To Members of the NASULGC Family:

This is a quick report to provide you with breaking information from the joint conference committee that has been meeting to reconcile the differences in the two versions of H.R. 2673, the Agriculture Appropriations bill for F.Y. 2004. Our team has obtained some line-by-line information from the conference for the various CSREES programs and have updated our basic spreadsheet accordingly.

As you recall from previous BRT Reports, the 302(b) allocation for the Ag Appropriations bill was cut by nearly eight percent from the previous year. Given this drastic reduction, we are lucky to have most formula programs finish slightly above the F.Y. 2003 levels, but we are obviously very disappointed by the apparent 10 percent cuts to EFNEP, RREA, and other critical line items.

Notes:
1. Although it is not possible for us to transmit the detailed tables to you at this time, most special grants and "federal administration" amounts appear to have been cut by 10 percent.

2. The conference committee has not finished its work and additional cuts -- either for specific lines or across-the-board -- are still possible as the conferees struggle with an incredibly tight allocation for the conference (down $62 million).

Link: F.Y. 2004 CSREES spreadsheet

Next Steps
The conference has not finished and there remains great uncertainty as to how and when that will occur. At the moment (and this is changing minute-by-minute), House and Senate leaders are considering several options for wrapping up the unfinished F.Y. 2004 appropriations bills, including the possibility of a continuing resolution lasting until February. As evidence of the uncertainty, the House has just passed another short-term continuing resolution (good through Sunday), giving them some more time to "contemplate their options."

We will keep you posted as events continue to unfold.

Fred Hutchison
Fleishman-Hillard Government Relations