Posted by: Phillip Fraas
June 21, 2008
Topic: REPORTS ON 2008 FARM BILL STATUS--January 2008 To Enactment

A little less than a month ago, on May 22, Congress overrode President Bush's veto and enacted into law a version of the farm bill that, due to clerical errors, did not include title III, which covers international agricultural programs and policies. That version had the bill number H.R. 2419, and was enacted as Public Law 110-234.

Congress vowed at the time to take action to correct this oversight; and it has. First, the House of Representatives in May, and then the Senate, on June 5, passed a new version that included title III (bill number H.R. 6124). Following that, after careful proof-reading, H.R. 6124 was sent to the President last Monday, June 16. He vetoed it, and on Wednesday, June 18, that bill--the full farm bill, including title III--was enacted into law when both the House and Senate overrode the President's veto. I have not been able to obtain the Public Law number on this bill yet. As to the effect of the second enactment, it will not have any, save for its title III provisions. Everything else in the new version will have already been the law of the land since May 22.

Legislative action on the 2008 farm bill is complete. Now, the focus shifts to USDA, which has the important task of writing regulations and taking other actions to implement the provisions of the farm bill.

NOTES:

--This blog now has a new topic area: REPORTS ON WHAT IS IN THE NEW FARM BILL. Over the next several months, postings will be made in this topic area describing what is in the fifteen titles of the farm bill. There is one entry already, on the loan and payment provisions of title I (commodity-specific price and income support). And, in a couple of days, I'll post another entry on the other provisions of title I.

--I am starting a new blog: farm paymentlimitationslaw.com, which will focus on the complicated but important changes that the new farm bill makes in the rules limiting the amounts farmers can receive under the commodity payment programs and on the new adjusted gross income (AGI) limit. The new AGI limit excludes persons from (1) receiving any program payments if their non-farm AGI exceeds $500,000 or (2) receiving direct payments if their farm income exceeds $750,000. Look for that blog site to be up and running next week.

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