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1 1 (December 19, 2005)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthabdgk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS22131 Updated December 19, 2005 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web The Farm Bill in Brief Geoffrey S. Becker Specialist in Agricultural Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary Most provisions of the current farm bill, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (FSRIA) of 2002 (P.L. 107-171), do not expire until 2007. Nonetheless, various policy developments have brought farm bill programs into play during the 109th Congress. For example, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (H.R. 4241, S. 1932), now nearing final passage, includes five-year savings of approximately $2.7 billion in farm commodity, conservation, and rural programs. This report will be updated if events warrant; for a more extensive discussion of the issues, see CRS Report RL33037, Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill, by Jasper Womack, coordinator. What Is the Farm Bill? Federal farm support, food assistance, agricultural trade, marketing, and rural development policies are governed by a variety of separate laws. Many of these laws periodically have been evaluated, revised, and renewed through an omnibus, multi-year farm bill. These policies can be and sometimes are modified through free-standing authorizing legislation, or as part of other laws. However, omnibus farm bills have provided Congress, the Administration, and interest groups with a periodic opportunity to address agricultural and food issues more comprehensively. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (FSRIA) of 2002 (P.L. 107-17 1) is the most recent omnibus farm bill. Many provisions, notably farm income and commodity price supports, expire in 2007. Without new legislation, permanent price support statutes would take effect. Most of these statutes were enacted many decades ago and are no longer compatible with current national economic objectives, global trading rules, and federal budgetary or regulatory policies. Many believe that these largely outdated permanent laws are kept on the books partly to compel a Congress with increasingly urban and suburban constituencies to pay attention to national agricultural policy. Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress