Washington, D.C. – The Senate Appropriations Committee today unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2004 Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
The bill (S. 1427) and report (108-107) will be available on thomas.loc.gov. The bill now goes before the full Senate for debate. Highlights of the $77.5 billion bill are below.
Bill Highlights:
Of the total new budget authority recommended, $17 billion is discretionary appropriations. Title I – Agricultural Programs
The bill provides $988.8 million for Farm Service Agency Salaries and Expenses, an increase of $18.4 million over the fiscal year 2003 level. The bill provides an estimated $3.3 billion for farm loans, $663,585 less than the fiscal year 2003 level. Included in this amount is $1.1 billion for farm ownership direct and guaranteed loans and $2.1 billion for farm operating direct and guaranteed loans.
Funding for the Food Safety and Inspection Service is $783.8 million, a $28.9 million increase from the fiscal year 2003 level. Agricultural research and extension programs are decreased $172 million from the fiscal year 2003 funding levels. Appropriations recommended for the Agricultural Research Service total $1.1 billion. For the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, $1.1 billion is recommended, including $618 million for research and education activities, $450 million for extension activities, and $46.7 million for integrated activities.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is funded at $711.3 million.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is funded at $75.3 million and the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration is funded at $35.6 million.
Title II – Conservation Programs
Recommended funding for conservation operations of the Natural Resources Conservation Service is $826.6 million.
Watershed and flood prevention operations are funded at $55 million. Watershed surveys and planning is funded at $10 million.
The watershed rehabilitation program is funded at $29.8 million. The resource conservation and development program is funded at $51 million.
Title III – Rural Development Programs The total funded rural housing loan authorization level is $4.4 billion, including $4.1 billion for single-family housing direct and guaranteed loans, $115.1 million for rental housing loans, and $35 million for housing repair loans, and $100 million for multi-family housing guaranteed loans.
Funding for rural rental assistance is $721.3 million, the same as the fiscal year 2003 level. Funding for the Rural Community Advancement Program (RCAP), which includes funds for water and waste disposal loans and grants, solid waste management grants, community facility loans and grants, and rural business enterprise grants, is increased $291.6 million from the budget request level to $769.5 million.
The bill funds a total rural electric and telecommunications loan level of $5.6 billion, $143.4 million more than the fiscal year 2003 level.
A total of $59.1 million is appropriated for the Distance Learning, Telemedicine and Broadband program for grants and loan subsidy costs which supports a $686 million loan level. Title IV – Domestic Food Programs The bill appropriates $11.4 billion for child nutrition programs.
Funding for the Food Stamp program totals $27.8 billion. This amount includes a $2 billion reserve, $140 million for the emergency food assistance program, and $1.4 billion for nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is funded at $4,639,232,000. This includes a $125,000,000 reserve, which is the same as fiscal year 2003, and $25,000,000 for the farmers’ market nutrition program.
The Commodity Assistance Program is funded at $145.7 million.
Title V – Foreign Assistance Programs
Funding for the Foreign Agricultural Service is $131.7 million.
Public Law 480 programs are funded at the following program levels: Title I - $131.7 million credit level, the same as the budget request level; and Title II - $1.2 billion, an increase of $7 million from the budget request. A new account has been created for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and child Nutrition Program, which is funded at $25 million.
Title VI – Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies
Funding for salaries and expenses of the Food and Drug Administration totals $1.4 billion. This is $42 million more than the fiscal year 2003 level, and includes $249 million in prescription drug user fee collections and $29 million in medical device user fees. The FDA buildings and facilities account is funded at $8 million, the same as the fiscal year 2003 level. Funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is $90.4 million, $5 million more than the fiscal year 2003 level. The bill places a $40.9 million limitation on expenses of the Farm Credit Administration. Title VII – General Provisions
Total appropriations of $3 million are appropriated for Bill Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger Fellowships through the Congressional Hunger Center.
A new provision is included to support the loan and grant functions of the Farm Service Agency and Rural Development.
The Committee supports the mandatory funding level of $1 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
