Statement of Administration Policy: S. 410 - Dairy Policy Commission Extension

(Senate)
(Sen. Leahy (D) VT and 3 others)

The administration opposes S. 410 as reported by the Senate Agriculture Committee, because section 2 of the reported bill would seriously weaken the Sodbuster program enacted as part of the Food Security Act of 1985 by exempting land planted to multiyear grasses, which include most native grasses.

The administration supports the extension of the deadline for the report of the National Commission on Dairy Policy to March 31, 1988, as contained in section 1 of S. 410. The administration would have no objection to the entire bill if it were amended to (1) delete the language exempting land planted to multiyear grasses from the Sodbuster program and (2) restrict the exemptions for alfalfa and legumes so that they would not apply to the highest erodible soil (i.e., land capability classes VI, VII, and VIII).

If S. 410 were presented to the President in its current form, his senior advisors would recommend that it be vetoed.