WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2013 – Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, offered a motion to instruct conferees on the farm bill Tuesday night dealing with the energy title and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The non-binding motion would call for House conferees to use the Senate language in the energy title on funding levels. This would put mandatory funding levels for energy back into the bill similar to the last farm bill. The programs that would receive mandatory funding are the Biobased Markets Program, Biorefinery Assistance Program, Biodiesel Education Program, Rural Energy for America Program, Biomass Research and Development, and Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
In addition, the motion would urge conferees to use the Senate language of reauthorizing the SNAP program for five years instead of the three years proposed in the House bill. This essentially would keep the agriculture and nutrition portions together for reauthorization in the future, Loebsack said.
House floor debate on the motion could occur today with a vote possible on Thursday. It is likely to fail.
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