Farm Bill Timeline
| 2011 |
Senate |
House |
| April 15, 2011 |
The House passes Representative Paul Ryan’s budget plan, including $48 billion in cuts to farm programs. The Senate does not pass a corresponding bill, so this does not become law. |
| August 2, 2011 |
Default on the federal debt is avoided through Congress’ approval of the Budget Control Act of 2011, creating a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reductionto develop recommendations. The committee must find $1.5 trillion in government spending cuts by January 15, 2012 to avoid $1.2 trillion in automatic “sequestration” cuts across the board. |
| September 9, 2011 |
The Obama Administration releases their recommendations for budget deficit reduction. The proposal outlined a five-part plan with $33 billion in agricultural cuts over the next 10 years. |
| October 17, 2011 |
House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders send a collective recommendation to the Joint Select Committee, suggesting $23 billion in cuts in mandatory farm bill programs over the next decade.They establish November 1 as their deadline to provide a complete legislative packet of recommendations. |
| November 1, 2011 |
The House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders miss their deadline for recommendations to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. |
| November 18, 2011 |
The Agriculture Committee leaders are reported to have reached general agreement, but they do not release the details of their proposal. |
| November 21, 2011 |
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction announces that they are at an impasseand will not produce a legislative package that reduces the deficit. Congress must now go back to the drawing board on spending bills, deficit reduction and the farm bill. |
| 2012 |
Senate |
House |
| January 15 |
With the demise of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, automatic cuts to agriculture will go into effect January 2013 under the process of sequestration. However, Congress has a full year to change how the cuts will be made, so the Agriculture Committees could write a bill under regular order that pre-empts the across-the-board cuts. How this unfolds remains to be seen. |
| January |
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| February |
Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) announces Senate Farm Bill hearings are scheduled for February 15 and 29 and March 14 and 21. |
*Minority leader of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), says the committee is planning hearings and a mark up of the bill. |
| March |
|
*Senate bill ready for floor time. |
| April |
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*House bill ready for floor time. |
|
*Possible bill markup |
| May |
*Conference committee between House and Senate. |
| September 30, 2012 |
The 2008 Farm Bill—known officially as the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008—expires. |
*No official schedule has been set. These dates represent a projected timeline. |
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