Date: 1984-08-01
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. last week. in response to your request. I submitted a brief letter on the subject of legislation from the Agriculture Committee which remains pending before this session of Congress. Today I want to share that information with our colleagues who are interested in these bills. It includes some legislation of great importance. some matters which I believe should be decided before we end this session. One of those bills will come before the House for final action soon. That is H.R. 5151. the Hunger Relief Act. I hope the House will adopt this bill by the same overwhelming bipartisan margin it got in the House Agriculture Committee. And I hope also. Mr. Speaker. that the other body can be persuaded to act on this badly needed legislation this year. Another issue of great significance is the soil conservation bill. S. 663. which is currently in conference. The House has passed a sound bill which has broad bipartisan support. We have not yet been able to reach agreement in the conference. and I can only tell the House that your conferees will do everything they can to work out a compromise that retains the basic elements of the House bill. Also. I would remind the House that time is running short for final action on a third major bill. H.R. 3050. t.he Rural Electrification and Telephone SelfSufficiency Act. The House passed that bill back on March 1. The Senate has not yet acted on this measure which is needed to provide longterm safeguards for rural electrification. Beyone these bills. I want to list for the information of members other bills which the Agriculture Committee may bring to the House or which have passed the House and are awaiting action in the other body. Bills originating in the Agriculture Committee which are expected to be brought before the House are: House Joint Resolution 600. the Agricultural Trade and Export Policy Commisson Act (which was also referred to the Foreign Affairs and Ways and Means Committees). House Resolution 3150. a conveyance of land to the Sabine River Authority in Texas. Senate 1643. a bill to strengthen the operation of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Committee system. Bills which have passed the House and are pending in the Senate include: H.R. 3903. to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to develop and implement a coordinated agricultural conservation program in the Colorado River Basin. H.R. 5223. to exempt restaurant central kitchens from Federal inspection requirements. H.R. 5358. the Honey Research. Promotion and Consumer Information Act. H.R. 2714. The Agricultural Productivity Act. H.R. 2784. the Atlantic Tunas Convention Actoriginally reported by the House Agriculture and Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committees. H.R. 2838. assistance to groups and organizations volunteering to plant tree seedlings on public lands. H.R. 5221. to extend the period during which amendments to the U.S. Grain Standards Act contained in the 1981 Budget Reconciliation Act will remain in effect. The legislation would continue a system requiring users of Federal inspection services to pay the full cost of the services. H.R. 5183. a Virginia land conveyance. A number of wilderness bills which originated in the House Interior Committee and were also referred to the House Agriculture Committee.