Legisletter for May 23, 2013 By Washington Farm Bureau The May 23, 2013, edition of Washington Farm Bureau’s Legisletter is now available. Articles include the following: — “Special” Session Drags On — U.S. Senate Committee Advances Immigration Reform Bill — Washington Farm Bureau Votes to Oppose Initiative 522 — Governor […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau Oregon Farm Bureau, the state’s largest family agriculture organization, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Portland on May 29, 2013 in response to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) refusal to comply with the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In the filing, Farm Bureau […]

Bill Allows Opt-Out of Cougar-hunt Ban By Oregon Sportsmen Association, On Wednesday, May 22, the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 2624, which would allow counties to opt out of an 18-year-old ban on hunting cougars with dogs. The bill requires that voters […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau HB 2980 – Farm Labor Housing Tax Credit. This bill will extend the current tax credit program that allows on-farm and community housing projects to receive a tax credit. This bill was included in the Co-chairs’ budget and should not have any difficulty in passing. It […]

Senate Passes Merkley Proposal to Create Jobs by Repairing Crumbling Water Infrastructure May 15, 2013 The U.S. Senate passed Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley’s Water Infrastructure Financing Innovation Act (WIFIA) as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2013. The program would create jobs by providing low-cost loans to communities […]

 National Farmers Union National Farmers Union (NFU) joined a group of agriculture and conservation organizations in sending letters to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce urging for further research relating to spectrum […]

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association NCBA Statement on Reauthorization of the Animal Drug User Fee Act National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Scott George, a Cody, Wyo. dairy and beef producer, issued the following statement on yesterday’s action by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on reauthorization of the Animal Drug […]

By American Farm Bureau Statement from Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding Senate Judiciary Passage of Immigration Reform Bill:  “The time is long overdue for our nation to have a comprehensive agricultural labor plan that works for all sectors of agriculture and across all regions of our nation. […]

Roger O. McClellan Former Chair of EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee Washington and Oregon are in the middle of an intense debate about whether to expand facilities to ship coal to Asia. As a former resident of Washington state and one who has family that lives in the area, […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau Replacement Dwelling Bill Poised To Become Law HB 2746 (Replacement Dwellings) had its first hearing in the Senate Rural Communities and Economic development Committee. The legislation would allow some homes that do not qualify currently to be replaced. These are homes that have fallen into disrepair […]