| Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act Of 2009—Resumed |
December 15, 2009 |
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Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ
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"Madam President, this is a simple solution to a complicated problem. My amendment contains the Dorgan amendment. The work done by our friend from North Dakota is significant. But what it did not have is a guarantee, as much as possible, that the product was safe; that there were no counterfeits, that there were no mixtures of things that might not work well with other drugs."
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| Agriculture, Conservation, And Rural Enhancement Act Of 2001 |
December 14, 2001 |
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Tim Johnson, D-SD
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"A priority of mine, the Senate farm bill provides more emphasis on conservation than any farm bill passed by the House or Senate heretofore. Our bill contains a number of conservation programs, including a reauthorization of the very successful Conservation Reserve Program and an increase in the total acreage eligible for the program to 41.1 million acres. While this is not the 45 million acre cap that I have advocated with legislation in the past, it is a step in the right direction. As we move forward to expand CRP, it is my belief that Congress and USDA must look at the criteria chosen by USDA to award contracts to landowners. Too often, South Dakota producers and landowners have been penalized by the Environmental Benefits Index which now requires very costly mixtures of seed varieties to be planted on new CRP tracts. It is my hope we can apply some greater flexibility to the EBI so this program can be effective in South Dakota. I believe the farm bill must direct more attention towards programs such as CRP which protect soil and water, promote habitat and wildlife growth, and compensate family farmers and ranchers for taking measures to conserve our resources. Additionally, the bill includes a version of the Harkin-Johnson Conservation Security Program which is a new initiative placing emphasis on conservation practices that are compatible to working lands on farms and ranches. Furthermore, the conservation title includes a reauthorization of my Farmable Wetlands Pilot, which is reauthorized through the life of the new farm bill, 2002 to 2006. This Farmable Wetlands Program was crafted last year by South Dakotans to protect small and sensitive farmed wetlands and to compensate producers for taking these acres out of production. When USDA would not administratively implement this idea, Senator Daschle and I introduced legislation which was signed into law. The legislation called for a two-year pilot program to enroll small, farmed wetlands, up to 5 acres in size, into CRP. I am very proud that South Dakota common-sense left an imprint on the conservation title of this farm bill with the extension of this Farmable Wetlands program. Finally, the conservation title contains a new Grassland Reserve Program to protect prairie and grasslands across the country."
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| Department Of Transportation And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000—Continued |
September 16, 1999 |
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Pete Domenici, R-NM
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"I appreciate the Subcommittee’s support for the NERC Center, and I would like to highlight the potential of this Center’s work as it would relate to the Department of Transportation’s mission. The National Environmental Respiratory Center—NERC as it is called—is the only research program in the United States focused specifically on the increasingly troublesome issue of understanding the health risks of mixtures of air pollutants."
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