April 24, 2013
www.gfb.org
Vol. 31 No. 17
GFB COUNTY PRESIDENTS MEET WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN D.C. A group of 110 Georgia Farm Bureau members and staff heard updates from Georgia’s Congressional delegation on the farm bill, labor and immigration issues, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and animal agriculture regulation during the annual county presidents’ trip to Washington April 16-19. The group presented congressmen with the organization’s stances on these issues. The group presented the Friend of Farm Bureau Award to Reps. Austin Scott (R-8th Dist.) and Jack Kingston (R-1st Dist.) and Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson. The award is given based on voting records by members of Congress on priority issues set by the American Farm Bureau Federation, as well as the number of bills each member introduced or co-sponsored, leadership on AFBF’s priority issues and how accessible and responsive that member is to Farm Bureau members. During a breakfast on April 17, the GFB group received issues briefings from American Farm Bureau staff, including Senior Director of Congressional Relations Mary Kay Thatcher, who discussed progress on the farm bill. On April 18 Chambliss and Isakson provided updates on farm issues in the Senate. The WRDA (introduced as S. 601) would establish policies and priorities for the Army Corps of Engineers to authorize federal water projects, but Section 2015 of the bill would place limits on withdrawals from Corps of Engineers reservoirs, including Lake Lanier, to less than half of current levels. Exceeding the limits would require Congressional approval. The GFB group urged the Georgia delegation to resist passage of the WRDA if it included Section 2015. AFBF Executive Director of Public Policy Dale Moore talked about the HSUS/United Egg Producers agreement and efforts in Congress to renew the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA). Georgia Farm Bureau members carried messages to their representatives on both issues. They conveyed the organization’s opposition to the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012, which would allow the federal government to regulate the size of layer hen enclosures. Similar legislation is expected in the 113th Congress. Farm Bureau members believe passage would lead to greater regulation of other livestock and poultry practices, and the GFB group expressed that decisions on animal care should be based on scientific evidence and expertise provided by veterinarians rather than ballot initiatives and animal rights activists. The GFB group requested that ADUFA be reauthorized without amendments that might restrict farmer access to antibiotics and other critical animal health tools.