Unanimous-Consent Agreement- S.2845

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
Oct. 9, 2004

UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT-S. 2845

Mr. MCCONNELL. The tobacco buyout is very important to Kentucky, and it is also important that the provisions of the buyout included in the conference report are interpreted and implemented properly. The conference report provides financial assistance for producers in return for the termination of tobacco marketing quotas and related price support. For kinds of tobacco other than fluecured and burely tobacco, the payments to producers will reflect "the basic tobacco farm acreage allotment for the 2002 marketing year established by the secretary for quota tobacco produced on the farm."

My understanding is that for this calculation, the secretary will take into account non-disaster transfer of allotments that were made for the 2002 marketing year. As the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, is that correct?

Mr. COCHRAN. Yes. For producer payments, such transfers for these crops will be taken into account as they are for the other tobaccos. The payments will be based on the actual amount available on the farm after those transfers.

Mr. MCCONNELL. I thank the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee for clarifying this point for me on this important aspect of the conference report.