Faulting a House version, the Iowa senator is working
for a bipartisan effort.
By JANE
NORMAN
Register Washington Bureau
10/12/2001
Washington, D.C. - Senate Agriculture Committee
Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Ia., said Thursday he won't be rushed when his committee
takes up work on a new farm bill next week.
But Harkin also said that Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., is
pushing for an aggressive schedule in the Senate in the wake of House passage
of its 10-year bill remaking farm policy.
Harkin took over chairmanship of the committee in July and said he has been
holding hearings and getting input since then on a farm bill to replace the
1996 Freedom To Farm Act, which expires in September 2002. The terrorist
attacks delayed consideration, but Harkin said he now is meeting daily with
Republican and Democratic members to craft a bill that has bipartisan support.
Harkin said he does not agree with House members who argue that legislation
needs to be approved quickly to relieve farmers in economic distress.
The 10-year, $170 billion House bill would increase spending on commodity
programs and offer financial help when prices are low. Critics say it would
encourage overproduction and hurt small farmers.
"Everyone is bemoaning how bad the situation is in agriculture,"
said Harkin. "So what do they do? They pass a bill to continue what's made
it terrible."
The money will be available in the budget for agriculture, said Harkin. He
would not promise that the farm bill will make it to the Senate floor this
year.
"I'm not going to be bum-rushed into passing a bad farm bill just
because there's a drum beat out there because the House passed a bad
bill," Harkin said.
Harkin said Daschle has told him the House bill is "unacceptable,"
and Harkin noted that South Dakota fares poorly under the legislation in some
analyses.