SLIMMED DOWN JOBS BILL SET TO PASS SENATE
News Date February 23, 2010
With five Senate Republicans voting for cloture last night on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) slimmed-down jobs bill, it appears the Senate may send the legislation over to the House of Representatives as early as tonight. As NASDA News reported last week, the legislation does not include several critical agricultural provisions, including reinstatement of the federal biodiesel tax credit and $1.5 billion in disaster assistance for 2009 weather-related crop losses. These provisions were included in an earlier version of the bill, which was introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and the panel’s ranking member, Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa).
Responding to the removal of the vital agriculture pieces, NASDA President Ed Kee sent a letter to Senate Leadership urging they immediately work on legislation to address these key provisions. It is unclear the next steps Majority Leader Reid will take in regards to additional job creation. Multiple sources have reported that there is potential legislation in the works that may include provisions originating from the Senate Finance bill; however, nothing has materialized yet. (Contact: David Hickey)