Senate Ag Approps approves bill without amendments
May 20, 2014 | 04:17 PM
The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee today passed the fiscal year 2015 Agriculture appropriations bill.
Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., did not hold a vote, but reported out the bill after ranking member Sen. Roy Blount, R-Mo., offered it.
The bill provides total funding of $20.575 billion for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies for fiscal year 2015.
The bill also includes $100 million in disaster relief spending. Discretionary funding is $90 million below the fiscal year 2014-enacted level, but $228 million above the budget request.
The bill does not include any amendments or provisions on school meals or potatoes in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as WIC, but amendments on both those programs will come up at full committee markup on Thursday.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she would offer an amendment to require USDA to allow the purchase of all vegetables in the WIC program.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he would offer at least two amendments on school meals.
One would leave the level of sodium allowed in school foods at current levels but not allow any further increase until Congress reauthorizes the child nutrition programs, which is scheduled for 2015.
A second amendment would stop USDA from increasing the quantity of whole grains offered in meals or snacks beyond the current 51 percent of the total quantity of grains offered.
Hoeven said he supports the amendment approved by the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee today that would allow schools that have been losing money in the school lunch program for six months to seek waivers, but added that he would not offer that amendment because he does not believe the Senate Appropriations Committee would pass it.
▪ Committee on Appropriations — Summary: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies — Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations Bill
Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., did not hold a vote, but reported out the bill after ranking member Sen. Roy Blount, R-Mo., offered it.
The bill provides total funding of $20.575 billion for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies for fiscal year 2015.
The bill also includes $100 million in disaster relief spending. Discretionary funding is $90 million below the fiscal year 2014-enacted level, but $228 million above the budget request.
The bill does not include any amendments or provisions on school meals or potatoes in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as WIC, but amendments on both those programs will come up at full committee markup on Thursday.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she would offer an amendment to require USDA to allow the purchase of all vegetables in the WIC program.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he would offer at least two amendments on school meals.
One would leave the level of sodium allowed in school foods at current levels but not allow any further increase until Congress reauthorizes the child nutrition programs, which is scheduled for 2015.
A second amendment would stop USDA from increasing the quantity of whole grains offered in meals or snacks beyond the current 51 percent of the total quantity of grains offered.
Hoeven said he supports the amendment approved by the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee today that would allow schools that have been losing money in the school lunch program for six months to seek waivers, but added that he would not offer that amendment because he does not believe the Senate Appropriations Committee would pass it.
▪ Committee on Appropriations — Summary: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies — Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations Bill
