U.S.
Congressman
PaulRyan
Serving the First District of Wisconsin February 2012
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congressional Issue papers
AGRICULTURE
Wisconsinhasjustifiablybeennicknamed“America’sDairyland”–in2010,theUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculturereported78,000farmsstatewide,99%ofwhicharefamily-owned.Theimportanceof agriculturetoWisconsincannotbeunderstated;theindustryprovidesmorethan10%ofthestate’semploymentandgenerates$59.2billionineconomicactivityannually.Milk,corn,cattle,andsoybeansare justafewoftheproductsthatcomefromthemorethan15millionacresoffarmlandinWisconsin.
Appropriations
On June 16, 2011, the House passed H.R.2112, theAgriculture Appropriations bill of 2012. Thelegislation funds the programs within the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture (USDA) andrelated agencies at a cost of $125.5 billion. The billpassed with my support by a vote of 217 – 203. OnNovember 17, the House considered the conferencereport to H.R.2112 – a new bill reflecting changespassed in the Senate. The conference report passedby a vote of 298 – 121 and was signed into law onNovember 18, 2011. The bill, which reducesdiscretionary spending by $2.7 billion from 2010,aims to reduce government spending whilecontinuing to provide funding for the necessary programs that keep American agriculturecompetitive worldwide.
Farm Bill
The Farm Bill, which is comprised of both the cropinsurance and food stamp programs, was signed intolaw on June 18, 2008, and the majority of theprovisions extend through 2012. It is my belief thatthis bill should be designed to assist family farmersin times of need, rather than directing subsidies tolarge, corporate farming operations. The UnitedStates ought to have the ability to export ouragricultural products, and I remain committed toensuring that American farmers are provided withthe necessary resources to compete on theinternational market. I am hopeful that thereauthorization will be considered this year.
Fr
ee Trade Agr
eements
On October 12, 2011, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)with Panama, Columbia and South Korea weresigned into law. These agreements mark animportant step in keeping American jobs at homeand increasing American competitivenessworldwide. Unemployment has hovered at 8% andmany manufacturing plants in Southern Wisconsinhave closed or experienced mass layoffs. The goal of promoting market access for American farmers,entrepreneurs, and manufacturers is a goal that bothRepublicans and Democrats can and should share,and the bipartisan passage of these FTAs will spureconomic growth and create jobs that are neededduring these difficult times.
Congressman Paul Ryan
ISSUE PAPERS
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AGRICULTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2BUDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6ENERGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8ENVIRONMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11HEALTH CARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12IMMIGRATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15JOBS & ECONOMY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17MEDICARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19SOCIAL SECURITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23TAXES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 WAR ON TERROR / HOMELAND SECURITY . .27 VETERANS & MILITARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
While each of the three recently passed FTAs willserve to increase American competitiveness abroad,the Columbia FTA in particular marks an importantmarket opportunity for farmers and ranchers. In2010, the United States exported $832 million of agricultural products to Columbia, including wheat,corn, cotton and soybeans. This was the secondhighest export total of agricultural products in SouthAmerica. The Columbia FTA immediately eliminatedduties on 77% of U.S. farm exports, and within thenext ten years, over 90% of all tariffs on U.S. farmexports will be eliminated. As a result of the passageof this FTA, American farmers and ranchers nowenjoy fewer barriers to entry of the Columbia exportmarket.
Immigr
ation
Immigration policy has a direct impact onagricultural employment in Wisconsin. Farmers havehistorically relied on seasonal labor to assist withfarm work; due to a lack of seasonal H-2B visas,some businesses have faced annual labor shortfalls.Reforms to immigration policy ought to includeexpanding access to visas for seasonal and temporary labor as well as a temporary guest worker program,complete with an employee verification system thatallows employers to verify the legal status of theiremployees.By providing a method to legally link employers withimmigrant workers, we would relieve pressure on theborders from people who attempt to immigrate tothe United States in search of employment. In turn,government agencies would have the ability to moreeffectively allocate resources to illegal andunauthorized aliens who mean to do us harm –criminals, terrorists, and drug smugglers.
Regulation Rush from W
ashing
ton
Regulations coming out of Washington continue tostifle economic development in the agriculturalindustry. Overreaching legislation removesregulatory certainty and directs manpower towardburdensome compliance and away from agriculturaladvancement. As bills come to the floor for a vote,please rest assured that I am committed topromoting an environment of economic growthwithin the agricultural industry.For example, on December 8, 2011, I voted in favorof H.R.1633, the Farm Dust Regulation PreventionAct, which prevents the EPA from revising standardson dust. Dust is generated naturally from agriculturalactivity and consists primarily of soil and naturalmaterials; government regulation thereof wouldmark another unnecessary regulation that preventsfarmers and ranchers from growing their businessesand creating necessary jobs in these hard economictimes. Despite passing with bipartisan support, thebill has yet to be acted upon in the Senate, and awaitsdebate in the Senate Committee on Environment andPublic Works.
Dodd-Frank
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and ConsumerProtection Act, which was signed into law in July 2010, is a lengthy and complex law designed toimplement wide reaching financial regulatory reform.Unfortunately, the overhaul involves radical changesto financial regulation – changes that will affect every feature of our financial-services industry, increase thepower of current financial regulatory agencies, andcreate new ones. Dodd-Frank promotes the rule of bureaucrats to our economic detriment and has hadnegative impacts on the agricultural industry.House Agriculture Committee Chairman FrankLucas has proposed changes to the Dodd-Frankregulation, which would relieve the industry fromburdensome regulation. As the committee continuesto consider these proposals, I will remain vigilant inmonitoring their development as it relates to farmersin the First District of Wisconsin.
MF Global Bankruptcy
The recent bankruptcy of MF Global has affected
paulryan.house.gov
ISSUE PAPERS
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Issue Papers Update Feb 2012
From the office of Paul Ryan: New information on legislation, programs, and policies that affect you as an individual and also affect all of us who live in Southern Wisconsin.
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