CORN FARMERS TAKE ISSUES TO ILLINOIS CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION

Ted Delicath

Jul 25, 2013  |  Today's News

Last week members of the Illinois Corn Growers Association ICGA met with your Illinois representatives in the House and Senate. These corn farmers pressed representatives about the Farm Bill, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA). Click here to listen to an audio report with Paul Taylor, ICGA President.

Farm Bill Update:

If you recall, this year’s Farm Bill process is unlike any other in history with the House’s decision to split the Farm Bill into two parts--nutrition and agriculture. Meeting with Illinois House representatives, your fellow farmers asked what the road ahead looks like for the Farm Bill. With tempered optimism nearly all members expressed their support for a Farm Bill and their desire to help bring about its passage. Click here to listen to an audio report from ICGA President Paul Taylor.

Renewable Fuel Standard:

All members we met with recognized the importance of renewable fuels and identified their crucial role in alleviating our dependency on foreign oil. Our message was simple, direct and clear “Don’t Mess with the RFS”. IL representatives responded with a resounding “We won’t”.

Water Resource Development Act:

Earlier this year the Senate passed WRDA and so we urged IL House representatives to pass Waterways Are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency, and Environment Act of 2013 (WAVE 4 Act). Illinois support for the bill is strong as representatives Lipinski (D-3), Enyart (D-12), R. Davis (R-13),  Foster (D-11), Shimkus (R-15), Hultgren (R-14), Schock (R-18), Duckworth (D-17), and Kinzinger (D-16) are all co-sponsors of the legislation. Look out for updates on the legislation during early Fall.

Below you can find a breakdown of each representative’s specific position on the Farm Bill, the RFS and WRDA:

 

Representative Recap from ICGA D.C. Visit

Representative

Farm Bill Position

RFS Position

WRDA Position

Rep. Rush (D-1)

Undecided

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. Kelly (D-2)

N/A

N/A

N/A

Rep. Lipinski (D-3)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. Gutierrez (D-4)

N/A

N/A

N/A

Rep. Quigley (D-5)

N/A

N/A

N/A

Rep. Roskam (R-6)

Supportive

Supportive

Undecided

Rep. D. Davis (D-7)

Undecided

Supportive

Undecided

Rep. Duckworth (D-8)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. Schakowsky (D-9)

Undecided

Supportive

Undecided

Rep. Schneider (D-10)

Undecided

Undecided

Undecided

Rep. Foster (D-11)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. Enyart (D-12)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. R. Davis (R-13)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. Hultgren (R-14)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. Shimkus (R-15)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. Kinzinger (R-16)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. Bustos (D-17)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive

Rep. Schock (R-18)

Supportive

Supportive

Supportive