Please read the latest NASCOE Legislative Update regarding the passage of the House version of the 2018 Farm Bill.
Legislative
What is the Farm Bill and Why is it Important?
On April 18, the House Agriculture Committee passed its Farm Bill, H.R. 2, the “Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018”. The full legislative text of H.R. 2 is 641 pages. The Section-By-Section version (link attached at end of this article) is much more condensed and offers highlights of the legislation. The Bill passed the House Agriculture Committee and will now move to the full House which is expected to vote on the measure next month. The Bill will move through the Senate Agriculture Committee next and the Senate is expected to release its version in the next few weeks.
Passage of the House Bill is just one early step in a series of many steps that must be taken before a Farm Bill becomes law. The process can be confusing and therefore we hope to shed a little light on the process to make it a little easier to understand.
So you might ask, “What is the Farm Bill and why is it important?” The Farm Bill is an omnibus, multi-year law that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. An omnibus bill is a single document accepted in a single vote by Congress that packages together several measures into one or combines diverse subjects. Titles in the most recent farm bill encompassed farm commodity price and income supports, agricultural conservation, farm credit, trade, research, rural development, bioenergy, foreign food aid, and domestic nutrition assistance. Because it is renewed about every five years, the Farm Bill provides a predictable opportunity for policymakers to comprehensively and periodically address agricultural and food issues.
The current Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2014, expires September 30, 2018. When a farm bill expires, not all programs are affected equally. Some programs cease to operate unless reauthorized, while others might continue to pay old obligations. The farm commodity programs not only expire but would revert to permanent law dating back to the 1940s. Nutrition assistance programs require periodic reauthorization, but appropriations can keep them operating. Many discretionary programs would lose statutory authority to receive appropriations, though annual appropriations could provide funding and implicit authorization. Other programs have permanent authority and do not need to be reauthorized. These permanent programs include LFP, LIP, ELAP, and TAP.
The second page of this article contains a flow chart that will serve as a guide to help NASCOE members understand the legislative process and how a bill becomes a law.
NASCOE’s Legislative Team is working hard for our members to stay informed and proactive as the 2018 Farm Bill process continues. We not only monitor Farm Bill issues, but other issues that affect membership such as benefits, annual appropriations and re-organization. NASCOE is proud to represent employees who want our customer service and program delivery to align with Secretary Perdue’s motto to “Do right and feed everyone” in a fiscally responsible manner to benefit our agricultural economy.
H.R. 2, Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2019, Section-By-Section:
NASCOE News Flash: 2018 Negotiation and All Association Meeting with Management
NASCOE President Dennis Ray
The week of April 2-6 was very busy for NASCOE leadership and the NASCOE negotiation team. We traveled to Washington DC to participate in the 2018 All Association Meeting and to conduct NASCOE’s annual negotiation meeting with management. Those traveling included officers Dennis Ray, Brandon Wilson, Curt Houk, Marcinda Kester and Wes Daniels; Area Executives Chris Hare, Rick Csutoras, Jay Goff, Mike Mayfield and Jessi Colgrove; Area Negotiation Consultants Debbie Staley, Tracy Wilson, Sabrina Conditt, Jenae Prescott and Jessica Walls. Also traveling to WDC were National Programs Chair Michelle Stahl and National Legislative Chair Donny Green.
Monday was a travel day for most of the team however Brandon and I traveled in on Sunday in preparation for Monday meetings with some key members of management. Brandon and I began by meeting with Acting Administrator Steve Peterson and his chief of staff Kathy Sayers to follow up on some pending issues. We discussed staffing numbers and the critical need to hire. We then met with Undersecretary Northey and discussed that our ability to provide the service as mandated is being severely hampered in some parts of the country due to the low staffing numbers. Both the acting Administrator and the Undersecretary expressed optimism that another round of hiring would be coming soon, possible within a few weeks. FSA has been developing a workload and staffing tool that NASCOE has been involved with for the past two years. The ability to use the tool to help determine where staffing needs are, and the passing of the Omnibus spending package should help assure the decision makers that FSA can effectively determine the staffing level needed and the locations where they are needed most.
Tuesday the NASCOE negotiation team held a meeting at our hotel to make a final review of our negotiation items and to prepare for presenting our positions to management. This year, NASCOE submitted 11 new items for consideration and revisited items from previous years that were still pending. Negotiating County Office concerns with management is one of our main purposes as an association. Also, it is important to point out that NASCOE is the only organization that can negotiate with management on behalf of county office employees.
Wednesday, April 4th, was the All Association Meeting held in the Jefferson auditorium. All FSA employee associations were invited to attend including National Association of Farmer Elected Committees and the Retired Association of ASCS/FSA Office Employees. Among the presenters were Acting FSA Administrator Steve Peterson, Undersecretary Bill Northey, Joy Harwood, Tom Christenson, Kim Graham, Linda Treese and Patrick Spalding and Brad Karmen.
Thursday April 4th was the actual negotiation session with management. One of the carryover items was the Aspiring Leadership Program for PT’s. This item was agreed upon a couple of years ago and development of the program had started but not completed. NASCOE asked the status and was pleased to hear that the program development is nearly completed, and the program will be offered in FY-2019. This program will offer a training program for PT’s who wish to develop their leadership skills. There will be a limited number of participants so be looking for more information as it is released.
Shared management operations are an annual discussion topic at negotiations and it was again this year. There are changes coming in 27-PM (Rev. 2) that will contain language about the requirements for pre-decisional involvement by the affected county committees and the state association to accompany the request to DAFO when shared management operations are proposed. Management also agreed to begin work on the shared management task force within 60 days of the negotiation session. This has been tabled for the past couple of years, but they have agreed to establish the work group and begin discussions. The negotiation session was mainly positive, and the results of the negotiations will be made public once NASCOE and management can review the wording of the resolutions for accuracy. These will be posted to the website as soon as they are received back from management.
I know that the current staffing level and delays to hiring are a couple of the biggest concerns expressed to NASCOE leadership. We have been pressing as hard as we can to encourage management to add staff to get back to the level of funding enacted by Congress. We bring that up during every conversation at every level where we have the opportunity including at the Secretary, Undersecretary, FPAC and FSA level. We have also expressed staffing concern with the Senate Ag Committee and many members of Congress. Our legislative Consultant and National Legislative Chair made 14 Hill visits last week and discussed staffing levels, customer service, Farm Bill Reauthorization, county office structure and the importance of the county committee.
I would like to thank all the negotiation team and those who traveled to Washington for this meeting for the hard work, dedication and the long hours spent during the trip. It takes a lot of effort beginning in December to be prepared for this type of meeting with management and I want to publicly express my thanks. I would also like to thank Wes Daniels, Past NASCOE President for his service to NASCOE the past seven plus years. Wes has taken a DD position and will be providing his leadership in a new arena going forward. Please thank Wes when you have the opportunity for the years of service to NASCOE.
The actual negotiation session happens once a year, however employees are encouraged to submit items throughout the year via the online submission form. Those items are reviewed periodically to see if they are time critical. If meritorious the item may be escalated for consultation by the President and the Vice President during our trips to Washington, DC.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dennis Ray
NASCOE President
NASCOE Legislative Update: Federal Appropriations for FY18 & Congressional Meetings
To: NASCOE Membership
From: Hunter Moorhead
Subject: Federal Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018 and Congressional Meetings
This memorandum outlines the recent budget agreement for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. The two-year budget agreement allowed for finalization of the 2018 bill which runs through September 2018. The higher spending limits also allowed Congress to end sequestration cuts and add funding to certain programs. In addition, the second portion of this document details recent Congressional meetings.
The final budget agreement included specific funding for the below policies.
Budget agreement:
| FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | |
| Current law defense cap | 551 | 549 | 562 |
| Cancel defense sequester | 54 | 54 | |
| Security priorities | 26 | 31 | |
| New defense cap | 551 | 629 | 647 |
| OCO/emergency | 83 | 71 | 69 |
| Defense discretionary total | 634 | 700 | 716 |
| ——————————————————– | ————- | ————- | ————- |
| Current law nondefense cap | 519 | 516 | 529 |
| Cancel nondefense sequester | 37 | 37 | |
| Domestic priorities | 26 | 31 | |
| New nondefense cap | 519 | 579 | 579 |
| OCO | 21 | 12 | 8 |
| Nondefense discretionary total | 539 | 591 | 605 |
Agreement includes:
- National Institutes of Health – $1B for 2018 and $1B for 2019;
- Opioids and Mental Health – $3B for 2018 and $3B for 2019;
- Veterans Administration healthcare backlog – $2B for 2018 and $2B for 2019;
- Infrastructure – $10B for 2018 and $10B for 2019;
- Child Care Development Block Grant – $2.9B for 2018 and $2.9B for 2019; and
- Higher Education – $2B for 2018 and $2B for 2019.
Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations:
On March 23, the Congress approved and President signed the fiscal year 2018 appropriations bill. The agreement was positive for NASCOE and we believe will lead to additional employees.
The bill includes $23.3 billion in discretionary funding, which is $2.1 billion above the fiscal year 2017 enacted level. In total, the bill allows for $146 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding – $7.6 billion below the fiscal year 2017 enacted level.
The legislation provides $1.70 billion for farm programs, which is $2 million above the fiscal year 2017 level. This funding will continue support for various farm, conservation, and emergency loan programs, and will help American farmers and ranchers. It will also ensure customer service through full staffing of local county Farm Service Agency offices, including additional funding for farm loan officers, and meet estimates of demand for farm loan programs.
FSA Salaries and Expenses:
| 2017 Enacted | 2018 Request | Final Bill | Final Bill vs 2017 | Final Bill vs Request |
| 1,515,720,000 | 1,428,051,000 | 1,519,756,000 | + 4,036,000 | + 91,705,000 |
The final agreement provides an increase of 22,216,000. Based on the FPAC reorganization, the Committee transferred $4,944,000 for the Warehouse Act and $13,236,000 for international food procurement to the Agricultural Marketing Service.
- Please know that certain NASCOE members have requested details about FSA’s salaries and expenses spending levels. The information will be provided soon.
Public Law / Bill Language:
FARM SERVICE AGENCY SALARIES AND EXPENSES
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
For necessary expenses of the Farm Service Agency, $1,202,146,000: Provided, That not more than 50 percent of the $78,013,000 made available under this heading for information technology related to farm program delivery, including the Modernize and Innovate the Delivery of Agricultural Systems and other farm program delivery systems, may be obligated until the Secretary submits to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress, and receives written or electronic notification of receipt from such Committees of, a plan for expenditure that (1) identifies for each project/investment over $25,000 (a) the functional and performance capabilities to be delivered and the mission benefits to be realized, (b) the estimated lifecycle cost, including estimates for development as well as maintenance and operations, and (c) key milestones to be met; (2) demonstrates that each project/investment is, (a) consistent with the Farm Service Agency Information Technology Roadmap, (b) being managed in accordance with applicable lifecycle management policies and guidance, and (c) subject to the applicable Department’s capital planning and investment control requirements; and (3) has been reviewed by the Government Accountability Office and approved by the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress: Provided further, That the agency shall submit a report by the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018 to the Committees on Appropriations and the Government Accountability Office, that identifies for each project/ investment that is operational (a) current performance against key
H.R.1625—14 indicators of customer satisfaction, (b) current performance of service level agreements or other technical metrics, (c) current performance against a pre-established cost baseline, (d) a detailed breakdown of current and planned spending on operational enhancements or upgrades, and (e) an assessment of whether the investment continues to meet business needs as intended as well as alternatives to the investment: Provided further, That the Secretary is authorized to use the services, facilities, and authorities (but not the funds) of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make program payments for all programs administered by the Agency: Provided further, That other funds made available to the Agency for authorized activities may be advanced to and merged with this account: Provided further, That funds made available to county committees shall remain available until expended: Provided further, That none of the funds available to the Farm Service Agency shall be used to close Farm Service Agency county offices: Provided further, That none of the funds available to the Farm Service Agency shall be used to permanently relocate county based employees that would result in an office with two or fewer employees without prior notification and approval of the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
House Report language:
The Committee does not: 1) provide the one-time FY 2017 increases of $6,000,000 (this language was included in the House language but was not part of the final budget agreement); 2) accept reductions in non-federal full time employees (FTE); 3) accept savings from farm program modernization; and 4) accept any reduction in FTE for international commodity operations and food aid programs including Food for Peace Title II and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program.
The Committee does: (1) accept savings from FTE attrition; (2) provide funding for CCC audit readiness; (3) accept savings from federal and non-federal operating expenses; (4) direct farm program modernization savings to be used for other IT purposes proposed and as determined by the Secretary; and (5) accept IT operation maintenance and imaging savings.
CLEAR Initiative.—The Committee is encouraged by FSA’s announcement of the new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiative, the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers (CLEAR) initiative, which creates a funding mechanism for the installation of saturated buffers and denitrifying bioreactors (NRCS Standard Codes 604 and 605, respectively) into CRP buffers (CP 21 & CP 22). The CLEAR announcement established policy to incentivize and allow the installation of bioreactors into new, existing, and re-enrolled CRP buffers. However, saturated buffers were only allowed in new and re-enrolled CRP buffers. The Committee understands this has limited the ability of stakeholders to install saturated buffers into CRP without penalty. The Committee recommends FSA look into changing the CLEAR guidelines to allow the installation of saturated buffers in new, re-enrolled and existing CRP contracts to allow FSA cost-shared installation of saturated buffers, and to examine allowing for installation of saturated buffers through non- federal programs and initiatives without penalty to landowners.
Emergency Conservation Program (ECP).—The Committee encourages USDA to continue providing updates of funding needs for ECP, especially in the aftermath of drought, wildfires, and other natural disasters. The Committee encourages FSA to be flexible in meeting new challenges as it was during recent wildfire outbreaks when it allowed grazing on CRP lands.
Senate Report language:
Deputy Under Secretary for Conservation.—The Committee recognizes that NRCS, FSA, and RMA each play an important role in helping farmers, ranchers, and foresters manage risk and build the resilience of their operations. Additionally, better coordination and data sharing between the three agencies can limit inefficiencies, improve conservation outcomes, and enhance USDA’s ability to serve its customers. The Committee therefore encourages the Secretary to establish a Deputy Under Secretary for Conservation under the Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area to facilitate such coordination and ensure that each of the three agencies is supporting the conservation objectives of the producers that they serve.
Emergency Response.—The Committee directs USDA to produce a report outlining the average and longest length of time it takes USDA to provide reimbursement under the following emergency assistance programs: crop insurance; Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program [NAP]; Livestock Indemnity Program [LIP]; Livestock Forage Disaster Program [LFP]; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program [ELAP]; Tree Assistance Program [TAP]; Emergency Conservation Program; and Emergency Forest Restoration Program [EFRP]. USDA is also directed to include in the report any barriers to implementing a more efficient reimbursement process and recommendations to the Committee on potential improvements.
Continuous Conservation Reserve Program.—The Secretary is strongly encouraged to, within the total acreage made available for enrollment in the conservation reserve program and without reducing the periodic availability of general signup, enroll, to the maximum extent practicable, acreage for activities included in the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement practice or other similar administratively established wetland and habitat practices that benefit priority fish and wildlife species identified in State, regional, and national conservation initiatives with a priority for initiatives that provide large blocks of cover ideal for wildlife nesting.
Information Technology.—The Committee remains dedicated to ensuring FSA has reliable and functioning IT systems because it is critical that farmers and ranchers have access to the tools they need to succeed. The Committee has invested significant taxpayer dollars to modernize outdated systems and continues to provide resources above the budget request. The Committee continues statutory language that allows funds for IT to be obligated only after the Secretary meets certain reporting requirements. The Committee has reviewed the third-party IT analysis and expects the agency to follow the recommendations where applicable.
National Agriculture Imagery Program.—The Committee recommends that funding shall be allocated to purchase imagery products to meet programmatic requirements.
Congressional advocacy efforts:
Donny Green, NASCOE Legislative Chairperson, and Hunter Moorhead, NASCOE Legislative Consultant, recently spent two days on Capitol Hill raising the importance of additional county office staff and rebuilding our footprint. According to FSA’s Leadership, the agency lost over 150 employees between October 1 and December 23, 2017. The current county office staffing level is unacceptable and hiring new employees is our top priority.
We met with the following offices;
Senator Thune – R-SD Senator Gillibrand – D-NY Senator Daines – R-MT
Senator Klobuchar – D-MN Senator Heitkamp – D-ND Senator Donnelly – D-ID
Senator Fischer – R-NE Senator Smith – D-MN Senator Perdue – R-GA
Senator Hoeven – R-ND Senator Casey – D-PA Senator Grassley – R-IA
Senator Boozman – R-AR Senator Bennet – D-CO
Senate Ag Committee Staff – Majority Senate Ag Committee Staff – Minority
Donny spoke about the below staffing numbers and the agency’s inability to service customers.
| Years | Total CO | Total GS | Total |
| 17-18 Totals | 6785 | 1745 | 8530 |
| 16-17 Totals | 7104 | 1838 | 8942 |
| 15-16 totals | 7180 | 1639 | 8819 |
| 14-15 totals | 7145 | 1586 | 8731 |
| 13-14 totals | 6944 | 1724 | 8668 |
| 12-13 totals | 7484 | 1625 | 9109 |
| 11-12 totals | 7678 | 1621 | 9299 |
| 10-11 totals | 8636 | 1863 | 8636 |
| 09-10 totals | 8661.5 | 1934 | 10595.5 |
| 08-09 totals | 8651 | 1908 | 10559 |
| 07-08 totals | 8637 | 1866 | 10503 |
| 06-07 totals | 8647 | 1820 | 10467 |
| 05-06 totals | 8823 | 1854 | 10677 |
| 04-05 totals | 9209 | 1860 | 11069 |
| 03-04 totals | 9329 | 2110 | 11439 |
Passed and Signed! Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 was passed by the House Thursday and by the Senate on Friday. The President signed the Bill this afternoon (3/23/18).
We are happy to report that passage of this Bill funds government operations through Sept. 30, 2018.
The entire Bill is 2,232 pages and we are currently reviewing it. As we learn more, we will be providing further updates.
Have a good weekend!
Donny Green & Jackson Jones
NASCOE Legislative Co-Chairpersons
NASCOE News Flash: Legislative Update – 03-21-2018
NASCOE will be heading to Washington DC the first week of April to conduct our annual negotiation session. The negotiation team has been preparing to present and negotiate the items submitted by membership. For those unfamiliar, suggestions on how to improve efficiency, improve working conditions or improve service to our producers are submitted by membership through the online submission form located on the NASCOE webpage. Those suggestions are vetted and then sent to management for consideration. The negotiations team which is comprised of the officers, the area execs and area negotiation consultants, then meet face to face with management to negotiate the item. To ensure equal representation from the areas, negotiation consultants must be a PT if the area exec is a CED and vice versa. All members are encouraged to participate in the negotiation process by submitting items for review.
NASCOE has received a few questions regarding the comment during the town hall regarding the one to ten ratio for supervisors and employees. This has been the standard touted by OPM for the federal workforce for the past several years. It is important to keep in mind the goal is to average one supervisor for every ten employees across the agency, not that every supervisor must have ten employees. It is very likely you will see this standard used while standing up the business center and in areas of the mission area where possible. NASCOE will continue to monitor this and other areas of concern as we move forward.
In addition to the negotiating with management, NASCOE will also participate in an all association meeting on Wednesday, April 4th. We will have the opportunity to see and visit with leaders from the agency, department and FPAC. This will give us the opportunity to follow up on some of the information that was provided in the recent town hall meeting. An update will be provided to the membership soon after the meetings.
The following is a legislative report from our consultant Hunter Moorhead.
“All – I hope this note finds you well. I want to update NASCOE’s membership on two important legislative initiatives, the omnibus appropriations measure and Farm Bill. The current continuing resolution is set to expire on March 23. We expect the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate will soon wrap-up negotiations and meet the current deadline. This legislation will fund the government through fiscal year 2018. The Congress recently agreed to new spending limitations (caps) that should allow for adequate FSA salaries and expenses funding. We continue to urge Secretary Perdue to make available any additional funds for hiring county office staff. When finalized, we will share information about the final package.
“The other important legislative issue is reauthorization of the 2014 Farm Bill. While I expected the House Agriculture Committee this week to release draft legislative language, our contacts tell us it will likely be the middle of April. A group of Democratic House members have raised concerns with any effort to limit Food Stamp benefits. The other challenge for Chairman Michael Conaway is securing House floor debate time. On the Senate side, the negotiations are slowly moving forward, and any draft bill will follow action by the House of Representatives. We will continue to monitor the Farm Bill process and share any legislative information.”
NASCOE News Flash: Shutdown Update from President Dennis Ray
As you are all aware by now, Congress has failed to pass a budget or continuing resolution and federal funding has lapsed. While we are hopeful that this can be resolved sooner rather than later, at this point we are not certain how long the shutdown may last. The NASCOE political consultant has been closely monitoring the situation and providing updates as they became available. Congress is expected to resume negotiations today in an attempt to reach agreement.
If the funding lapse continues we know that we will go into work Monday morning to begin the shutdown process. Employees will also have to finish loading time and attendance if they couldn’t complete it prior to Web-TA crashing. Employees can also load their time and attendance from home using their eAuth login and personal computer. According to the FAQ’s provided in the OSEC email received late yesterday afternoon, PP 1 direct deposits are scheduled to be processed as normal.
Secretary Perdue tweeted the following information earlier today.
During the government shutdown, necessary functions of @USDA will continue to protect public safety and property. For our agency-by-agency shutdown plans, please see https://t.co/9b9zG6VmC6.
For more info about programs which will continue, click https://t.co/vPFZ0wvKjX
— Sec. Sonny Perdue (@SecretarySonny) January 20, 2018
As new information becomes available, NASCOE will be using various communications methods to inform membership. These include the NASCOE national database, updates to the NASCOE webpage and normal email distribution through the NASCOE Area Execs to State Association Presidents.
NASCOE established its database several year ago to be able communicate with membership in times such as these. If you provided your email address at that time and it has not changed you should be receiving database updates already and do not need to sign up now. If you did not enroll in the database at that time you can go to this link and enroll now. Please share this link with our co- workers.
Members can also receive email updates any time the NASCOE webpage is updated by subscribing to the follow button. It is located on the home page at https://nascoe.org/ and only requires providing your email address and clicking on the follow button. Additionally, we will use our normal email distribution lists. If you are not currently receiving information by one of these various methods, I would encourage you to begin now.
Hopefully the Congress will find a way to agree on funding the government before it drags out too long. In the mean time we will keep monitoring the situation and provide any information we can.
Sincerely,
Dennis Ray
NASCOE President
CR Update: January 16, 2018
Below is an update from Hunter Moorhead, NASCOE Legislative Consultant.
Donny Green & Jackson Jones
NASCOE Legislative Co-Chairs
The House has introduced the attached continuing resolution funding the government through February 16. The House Rules Committee will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) at 3:00 p.m.
Lifted from House Appropriations Committee:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen today introduced legislation (H.J.Res 125) to maintain current funding for federal operations and prevent a government shutdown. The Continuing Resolution (CR) is a stop-gap measure that will extend government funding through February 16, 2018. In absence of this legislation, existing funding would run out on January 19, 2018.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen today introduced legislation (H.J.Res 125) to maintain current funding for federal operations and prevent a government shutdown. The Continuing Resolution (CR) is a stop-gap measure that will extend government funding through February 16, 2018. In absence of this legislation, existing funding would run out on January 19, 2018.
In addition to continuing government funding, the bill includes language to extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years, a provision that allows the Department of Defense to provide funding for “Missile Defeat and Defense Enhancements” activities, and extensions of several health care related tax provisions.
Secretary Perdue Announces State Committee Appointments
Washington, D.C., January 4, 2018 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced a slate of Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Committee Appointees. State committees are selected by the Secretary, serve at the pleasure of the Secretary, and are responsible for carrying out FSA’s farm programs within delegated authorities.
“The State Committees will help to ensure USDA is providing our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural producers with the best customer service,” Secretary Perdue said. “They serve as a liaison between USDA and the producers in each state across the nation by keeping them informed and hearing their appeals and complaints. The committees are made up mostly of active farmers and ranchers, representing their peers and ensuring USDA’s programs are supporting the American harvest.”
The following is a list of State Committees released today:
Alabama
Committee Chair Monica Carroll – Ozark
Andy Lavender – Brundidge
Rodney Moon – Harvest
Steve Penry – Daphne
Doug Trantham – Alexandria
Alaska
Committee Chair Scott Mugrage – Delta Junction
Joe Orsi – Juneau
Richelle Plummer – Matanuska Valley
Al Poindexter – Kenai Peninsula
Arizona
Committee Chair Pamela Griffin – Globe
Andy Grosetta – Prescott
Steven Killian – Phoenix
David Lamoreaux – Gilbert
Lyndon Smith – Gilbert
Arkansas
Committee Chair Ron Chastain – Faulkner County
Gary Churchill – Pope County
Sarah Dunklin – Desha County
Nathan Reed – Lee County
Vivien Wright – Sevier County
California
Committee Chair Greg Wegis – Buttonwillow/Bakersfield
Blake Alexandre – Crescent City
Thomas J. Butler – Woodland
Joe Egan – Susanville
Colorado
Committee Chair Jo Stanko – Steamboat
Glenn Hirakata – Rocky Ford
Robert Mattive – San Luis Valley
Alex Rock – Wray
Nathan Weathers – North Yuma County
Connecticut
Committee Chair Bonnie Burr – Storrs
Melissa Greenbacker-Dziurgot – Middlesex County
Bruce Gresczyk – New Hartford
Diane Karabin – Southington
Mark Sellew – Lebanon
Delaware
Committee Chair Richard Bergold – Dover
Jay Baxter – Georgetown
Donnie Collins – Millsboro
Lori Ockels – Milton
Florida
Committee Chair Michelle Williamson – Dover
Mike Adams – Jennings
Mack Glass – Marianna
Mark Sodders – North Palm Beach
Georgia
Committee Chair Allen Poole – Haralson County
L.G. (Bo) Herndon, Jr. – Vidalia
Meredith McNair Rogers – Camilla
Donnie Smith – Willacoochee
Hawaii
Committee Chair Teena Marie Rasmussen – Kula
Wilson Kenzo Koike – Waianae
Glenn Martinez – Waimanalo
Boyd J. Ready – Haleiwa
Simon Russel – Makawao
Idaho
Committee Chair Mike Guerry – Castleford
Joe Anderson – Potlach
Kaitlin Davis – Cascade
Matt Gellings – Idaho Falls
Randy Hardy – Oakley
Illinois
Committee Chair Jim Reed – DeLand
Martin R. Barbre – Carmi
Melanie DeSutter – Woodhull
Ron Moore – Roseville
Troy Uphoff – Findlay
Indiana
Committee Chair Ken Rulon – Arcadia
Kim Ames – Fillmore
Bill Gelfius – Hartsville
Clint Orr – Forest
Kirk Perkins – Wolcottville
Iowa
Committee Chair Ray Gaesser – Corning
Nathan Anderson – Cherokee
Laura Cunningham – Nora Springs
Jim Stillman – Palo Alto
Pat Swanson – Ottumwa
Kansas
Committee Chair Garrett Love – Gray County
Lexy Goyer – Cowley County
Nick Gutterman – Miami/Johnson County
Michael Jordan – Mitchell County
Greg McCurry – Sedgwick County
Kentucky
Committee Chair Sharon Furches – Calloway County
Tom Flowers – Shelby County
Kenny Imel – Greenup County
Brenda Paul – Paris
Bart Peters – Cadiz
Louisiana
Committee Chair Ray Young – Wisner
Julie Baker-Richard – Abbeville
John Earles, II – Bunkie
Emery Jones – Natchez
Donna Winters – Lake Providence
Maine
Committee Chair Sue McCrum – Belfast
Gregg Garrison – Blaine
Heath Miller – Newburgh
Nancy Ricker – Turner
David Tuttle – North Berwick
Maryland
Committee Chair Jenny Rhodes – Centerville
Steve Ernst – Washington County
Steve Isaacson – Cecil County
Pat Langenfelder – Kennedyville
Massachusetts
Committee Chair Bradford N. Morse – Rochester
James J. Larkin – Sheffield
Matthew J. Parsons – Hadley
Michigan
Committee Chair Sally McConnachie – Deckerville
Blaine Baker – Clayton
Ben Lacross – Lake Leelanau
Matt Schwab – Standish
Isaiah Wunsch – Traverse City
Minnesota
Committee Chair Scott Winslow – Fountain
Kurt Blomgren – Butterfield
Jay Nord – Wolverton
Mike Yost – Murdock
Karolyn Zurn – Callaway
Mississippi
Committee Chair Ted Kendall IV – Bolton
Scott Flowers – Clarksdale
Bobby Moody – Louisville
Henry Reed – Belzoni
Rita Seward – Jackson County
Missouri
Committee Chair Julie Hurst – Atchison
Marc Allison – Dade
Cindy Schroeder – Saline
Will Spargo – Ripley
Barbara Wilson – Audrain
Montana
Committee Chair Carl Mattson – Chester
Joe Dooling – Helena
Chaley Harney – Billings
Bruce Tutvedt – Kalispell
Nebraska
Committee Chair Scott Spilker – Beatrice
Cindi Allen – Ogallala
Mark Jagels – Davenport
Hilary Maricle – Boone County
Geoff Ruth – Rising City
New Hampshire
Committee Chair Kathy Sherman – Conway
Gary LeClair – Claremont
Madison Lowell Hardy – Hollis
Scott Mason – North Stratford
Kirk Scamman – Stratham
New Jersey
Committee Chair Linda DuBois – Pittsgrove
Kurt Alstede – Chester
Sam Conard – Hillsborough
Jim Etsch – Middlesex
New Mexico
Committee Chair Alisa Ogden – Carlsbad
Dustin K. Johnson – Farmington
Matthew L. Lansford – Clovis
John M. Romero – Laguna
New York
Committee Chair Judi Whittaker – Broome County
Michael Bittel – Greenwich
Lawrence Eckhardt – Rensselaer County
Theodore Furber – Wayne County
Barbara Hanselman – Delaware County
North Carolina
Committee Chair Alice Scott – Lucama
Jeffery Lee – Benson
Nathan Ramsey – Fairview
Richard Renegar – Harmony
Jeff Tyson – Nashville
North Dakota
Committee Chair Jim Hauge – Mandan
Jared Hagert – Emerado
Erika Kenner – Leeds
Edward Kessel – Dickinson
Barton Schott – Kulm
Ohio
Committee Chair Trish Levering – Knox County
Ronnie Clifton – Pickaway County
Kim Davis – Carroll County
Daryl Knipp – Sandusky County
Joe Steiner – Warren County
Oklahoma
Committee Chair Gary Crawley – McCallister
Sarah Dorsey – Bixby
Karen Eifert Jones – Stillwater/Waukomis
Don Allen Parson – McCurtain County
Oregon
Committee Chair Anna Sullivan – Baker County
Sam Asai – Hood River
TJ Hansell – Hermiston
John Phillip (Phil) Hassinger – Cove
Pennsylvania
Committee Chair Bonnie Wenger – Lebanon
George Greig – Linesville
Doug Graybill – Granville Summit
Bill Hoover – Tyrone
Rhode Island
Committee Chair Doreen Pezza – Providence County
Judy Carvalho – Newport County
Christopher Jaswell – Providence County
Ellen Pucetti – Providence County
South Carolina
Committee Chair Tony Grant – Columbia
Bob Battle – Mullins
Bill Surratt – Spartanburg/Gaffney
Landy Weathers – Bowman
Beth White – York
South Dakota
Committee Chair Mark Gross – Bridgewater
Gwen Kitzen – Belle Fourche
Tiffani Robertson – Hermosa
Bill Simonsen – Roslyn
Tennessee
Committee Chair Steve Officer – Dekalb County
Daryl Brown – Maury County
Charlotte Kelly – Tipton County
Renea Jones Rogers – Unicoi County
Texas
Committee Chair Jerry Harris – Dawson/Gaines County
Juan Garcia – Willacy County
Rodney Schronk – Hillsboro
Michael Skalicky – Ganado
Linda G. Williams – Dumas
Utah
Committee Chair William Tolbert – Piute County
Scott Mower – Sanpete County
Randy Sessions – Morgan County
Mike Yardley – Beaver County
Vermont
Committee Chair Sally Goodrich – Cabot
Jacques Couture – Westfield
Heidi Dolloff – Springfield
Joe Tisbert – Cambridge
Virginia
Committee Chair Brian K. Harris – Heathsville
Gary D. Cross – Zuni
Matthew J. Lohr – Broadway
Charles P. Shorter – Blacksburg
Steve Sturgis – Eastville
Washington
Committee Chair Melanie Wyss – Okanagan County
Maureen Harkcom – Lewis County
Jesus Limon – Grandview
Robyn Meenach – Spokane County
Bruce Nelson – Spokane County
West Virginia
Committee Chair Andrea Lambert – Taylor County
Lois Alt – Hardy County
Russell Linger Jr. – Huttonsville
Rocky Peck – Wood County
Sarah Wayne – Braxton County
Wisconsin
Committee Chair Lisa Condon – Horicon
Thomas Gillis – River Falls
David Heideman – Clintonville
Anthony Kurtz – Wonewoc
Tom McClellan – Delavan
Wyoming
Committee Chair Nancy Tarver – Gillette
Julie Hahn – Rawlins
David Slover – Worland
Puerto Rico
Committee Chair Carmen Rullan – Adjuntas
Duahmed Colon – Gurabo
Yanice Deynes – San Sebastian
Rebeca Feliciano – Aibonito
State committees are appointed for a one year term which began on January 1, 2018. Each state committee has five members, one chairperson and four members. States that are not listed here or that have incomplete lists will be announced at a later date.
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Update on Continuing Resolution and Budget Process
Good morning – With the current continuing resolution (CR) expiring on December 8, we want to share some information about federal spending bills and how Congress may fund the government. At this point, we don’t expect any government shutdown.
Hunter Moorhead
NASCOE Legislative Consultant
APPROPRIATIONS:
After the reconciliation process on tax reform is concluded, the Congress will turn to completing legislative action on funding the government for FY 2018 and other must pass items. The Senate Appropriations Committee has reported 8 of the FY 2018 appropriations bills from full committee and “posted” the remaining four unreported bills and reports (DoD, Financial Services, Homeland Security, and Interior). Those bills and reports can be viewed at:
DoD:
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majority/fy2018-defense-appropriations-bill-released ;
Financial Services:
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majority/fy2018-financial-services-and-general-government-appropriations-bill-released ;
Homeland Security:
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majority/fy2018-homeland-security-appropriations-bill-released
Interior:
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majority/fy2018-interior-environment-appropriations-bill-released .
This release of the Senate Appropriations Committee recommendations for the remaining FY 2018 bills sets the stage for conference activities between the House and the Senate on an omnibus appropriations spending measure once a “top line” spending level is agreed to between House and Senate leadership. Observers expect the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will need about three weeks to work out the differences between the 12 appropriations bills and assemble them into an omnibus appropriations bill.
Currently, under the existing continuing resolution, the government is funded through December 8, and an additional CR is expected to be necessary to fund the government beyond December 8 while the appropriations bills and other must pass legislation is finalized. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has suggested a CR until the end of the year may be necessary to complete the Congress’s legislative agenda and others have suggested CRs through December 22nd and through January 15 (2018). The longer the tax reform/relief process takes, the more likely continuing resolutions extending into 2018 become.
Spending levels for Defense and Non-Defense Discretionary continue to be the topic of speculation, with a two year spending adjustment to the Budget Control Act (BCA) of between $182b ($57b DoD, $34b NDD) and $224b ($70b DoD, $42b NDD). Expect the Budget Control Act adjustment to be on the lower side of the range being discussed. After the top line levels are agreed upon by leadership, the Appropriations committees will provide subcommittee allocations for the 12 individual bills to be negoatiated between the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittee chairs and professional staff.
3rd EMERGENCY DISASTER RELIEF SUPPLEMENTAL:
On the 18th of November, the White House submitted the third emergency supplemental request for hurricane (Harvey, Irma, Maria) disaster recovery efforts. That request can be viewed at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/Letters/fy_2018_hurricanes_supp_111717.pdf
While the request included $44b for FEMA ($23.5b), the Small Business Administration ($1.6b), agricultural assistance ($1b), Education Recovery fund ($1.2b), and miscellany Federal agency recovery costs ($4.6b), the request was notable for what it did not include: any funding for California wildfires relief efforts, incomplete funding for Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands hurricane recovery efforts, etc. The Administration acknowledged that further supplemental requests would result from continuing efforts with Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands “to identify, refine and articulate additional emergency funding requirements.” The supplemental is expected to move first through the Senate (on an existing and available appropriations vehicle), grow in size and scope, and move to the House in December. Both House and Senate Appropriations Committees are expected, time permitting, to hold oversight hearings on the administration’s request. The 3rd Supplemental may also carry other must pass legislative measures as it moves through the Senate and the House.
Possible other legislative measures rumored to be under consideration for inclusion in a Disaster Relief Supplemental, CR, or Omnibus measure that moves in December:
- Budget Control Act cap adjustments;
- Extenders (CHIP, Medicare, other);
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) fix;
- FISA Section 702 Extension;
- Debt Limit Increase;
- National Flood Insurance Program Authorization (NFIP); and
- Cost Sharing Reduction (CSR) Stabilization legislation.