Washington, D.C. - Sixth District Congressman Frank Lucas is encouraging fellow House members to accept a Senate-passed provision in the Senate version of the 'FY99 Agriculture, Rural Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill' addressing producer concerns with the meat packing industry.
"Throughout my short tenure in Congress, the issues of packer concentration and collusion in the packing industry have been consistent topics of conversation among my farming and ranching constituents in the Sixth District of Oklahoma," Lucas stated in the letter.
The provision passed in the Senate bill would establish a three-year mandatory price reporting pilot program for livestock sales.
"Price reporting benefits ranchers by giving them the tools to make good business decisions," Lucas wrote. "With the price reporting provisions included in the Senate bill, ranchers will be able to more accurately gauge how much livestock and unmanufactured meat are going on the market."
The House-passed version of the FY99 Agriculture Appropriations bill did not include such a provision. Soon, assigned Members from the House and the Senate (called 'Conferees' assigned to serve on the 'Conference Committee') will hash out the details in consolidating language from both bills into one joint piece of legislation to be approved by both houses.
Lucas sent letters to every prospective Conferee in the House of Representatives (the entire Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Bob Livingston--Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and Rep. David Obey--Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee) requesting that the Senate mandatory price reporting language be accepted into the final version of the bill.
Previously, on May 5, 1998, Lucas also requested that the House Agriculture Committee hold hearings on this issue. To date, no hearings have been granted.
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