Policy Updates and Issue News September 2016

September 29, 2016

CAPITOL HILL

Congress Heading Home

Senators and Representatives are leaving Capitol Hill to return to their states and districts for the next six weeks.  The entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate are up for reelection this year on November 8.  Grangers are urged to study the issues, attend rallies, organize town hall meetings, talk to the candidates and get involved in campaigns.  Exemplify the Grange motto, “American Values-Hometown Roots.”   Congress returns to Washington November 14 for a lame duck session that will have lots of unfinished business on the agenda.

No Government Shutdown This Year

Both the House and Senate passed stop-gap legislation this week to fund the federal government through December 9.  With strong bipartisan support, the measure passed the House 342-85 and cleared the Senate 72-26.  President Obama has signaled his support and will sign the bill.  Thorny issues were stripped from the measure and will be considered in lame duck.

Water Infrastructure Projects Promised

The House passed a $5 billion water infrastructure bill 399-25 this week clearing the way for negotiations with the Senate’s earlier-passed bill on a compromise version that can be sent to the President in lame duck.  Funding to correct drinking water problems for Flint, Michigan and exemptions from EPA above-ground fuel storage requirements on farms are in both bills.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

Agriculture Loans

As Congress prepared its Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government for the next several months, concern arose over the lack of loan funds available to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) during this stopgap period.  National Grange Master Betsy Huber joined 14 other farm and farm lending organizations to urge Congress to ensure FSA has the necessary funds to continue providing critical operating funds to approved producers in the next fiscal year.  As commodity and livestock prices continue to struggle, estimates are that FSA will enter FY2017 with a $215 million backlog in farm operating loans from 2016.

An obscure provision showed up in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 2017 9 (H.R. 4909) that would eliminate the statutory $750,000 limitation on annual receipts for a small business farm loans and direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to set higher limits.  The National Grange joined eight other farm and rural groups on a letter to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees leadership asking Congress not to change the SBA loan limits.  SBA is allocated limited amounts of loan funding which is already inadequate for small business demand.  Since nearly 90 percent of farms have gross receipts less than $350,000, their access to credit should be protected. Larger operations usually have additional credit options.

Defining “Healthy” Foods

The FDA is considering new regulations for foods labeled “healthy” to reflect current scientific data.  New science is showing total fat to be less important than the types of fat and that Americans are not getting enough potassium or Vitamin D.  As understanding about nutrition evolves, FDA wants to make sure labeling claims stay up to date.  FDA will solicit public input on these proposed new labeling regulations.

Animal and Organic Industries Disagree on GMO Label

Under the new GMO labeling law, animal products are exempt from being designated as containing genetically modified ingredients, but can these products be labeled GMO-free?  Much of the agriculture  industry believes there’s no reason products from GMO fed-animals shouldn’t be able to carry a GMO-free label.  They say, “It’s like saying I am genetically modified because I ate an ear of corn last night”.  The organic sector disagrees maintaining that when GMO crops are involved in any way in the production of food, that food should not be eligible for a GMO-free label.  This is just one of many challenges USDA must resolve as it promulgates new GMO food labeling requirements.

Millennials Are Organic Consumers

Results from a recent Organic Trade Association study says about 52 percent of household heads that buy organic food and products fall into the millennial 18-to-34 year- old age group. The survey shows millennials put a high level of trust in the organic seal.  Behind millennials, 35 percent of Generation X 35-50 years old buy organic but only 14 percent of baby boomers, 51-69 years old, shop organically.

HEALTHCARE

Uninsured Rate Goes Down

The number of people without health Insurance decreased by 1.3 percent between 2014 and 2015 according to the Census Bureau.  The coverage gains occurred among the private insurance market, largely attributable to ObamaCare, plus government coverage like Medicare or Medicaid.

ObamaCare Exits Become Election Issues

Eight of the states that might determine the Senate majority in November could see significant reductions in the number of insurers participating in ObamaCare marketplaces according to data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation.  Likely departures of insurers in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin could push the healthcare law to the center of some of the most competitive Senate races in the country. The shrinking insurance options could cause higher premium increases, something many ObamaCare customers would be informed of just eight days before elections. One-fifth of ObamaCare customers are likely to have just one insurer to choose from this fall, increasing the scenario in which one insurer has a monopoly in the marketplace.

Employer Health Deductibles Up

Employer insurance premiums grew 3 percent for families in 2016 but deductibles grew at a faster rate according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.  The percentage of workers whose employer-provided plans have an annual deductible grew from 74 percent to 84 percent.  The average single deductible has grown as well from $991 to $1,478.

Fewer Allergies for Farm Kids

Growing up on a farm may help ward off allergies later in life.  A new study at the University of Melbourne (Australia) analyzed data from a survey of more than 10,000 adults in 14 countries in Europe, Scandinavia and Australia.  This study matches other research that suggests exposure to germs and potential allergens in early childhood could protect people against allergies later in life.

ENVIRONMENT

EPA Violated Personal Information

The Environmental Protection Agency has violated the Freedom of Information Act by releasing personal information (including names, home addresses, GPS coordinates, phone numbers and email addresses) of owners of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).  The unanimous decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit found the agency violated the personal privacy of tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers.  EPA now has to “recall” the personal information it unlawfully released, but many feel the damage is already done since the information has been in the hands of the requesters (Food and Water Watch, the Environmental Integrity Project and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement) for three years.

EPA Overreach Under Clean Water Act

A recent Senate Environment and Public Works Committee report accuses the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers of reckless and unlawful actions in enforcing the Clean Water Act and using an overtly expansive interpretation of their authority to regulate “waters of the U.S.”  The report describes many examples of regulatory overreach.  In one case, a farmer was ordered to abandon his field because his ordinary plowing was declared a violation of the Clean Water Act.  Another farmer was told he must preserve tire ruts from his own vehicle as a wetland.  A third farmer was ordered to abandon his plans to plant trees because he had never planted trees on his land before. A rancher was told he could not keep a stock pond he built for his cattle because the pond was too aesthetic to be a stock pond and it fell outside the stock pond exemption.

BROADBAND AND CONNECTIVITY

Free Data and Mobile Connectivity

Expansion of high-speed broadband connectivity into rural America and other underserved areas of the country remains a top priority for the National Grange.  The value of free data programs and mobile connectivity to rural citizens was recently emphasized by National Grange Master Betsy Huber in a letter to the commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission.  She voiced support for free data from mobile providers to help expand access to online content in rural areas and encouraged the Commission to support the evolution of these programs.  As rural Americans increasingly turn to their smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices as their primary means of internet access, their needs for and consumption of mobile data are rapidly surging. The premise behind free data programs is to allow customers to access certain content on their mobile devices that don’t count against monthly data plans which gives them more data at no added cost.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW LETTER WRITTEN BY NATIONAL GRANGE MASTER BETSY HUBER

Connecting Rural Phones

Behind the theme of “No matter where one chooses to live, phone service should be consistent and reliable,” the House passed the Communications Act Update Act of 2016 this week.  It includes provisions to combat problems of calls failing to complete to rural areas and relieves small business network operators from burdensome broadband obligations.

Feedback and questions are welcome.  Call or email Burton Eller,  (202) 628-3507 extension 114, be****@************ge.org.