105-277 , H.R. Contained within the measure was $55.9 billion in regular FY1999appropriations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and related agencies and an additional $5.9 billioninemergency supplemental spending for farm economic and disaster assistance. 2. FY1999 Agriculture Appropriations Action

The conference agreement on the FY1999 omnibus appropriations bill ( P.L. 4328 ) wassignedinto law on October 21, 1998. The measure contains $55.9 billion in regular FY1999 appropriations for USDAand relatedagencies and $5.9 billion in emergency funding to help farmers recover from natural disasters and low crop prices. The House and Senate earlier had approved a separate conference agreement for FY1999 USDA appropriations ( H.R. Republican leadership opposed any increase in loan rates, but instead agreed to an increase in the amount of emergencyfarm assistance provided from $4.2 billion in the vetoed bill ( H.R. 4101 ) to $5.9 billion in P.L. Abudget emergency was declared for this amount, which by definition requires no budgetary offsets for the newspending. 105-277 isabout equal to the House-passed level of H.R. 4101 , $1.3 billion below the Senate-passed level( S. 2159 ), and nearly $3 billion below the Administration request. Of this amount, $42.25 billion is formandatory programs and $13.69 billion for discretionary spending. Total non-emergency budget authority in P.L. 105-277 for USDA and related agencies is significantly higher than the$49.55 billion appropriated in FY1998, which is mainly attributable to a change in the formula for determining howmuchis required to reimburse the Commodity Credit Corporation for its net realized losses. Included in the final total of $5.9 billion in emergency farm assistance provided by P.L. Of this amount $2.857 billion are for grain and cotton farmers who wereeligiblefor a 1998 production flexibility contract payment, and $200 million is reserved for dairy farmers. A provision not included in the conference agreement, but strongly supported by the Administration and Senate Democraticleadership during the debate, was a temporary increase in the loan rate (price guarantees) for certain farmcommodities.One attempt to raise the loan rates for grains and cotton was defeated during Senate floor action on S. 2159 . P.L.105-277 waives the statute of limitations on civil rights cases for eligible complaints made during the period January1,1981 through December 31, 1996. 105-277 contains a House-adoptedprovision that requires USDA to issue its final rule for federal milk marketing order reform between February 1,and April4, 1999, and extend the deadline for implementation from April 4, 1999 to October 1, 1999. H.R. Agricultural Trade Sanctions. For FY1999, the Administration proposed a total budget authority of $967 million for P.L. 4101 . 105-277 includes provisions found in the original House- or Senate-passed versions of the bill, including earmarks of: 
$16.2 million in technical assistance for water and sewer funding;
$5.3 million for the circuit rider program; 
$33.9 million for assistance to empowerment zones and enterprise communities (EZ/EC);
$500,000 in transportation related technical assistance; and . The Act in effect prohibits the spending of the $60 million that isauthorized forthe program in FY1999. 4101 . 105-277 provides $272.1 million in FY1999 for commodity donation programs -- the emergency food assistance program(EFAP),the commodity supplemental food program (CSFP), the elderly nutrition (commodities) program, and the NeedyFamilyprogram.
The conference agreement on the FY1999 omnibus appropriations bill ( P.L. 105-277 / H.R. 4328 ) was signedinto law on October 21, 1998. The measure contains $55.9 billion in regular FY1999 appropriations for the U.S.Department of Agriculture and related agencies and $5.9 billion in emergency disaster and economic assistance foragriculture, for a total of $61.8 billion. The House and Senate earlier had approved a separate conference agreementforFY1999 USDA appropriations ( H.R. 4101 ), but the President vetoed the measure because its emergencyprovisions did not authorize an increase in the loan rates, or farm price guarantees, for growers of certain crops.
Republican leadership strongly opposed any increases in the loan rates, but instead agreed to increase the total level ofdirect farm assistance from the $4.2 billion provided in the vetoed version of H.R. 4101 , to $5.9 billion in P.L.105-277 . A budget emergency was declared for this amount, which by definition requires no budgetary offsets forthe newspending. The $5.9 billion in emergency funding includes: $3.057 billion in "market loss" payments, of which$2.857billion is for grain and cotton farmers and $200 million for dairy farmers; $1.5 billion for 1998 crop loss payments;$875million for farmers affected by multiple years of disasters; $200 million in livestock feed assistance; and $31 milliontocover the cost of making or guaranteeing $440 million in additional farm operating loans.
The $55.9 billion in regular USDA and related agencies appropriations for FY1999 in P.L. 105-277 is about equal to theHouse-passed level ( H.R. 4101 ), $1.2 billion below the Senate-passed level ( S. 2159 ), and $2.1billion below the Administration request. Of this amount, $42.25 billion is for mandatory programs and $13.69billion fordiscretionary spending. Even excluding the additional emergency aid spending, total budget authority is significantlyhigherthan the $49.5 billion appropriated in FY1998, mainly because of a change in the formula for determining howmuch isrequired to reimburse the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) for its net realized losses. In order to stay within thediscretionary spending allocation for the bill, P.L. 105-277 either limits or eliminates FY1999 funding for severalmandatory programs. It prohibits the spending of any of the $60 million authorized for FY1999 for the Fund forRuralAmerica, and reduces spending for commodities in the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) by $10million. Thelaw also concurs with a House provision to prohibit the FY1999 spending ($120 million) for a new mandatoryagriculturalresearch program; restrict the amount of acreage that can be enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program; and limitpaymentsin the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
P.L. 105-277 also extends the statutory deadline for federal milk marketing order reform from April 4 to October 9, 1999;waives the statute of limitations on certain civil rights complaints against USDA; modifies eligibility for farm loans; and makes additional changes to trade sanction policy. A House provision to prohibit FDA from approving the abortiondrugRU-486 was deleted in conference on H.R. 4101 , after the President threatened a veto if the provision wasincluded.
Key Policy Staff
Division abbreviations: ENR = Environment and Natural Resources; GOV = Government; STM = Science,Technology,and Medicine; ECON= Economics Division.