Date: 1990-07-18
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman. I do so first in order to permit me to allow myself to respectfully associate with the words spoken about the distinguished gentlewoman from Nebraska . who is leaving after a very prominent career here. Her dedication to agriculture is certainly appreciated by all of US. I also associate myself with the remarks extending best wishes to our distinguished colleague. the gentleman from Oklahoma . At this point. Mr. Chairman. I am concerned about crop insurance. which was mentioned by the gentleman from New Mexico . Let me say first a little bit of history: Federal crop lnsruance was instituted to allow our producers a safety net because agriculture is the most susceptible of our industries to natural disasters. The private sector was not in a position to provide adquate insurance on crops and on some trees like in the citrus areas. So to fill that void. a Federal system of crop insurance was instituted. Regretfully. it was not working as well as intended. Therefore. the Congress commissioned a commission to make a study. The legislative committee. the Committee on Agriculture. began conducting hearings. The administration recommended to do away with crop insurance. to go to an ad hoc disastertype situation. So we find ourselves now that the legislative committee is working. endeavoring to come up with a viable program. In the meantime. though. I am concerned. and I would like to visit with the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations concerning the action taken here by the committee that might send the wrong signals to American agriculture that the Congress and the administration are deserting them in this area of needed support. I say this because crop insurance has now become the new farming era. Bankers. for example. would not allow loans to farmers. production loans. unless they have crop insurance. So we find ourselves in a dilemma. I hope that we are not sending the signal that there would be no Federal crop insurance. that there would be no program safety net. that all of American agriculture would be subject to ad hoc disaster assistance when and if it comes. Therefore. they will not be able to plan. The farmers of today now use it as a very viable tool of production. So I would like to engage in a colloquy. if possible. with the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Appropriations. the gentleman from Mississippi . to see if we can send the proper signal as to what it Is we are trying to do. what it is we would like to do. For what we would like to do. from the Committee on Agriculture. on the legislative side. is to see that we have a program that is viable. that is run as nearly as actuarially sound as possible. I again echo. if it were actuarially sound without the necessity for Government interference. it would already be done by the private sector. So within those constraints. I would like to visit with my distinguished friend. the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations. so that we might allay some of the fears but yet send a signal as to where it is we would like to go. Certainly the gentleman from Mississippi will be a viable. integral part of whatever end result we come up with.