----- Original Message -----
From: American Beekeeping Federation <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
To: 'Troy Fore' <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2007 3:21 PM
Subject: Calls to Washington Needed
*** NOTE: Please forward this message to all beekeepers on your address list.
We need calls to Washington on Monday!
For reasons that are not totally clear to us yet, we had a set-back in the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday, July 19. When the committee was finalizing the Farm Bill, they would not include any additional funds for research into CCD and other honey bee problems.
The action now moves to the House floor, where the Farm Bill will be debated as early as Wednesday or Thursday. During the floor debate the money for honey bee research could be put into the Farm Bill. The Washington lobbyists for ABF and AHPA plan to meet with committee staffers on Monday to encourage them to do that, but they need support from beekeepers calling their Congressmen.
The key players are Ag Cmte Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Dennis Cardoza of California who is the chairman of the subcommittee over bees and honey. The best outcome would be for them to include the funding in the Chairman's amendment that will cover errors and omissions. We also need honey included in the definition of a specialty crop with regard to the Farm Bill.
At the committee meeting, everyone talked about CCD and the need to do something, but no one wanted to fund it. At this point, any CCD funding would have to come from funds that would have gone to someone else. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California proposed an amendment to take $5 million from specialty crops and give to CCD research. He had no Democratic support and agreed to withdraw it. Here's some perspective on that amendment: specialty crops is getting 1600 million dollars in the Farm Bill; we want just 5 million of that.
Just so you will know - on Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee approved continued funding the USDA bee labs for a total of $7 million. This is the same funding level as last year.
We need beekeepers to call Congressmen Peterson, Cardoza, and McCarthy to urge them to include CCD research funding in the Farm Bill - and to include honey in the list of specialty crops so we will be eligible for other programs. Other Congressmen need to call them too - after you call your own Congressman.
Here are some numbers you can use:
Capitol Switchboard - to reach any Congressional office - 202-225-3121
Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) Staff: Shelby Hagenauer 202-225-2915
Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) Anne cannon 202-225-6131
Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA) Jacqulyn Schneider 202-225-3341 - Chrmn. of Specialty Crops Subcmte.
Congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) Cathy Bergren 202-225-4005 - Ranking Republican subcmte. over bees
Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) Committee Chief of Staff Rob Larew 220-225-2171
Subcommittee staff
Majority, Keith Jones -202-225-2171 - for Cardoza
Minority, Pam Miller-225-0029 - for Neugebauer
Troy Fore <[log in to unmask]>
Executive Director
American Beekeeping Federation, Inc.
P.O. Box 1337 - Jesup, Georgia 31598-1337 USA
Street Address: 115 Morning Glory Circle - ZIP: 31546
Tel. 912-427-4233 - Fax 912-427-8447
Internet: <http://www.ABFnet.org <http://www.abfnet.org/> <http://www.ABFnet.org> <http://www.abfnet.org/> >
Serving the Industry Since 1943
Make your plans for the
National Beekeeping Conference,
Jan. 9-12, 2008, in Sacramento ---
ABF - AHPA - and all other organizations
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