Date: 1981-11-12
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. S. 1322 designates a U.S. Department of Agriculture boll weevil research laboratory at Mississippi State University as the Robey Wentworth Harnied Laboratory. This bill is emergency legislation because of other provisions that were added on the floor of the Senate to delay and increase in the milk price support level that would otherwise become effective on November 16. and extend the time for conducting the wheat and cotton referendum that Is required by permanent law for the 1982 crop in the absence of any new legislation. Thle reason for taking action today is that the provisions of law which would be delayed by 5. 1322 are provisions which would be superseded by new -legislation contained in the farm bill which Is now In conference. As you know. both the House and Senate conferees have met a number of times over many hours and have made great progress In a attempt to reach agreement on the many issues contained in the farm bill. However. looking at the calendar. It seems quite obvious that we will not have a farm bill signed into law by November 15 and accordingly. find It necessary to take this action today. S. 1322 wvould extend the relevant dates from November 15. 1981. until January 1. 1982. or the date of enactment of the farm bill. whichever Is the earlier. An earlier extension was adopted in Public Law 9767 which extended until November 15. the date for the increase in the milk price support program and the time of the wheat referendum. I am pleased to be ablc to report to the House that the conferees on the 1981 farm bill have reached tentative agreement on the dairy provisions of that bill. Under that agreement. the support price for milk for the current marketing year ending September 30. 1982. would remain at the present level of $13.10 per hundredweight. That was the level under both the House and Senate. versions of the bill. In view of that. it simply makes no sense to allow the milk price support level to go above $13.10 per hundredweight to 75 percent of parity under the law now In effect for a short period of time and then to have to lowver it back to $13.10. If the support price is allowed to increase to 75 percent of parity on November 15. the Government would have to purchase milk from handlers at some 40 cents above the $13.10 level. This would not benefit dairy farmers. but would cause confusion and serve to Invite abuse of our dairy price support program. If the support level adopted by the conferees Is finally enacted. the price the Government pays handlers would then revert back to the $13.10 level. Because of the buyback provisions of tile dairy program. these handlers will be able to purchase what they sold at $13.49 at 110 percent of $13.10. that is. $13.23. This will result In a 26 cents per hundredweight windfall. to those handlersplus the storage costs. S. 1322 also amends section 336 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to extend from November 15. 19t1. to January 1. 1982. the date by which the Secretary Is required to conduct a referendum of eligible wheat producers to determine whether they favor establishment of a national marketing quota for wheat for the marketing year beginning June 1. 1982. The original date for conducting such a referendum. August 1. 1981. was delayed to October 15. 1981. by Public Law 9767. With regard to the wheat referendum. as I pointed out. the farm bill cannot be enacted before November 15. 1981the current date for the referendum. Extending this date to January 1. 1982. would prevent a costly and unnecessary exercise. The Department of Agriculture estimates the cost to be about $4 million. Also. Mr. Speaker. the same principle applies to a similar referendum of eligible cotton producers which the Secretary will be required to conduct by December 15. 1981. Extending that date to January 1. 1982. at this time could save a potentially necessary effort to do that later this year if any kind of unforseeable impasse should result in the. new farm bill not being enacted by December 15. 1981. I urge adoption of this legislation..