Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3161, the Agriculture Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2008.  This bill provides funding to support our farmers, protect the environment, ensure a safe and stable food supply, and care for the most vulnerable members of our society.  H.R. 3161 also fulfills the reforms included in the recently passed Farm Bill, by increasing funding for nutrition, conservation and energy programs. 

I am pleased to support funding increases for important conservation programs for my home state of Rhode Island, including the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, and the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program.  This legislation also restores funding for many programs that the Bush Administration’s budget would have cut or eliminated, including Resource Conservation and Development and watershed programs.  H.R. 3161 also encourages the expansion of renewable energy research and production by nearly doubling funding for renewable energy loans to businesses, resources for research, and grants to farmers and ranchers. 

After recent food scares, Americans have become more concerned about where their food is produced.  After six years of delays, I am pleased that H.R. 3161 includes a timeline for implementation of country of origin labeling for our meat.  This legislation fully funds the Food Safety and Inspection Service at the Department of Agriculture in order to fill vacancies and invest in research, and will also fund a transformation of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food safety regulations.  This measure also prevents cuts to FDA field operations and provides additional funding for processing generic drug applications and drug safety reviews. 

H.R. 3161 increases funding for the nutrition title, which includes food stamps and other programs aimed to combat hunger and improve nutrition for children, the elderly and low-income Americans.  This includes the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, as well as the Community Food Projects program, which awards grants to non-profit groups that establish community food projects targeted to low-income individuals.  This measure also increases funding for school nutrition programs for purchasing fruits, vegetables and nuts, and creates more avenues for produce to flow from local farmers to schools.  H.R. 3161 also includes funding to help improve the eating habits of Americans, particularly our children.  It also expands the Simplified Summer Food program to all states to provide nutritious foods to children in low-income families through the summer.

Madam Speaker, this legislation helps farmers meet growing environmental challenges, increases safety monitoring of our food supply, gives consumers more healthy food choices, and promotes critical renewable energy development.  I look forward to passing this measure into law and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of HR 3161.