The Senate begins consideration of the Agriculture Appropriations conference report today. On Friday, the House agreed to the conference report by a vote of 333-53.

The bill provides a total of $55.9 billion, a large portion (65 percent) of which consists of mandatory spending on food stamps and other nutrition programs. Approximately $4.2 billion is provided for emergency aid relief to farmers and ranchers. The conference report also provides about $1.1 billion to the Food and Drug Administration, but does not include the controversial language that would have barred FDA from testing and approving abortion-inducing drugs such as RU-486.

Budget Authority

Key Provisions

• Of that total, $4.177 billion is contingent emergency appropriations, which means the President must declare a disaster before funds can be released. Under the budget rules, emergency appropriations do not require offsets elsewhere in the budget. The remaining $81.4 million in emergency appropriations are not contingent, and are provided to the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service.
• The aid package includes:

  $1.5 billion for payments to farmers for natural disaster losses;
  $1.65 billion in market loss payments;
  $675 million for multi-year losses;
  $175 million for livestock feed assistance; and
  $200 million for other emergency-related aid.

• Economic Research Service is funded at $65.8 million, including $12.2 million for studies and evaluation of child nutrition, WIC, and food stamps programs.
• Agricultural Research Service is funded at $838.4 million.
• Cooperative State Research, Education & Extension Service is funded at $915.3 million.
• A $928 million program level is provided for the Farm Service Agency, of which $716.9 million is from appropriations.
• Animal Plant Health Inspection Service is funded at $433.5 million.
• Agricultural Marketing Service is funded at $58.2 million.
• Food Safety and Inspection Service is provided $609.1 million, including the full amount requested for the food safety initiative and inspection costs.
• Farm assistance programs are provided $1.09 billion, supporting a $2.3 billion loan authorization level.
• Federal Crop Insurance Corporation is funded at $1.5 billion.
• Commodity Credit Corporation funded at $8.439 billion for net realized losses. This reimbursement is largely responsible for the total bill's increase over 1998 levels.

• Natural Resources Conservation Service is funded at $792.4 million, including $641.2 million for operations, $10.4 million for watershed surveys and planning, $99.4 million for watershed and flood prevention operations, $35 million for resource conservation and development, and $6.3 million for the Forestry Incentives program.

• Funding is provided to support a total loan authorization level for rural housing programs of $4.3 billion, including $4 billion for single-family, section 502. Also includes $583 million for rental assistance (the full request and an increase of $42 million over 1998).
• Rural Utilities Service electric and telecommunications loans are funded at $1.5 billion, $92 million more than 1998.
• $724.7 million is provided for the Rural Community Advancement Program.

Of the total funding provided in the Agriculture Appropriations bill, 65 percent is for domestic food assistance programs:

• The School Lunch Program is funded at $5.4 billion, and the School Breakfast Program is funded at $1.4 billion, the same as the President's request (both are funded at the President's requested level).
• The Child and Adult Food Program is funded at $1.6 billion, which is the same as requested, and $140 million is provided to the elderly feeding program.
• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is funded at $3.9 billion.
• Food Stamps are funded at $23.59 billion.
• Commodity Assistance Program is funded at $131 million

Foreign Assistance: $1.197 billion

• Foreign Agricultural Service and General Sales Manager is funded at $136 million.
• Public Law 480 programs is appropriated $1.056 billion, for a total program level of $1.082 billion.

• The Administration's request assumed an additional $127.7 million in collections would be available to FDA for 1999 from proposed user fees, but they could not be counted in the appropriations bill due to lack of authorization.
• The Food and Drug Administration is funded at $1.1 billion, $124 million more than FY98, but $92.4 million more than the President's request. An additional $132.3 million from Prescription Drug User Fees (PDUFA) and $14.4 million from mammography clinics user fees is authorized for salaries and expenses.
• The Food Safety Inspection Service is increased $20.5 million over FY98, bringing FY99 funding to $609.3 million.
• The Food Safety Initiative is increased by $51.9 million.
• $34 million for the youth tobacco initiatives (same level as last year), but does not fund the requested $100 million increase for this account. Report language suggests this funding should be augmented by any tobacco settlement funds that may be available.

Legislative Provisions

• Exempt agricultural products from sanctions on India and Pakistan.
• Require a study on country-of-origin meat labeling and report in one year.
• Extend the statute of limitations on civil rights claims at USDA and provide a 180-day expedited review process.