The Senate intends to proceed immediately with negotiations to authorize farm policy legislation, after receiving the House farm bill this week. “This is very positive, because it gives us an opportunity now to sit down in a conference committee and get to work,” Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) told reporters this week.
Stabenow also said the next step will be to go to the Senate floor to begin procedural methods such as substitute in the Senate bill for the House bill and sending a request to the House for a conference. Earlier this month, the House passed its farm bill without a Title IV, which is the nutrition title which includes provision pertaining to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called food stamps. Stabenow said she believes the work on the measure will be completed by the September 30 deadline when current law expires.
