE NEWS Open Comment Period on proposed expansion of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge The United State Department of the Interior has opened a comment period on the proposed expansion of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge. The expansion would add up to 102,000 acres to the refuge. This proposed expansion represents a significant purchase of private property in several Arkansas counties. Such an expansion has the potential to impact property outside of the refuge simply because of land management practices within the refuge itself. This expansion will include property in Monroe, Prairie, Woodruff, Jackson, Cross and Poinsett counties. Farmers and others interested in this expansion are encouraged to submit comments. Comments or
recommendations must be submitted by October 31, 2012. To view a copy of the draft document call 870-347-2074 or go to www.fws.gov/southeast/cacheriverexpansion Public meeting on Cache River refuge expansion October 16, 2012 from 6-8 p.m. Augusta High School, Main Street, Augusta To Submit Commits send to Tina Chouinard, Refuge Planner 49 Plainsbrook Place Jackson, TN 38305 or email to cacheriverexpansion@fws.gov
HSUS President Wayne Pacelle announces candidacy for board seat at Tyson Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, announced that he has filed paperwork as a candidate for election to the board of directors of Tyson Foods. Pacelle will urge the company to commit to a definite time frame to phase out the confinement of sows in gestation crates. The HSUS’s stated primary focus has been for the Tyson to join other companies who have committed to end the use of gestation crates, including Smithfield Foods, which set a 2017 timeframe to complete its transition to group housing systems for its company-owned facilities. Hormel Foods also announced the same policy, and Cargill has been at least 50 percent gestation crate-free for five years now. The HSUS has, for the last two years, owned a modest amount of stock in Tyson Foods and regularly urged the company to revamp its policies. Nine U.S. states have banned gestation crates and others have bills pending that would outlaw gestation crates.
State Resolutions Committee The nomination letter for the State Resolutions Committee went out the last week of September. Members have until October 12 to send in their reply cards. We will begin making hotel reservations and sub-committee assignments very soon so members should be prompt with their responses. As of September 25, more than 25 counties have submitted a total of 175 resolutions with more coming in daily. Policy development and review is a long process but worthwhile. County presidents should make plans to attend the state resolutions meeting. OCTOBER 24 All resolutions are due (via Intranet) to the Farm Bureau Center NOVEMBER 7-8 State Resolutions Committee Meeting –Wyndham Riverfront, North Little Rock 19 Copy of proposed resolutions mailed to state board members, county presidents, Resolutions Committee members, and one copy to each county office 22-23 Thanksgiving holiday 28-30 78th Annual Convention of Arkansas Farm Bureau – Hot Springs
Upcoming State Legislative Meetings Monday, October 08, 2012 10:00 AM Room 171 EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE & HOUSE 1:30 PM Room 151 LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON SUSTAINABLE BUILDING DESIGN AND PRACTICES Tuesday, October 09, 2012 10:00 AM Room A, MAC ALC-JBC BUDGET HEARINGS Wednesday, October 10, 2012 9:00 AM Room A, MAC ALC-JBC BUDGET HEARINGS
Thursday, October 11, 2012 8:00 AM OSC SECRETARY OF STATE 9:00 AM Room A, MAC ALC-JBC BUDGET HEARINGS 9:30 AM Room 272 * SECRETARY OF STATE 11:30 AM Room 104 LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 1:30 PM Room 151 LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES 1:30 PM Room 138 LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 1:30 PM Room 130 LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-STATE AGENCIES Friday, October 12, 2012 9:00 AM Room A, MAC LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING Saturday, October 13, 2012 8:00 AM Room 138 & 149 * BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN COUNSELING Monday, October 15, 2012 10:00 AM Room 171 ALC-ADMINISTRATIVE RULES & REGULATIONS 1:00 PM Room 151 EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE & HOUSE Tuesday, October 16, 2012 9:00 AM Room A, MAC ALC-JBC BUDGET HEARINGS Wednesday, October 17, 2012 9:00 AM Room A, MAC ALC-JBC BUDGET HEARINGS Thursday, October 18, 2012 9:00 AM Room A, MAC ALC-JBC BUDGET HEARINGS 10:00 AM * ALTERNATIVE ENERGY COMMISSION 1:30 PM Room 151 ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY JOINT 2:00 PM Room B, MAC CITY, COUNTY & LOCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE - SENATE & HOUSE Friday, October 19, 2012 9:00 AM Room A, MAC ARKANSAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (ALC) 9:00 AM Room 151 * COMMUNITY-BASED PROVIDERS New customers can get a discount on high-speed Internet by Satellite from HughesNet. $99 INSTANT CREDIT at time of Activation of NEW HughesNet account for Farm Bureau Members! CALL 1-866-556-9661 Looking for a great recipe? Check out Arkansas Farm Bureau’s new blog at http://www.tastearkansas.com. It features new recipes almost daily and Arkansas farmers. VISIT THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU WEBSITE AT http://www.arfb.com HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE You are receiving this newsletter because you requested that your email address be added to the electronic newsletter. To unsubscribe please reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line, or send a separate email to Teresa.smith@arfb.com ----------------------------------------------------Arkansas Farm Bureau 10720 Kanis Road Little Rock, AR 72211 501-224-4400