Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for his support.

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for that. I withdraw my reluctant opposition, and look forward to the conference on the amendment.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for the clarification.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I wanted to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for being such a strong supporter of alternative fuels and, obviously, with the gentleman's support, the Beltsville Research Station, the premiere agricultural research station in the country, is leading the rest of the Nation in this important arena. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for his own leadership as a member of the Committee on Appropriations in assuring that Beltsville understands the seriousness of this Congress in trying to move additional alternative fuels on-line for the sake, not just of the Beltsville station, but for the sake of the Nation. I want to thank the gentleman for taking the time today to place in the Record the actual research, the demonstration and the results of what has actually been accomplished at Beltsville. Without question, the gentleman is placing a foundation there that can be built upon and transferred to other USDA sites, as well as the cooperative agreements that USDA can reach with all of our land grant universities across the country. I just want to thank the gentleman for helping to spur these efforts forward and for helping Beltsville lead the rest of the Nation as it should.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I yield to the gentlewoman from California.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, for the purpose of discussion, I want to just clarify, because we have some Members on this side who have brought amendments up just recently and we had not expected those. I wanted to make sure that those Members understood that under this unanimous consent agreement, which I will ultimately support, I do not believe that they would be able to bring their amendments up. I wanted to clarify that. The only amendments that would be allowed would be those that have already been printed in the Record?

Ms. KAPTUR. And available to the committee?

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise in very reluctant opposition to this amendment, mainly because of the offset and not because of the worthiness of the gentleman's objective here in trying to lessen the burden on seniors who participate in our elderly feeding programs. I have to say to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) that I have the highest regard for him and for his trying to be a voice here so ably for all the seniors of our country and their nutrition needs. But for the record I do want to point out that our subcommittee, under great strain, was able to meet the administration's request for all feeding programs, including the elderly feeding program. And, in fact, because we were able to transfer funds, $10 million from other accounts, we were able to increase the amount of funds available in this account from $141 million that is being spent this year to $151 million next year. So that is an increase, and that would help tick up the amount of funds available across our country. Since 1993, the program that the gentleman wants to take the money from, the PL-480 program, has been cut by nearly half, and for this coming fiscal year, even in the bill we are presenting today, we are $37 million below the administration's request in an account that has been reduced by 42 percent over the decade of the 1990s. So I would beg of the gentleman to find another offset. I think I sort of feel he is doing half right and half wrong here. Because with the crisis we have in rural America, one of the ways that we are able to help is to use the PL-480 program, as underfunded as it is, to move these commodities around the world. We are certainly moving commodities around our country to our feeding kitchens, to our pantries around the Nation, and through our humanitarian programs; but to take the money from this account really is almost like taking the money from programs that feed starving people and putting it into programs for those who are participating in nutrition programs here in our country that will be funded at the administration's request. So I am very torn by the gentleman's amendment. I would only encourage him to, as we move toward conference, to work with us on the subcommittee to see if we cannot find other offsets for the gentleman's very worthy request. I would also mention that his amendment might result in increasing the reimbursement rates for senior meals from 54 cents to 57 cents. While local program operators might have legitimate expenses, I guess one could question the real value of this amendment in terms of actual dollars that would be available at the various feeding sites. So, please, recognize our objection to this is stated very reluctantly only because of the account that it is being taken from, which is not only underfunded for this next year, and does not meet the administration request, but which has been cut by 42 percent since 1993. I would just encourage the author to seriously look at other offsets.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, the amendment we are proposing today would provide an additional $53.1 million in emergency appropriations to the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to deal with emergency situations we have been talking about today dealing with pests and diseases. The additional amounts would bring total funding up to what the President's 2001 budget request had asked for in four critical lines within what we call APHIS, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, budget. These include emerging plant pests, invasive species, fruitfly exclusion and detection, and the contingency fund itself. The bill, as reported by the subcommittee, provides $57.1 million less than requested for the first items listed and very partially offsets this shortfall by providing $4 million more than requested for the contingency fund. Our amendment eliminates the $53.1 million shortfall in this very, very important account. Now, these budget items are used by the Department of Agriculture to combat serious outbreaks of pests and diseases. People should think about their communities and some of the little green and yellow boxes that are put up on trees to detect what is happening across this country. We have just heard from two very distinguished Members from Illinois and from New York on the Asian longhorned beetle infestation which started in New York City and Chicago, Illinois. We have heard other Members this morning, including the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd), a member of our committee from Florida, talking about citrus canker and the removal of entire groves of limes and of orange trees in Florida. We heard from the Members of the Pennsylvania delegation about plum pox in Pennsylvania and the impact on fruit trees and the spread of that pox across the fruit regions of our country. Members from California have spoken with us about Pierce's disease, which affects grapes in California and threatens our entire wine industry. Though these creatures may be small and we can hold them in our hands and some of the viruses and cankers we cannot even see but under a microscope, their economic devastation is gigantic, mounting to billions and billions of dollars annually. In the State of Michigan, the unfortunate incidence of bovine tuberculosis which can spread across that State and has spread to where now animals cannot leave that State unless inspected also would be covered by these accounts. Mediterranean fruitflies that threaten agriculture in wide sections of the South. These truly are emergencies. The report references the fact that these are situations that create havoc across the country. We believe they are important enough in a multibillion-dollar bill that we should restore the full account to the $53.1 million net additional dollars needed to truly meet the national need. Now the subcommittee's report acknowledges that the administration, by using its powers under the Commodity Credit Corporation, might be able to deal with some of these emergencies. But the administration maintains that the use of these powers is not appropriate for the kind of ongoing remediation that these difficulties cause. So this amendment simply provides the emergency funding that everyone agrees is necessary, and we should certainly restore these dollars in the bill as will be finally reported out of the House, hopefully today. Mr. Chairman, I ask the membership for a favorable vote on this. I would hope that the objection might be withdrawn and that we could include these dollars that are so much, very much needed to help preserve our production and our ecosystems across our Nation coast to coast. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I did not ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, yes, I would like to be heard. Mr. Chairman, I point out again how our country is currently dealing with a number of very serious new or resurgent agricultural pest and disease problems that threaten crops and trees and animals in many different parts of our country. We seem to be able to find funds to do many things in this legislation, as well as in the supplement, to fund counternarcotics programs in Colombia. Well, I would very much like to be able to fund needs in our country, especially those that threaten so very much damage. Just to summarize, in Florida, Citrus Canker is threatening Florida citrus groves. In Chicago and New York and in those States of New York and Illinois the Asian longhorned beetle, with no known predator. Bovine tuberculosis, which was thought to be eradicated in our country but is now spreading in Michigan, imposing heavy costs on that State's dairy and cattle industries. Plum pox, a disease of peaches and plums and cherries and other stone fruits normally found only in Europe and Asia first detected in Pennsylvania last year and now threatening fruit growers in that State and likely to spread. Mediterranean fruit flies which appear only sporadically in our country but when they do they cause great damage; and should that infestation reach the southern United States, we would experience disastrous losses to fruit and vegetable industries. Now, I think that the appropriate way to handle this is to directly place the dollars in the account, not expect that an ongoing eradication program should be done through the Commodity Credit Corporation, which is generally used for emergencies only. So I would just say that it is vital we stop these pests and disease outbreaks from spreading and failure to do so is extremely costly. I do not think we should be burdening USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation authority with having these ongoing responsibilities. I think it is far more reasonable to provide the resources needed to stop these pests, and I would urge the membership to pay attention to this particular debate. I am sorry that the gentleman has to exercise his point of order. I would be pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) if she seeks time on the issue.

Ms. KAPTUR. Would I be able to yield time to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) on the point of order?

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I would like to appeal to the Chair and ask unanimous consent of the membership for an additional minute and a half, if I might, in addressing the point of order.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, in regard to the proposal on the amendment dealing with the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, I just wanted to read into the Record a statement of policy that I think is important to be appended to this debate today, and it comes in the form of a letter from the Office of Management and Budget dated June 29, 2000, from the Executive Office of the President concerning plant pests and diseases. It says: ``The administration places a high priority on fighting plant pests and diseases, especially when there are invasive species that may be eradicated before becoming an established threat. To combat sudden outbreaks of invasive species, the administration has used emergency transfers through the Commodity Credit Corporation at a level that is much higher than the two previous administrations combined, and we continue to support the use of Commodity Credit Corporation funds in cases of unforeseen emergencies. However, where eradication efforts extend over several seasons, costs are predictable and should be incorporated into the discretionary appropriations process. Therefore, to address ongoing plant pest and disease outbreaks, the administration has proposed substantial appropriations in the 2001 budget. The Committee bill has not provided these appropriations, thereby requiring a corresponding increase in emergency spending from the CCC for activities that can no longer be considered unforeseen.'' The issue of proper compensation to producers for losses due to invasive plant pests and disease has grown more complex recently as the variety and complexity of outbreaks have increased. Legislative and administrative actions to provide compensation for invasive species losses would be better guided by a policy that distinguishes between compensation as part of eradication efforts and compensation as reimbursement for natural disaster losses due to infestations rather than through event-specific supplementals. The administration believes there should be a more systematic approach to making these decisions and will be sending to Congress a set of recommendations that it hopes can be used as a framework for discussion with Congress on this issue. I reiterate, in the President's cover letter it says he would recommend that this bill be vetoed if it were presented to him in its current form.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment and support the Vermont agritourism initiative. I do so because first of all, the committee and the House have approved this initiative. I want to commend the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) for his leadership on this. We all know what is happening to farms, especially small and medium-sized farms across our country. The name of this subcommittee is Agriculture and Rural Development, and this is one of those activities that falls in the area of rural development. For all of the other Members here who have supported this in the past, it is very interesting to think about some of the articles we read in the newspapers today, about people getting shot on the freeways in California. Just the stress of being on those roads every day and to have to commute hours a day. People are looking for relief from the stress of modern society. Then we read other articles about a place like Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which is known to have a number of people of Amish heritage and which also has benefited from agritourism over the years. There are so many visitors to Lancaster county, 7 million visitors. It is one of the most key destinations in Pennsylvania for tourists. They cannot even handle it. The American people and visitors from abroad are looking for the experience that rural America can provide. We do not really have a very well-coordinated set of initiatives across this country to help people move through the rural countryside. I remember when I was traveling in Europe years ago and they had a whole system of bed and breakfasts, one could go to the main tourist bureau in the town and they would give you a list of where to stay. America is beginning to catch up. But we are far from where other countries in the world are in this regard. There are a few tour books. I know in Michigan I picked up one in a bookstore about some of the places one could visit in the State of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, as rural incomes decline and prices decline in terms of commodities, and we are going through this extremely difficult period in rural America right now, people in rural America are looking for ways to enhance their income. They are not asking for a handout, they are asking to use the assets they have, which include their farmland, their barns, their communities, their community activities, in order to bring in people from the outside who have extra dollars to spend and invest. So I really think agritourism is a vital element for economic growth. It is one of the answers for us in terms of restoring vitality to rural America. Really, we need to celebrate the natural wonders and educational opportunities that rural areas and the people there offer to all of us. Perhaps the gentleman has a good intention of trying to be fiscally responsible; but I think that this is not a forward-looking amendment, because many parts of the country, including Vermont which does not have the highest income in the country, that is for sure, sagging incomes and a very precarious rural situation, this is really part of the answer for the future for Vermont as well as many other places. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to commend the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders). I apologize if I have not listed all of the cosponsors of this proposal. I would be pleased to yield to the gentleman any remaining time that I might have in order to further discuss the gentleman's opposition to this amendment.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. First of all, I would like to thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham) and the majority, along with the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen), chairman of the subcommittee, for accepting this very worthy amendment offered by the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton). I cannot think of another Member who comes up to me as much as the gentlewoman from North Carolina does to carry the plight of those from North Carolina who have been suffering from this hurricane, from floods, from low prices. We need more Members like the gentlewoman in this Congress. Mr. Chairman, I want to say to the people of North Carolina who sent her here, they have really gotten their money's worth. This woman works every day, 24 hours a day for her constituents and for this country. And this particular initiative to try to provide modular housing to people who have been very damaged by disasters in North Carolina is but another example of the kind of work that she does here. So my compliments to the gentlewoman for her leadership and her absolute devotion to her State and to her people. And I think that this amendment offers an innovative way to help people who have lost their homes through no fault of their own. And without question, it is the responsibility of the people of the United States to help our fellow brothers and sisters around this country who are trying to live under the weight of natural disasters over which they have had no control. Mr. Chairman, I commend the gentlewoman for her real leadership coming to this committee, both sides of the aisle, and crafting a very worthy amendment like this. She obviously has the support of both sides of the aisle. I extend to her my congratulations.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for bringing this important economic project to our attention. The committee in our report identified this project as one that should be given special consideration by the Department, and I am certainly willing and prepared to work with the gentlewoman to be certain the Department is supportive of this very worthy project.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman kindly yield?

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I want to reexpress my appreciation to the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Young) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Chairman Skeen) for trying to restore regular order in this House and permitting the Members to exercise their will. The legislative will of the House and its membership must be retained both here on the floor and in the conference committee, and no special set of leaders who may have a higher title than any Member that stands on this floor should have a right to write our conference bill. We thank them for restoring the power back to the membership where it belongs and to the regular order of the committee process.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word, and want to continue a bit on this colloquy on the Asian Longhorned Beetle. I, too, would like to join with the chairman of our subcommittee, the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen), and state that I will work in conference for increased funding for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service so it has the resources to effectively battle such invasive species as the Asian Longhorned Beetle, the citrus canker, and the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter, among others. And I want to say to our colleagues, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Blagojevich), that we know what leadership they have taken here in the Congress in bringing our attention to the problems that their home communities are facing. I hear that in New York City this week there have been additional sightings of the beetles near Central Park. And having traveled to New York and Chicago, I can only imagine your park directors and what they are going through, because we have no known predator for this creature. The only solution we have is to basically cut down the trees and burn them. Of course, we know that these creatures came in in packing crates from China, both in the wood and in the cardboard inside, unfortunately; and we are now trying to take more precautions to fumigate those crates when they come in here, but this is a very, very serious problem. And because there is no known predator, adjacent States that have agricultural production, for example in maple sugar and maple syrup, those forests are threatened, those groves and stands of trees are threatened by this very same insect. So we hear the concerns of both the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Blagojevich), and we will absolutely be bringing this to the attention of the conferees.

Ms. KAPTUR. I yield to the gentleman from New York.