Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5056 - Agricultural Research Act of 1988

(Revised - LA)

(House)
(de la Garza (D) TX and 7 others)

If H.R. 5056 were presented to the President, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget would recommend that he veto the bill. H.R. 5056 is a collection of unnecessary, expensive and duplicative proposals that would add substantially to the cost and bureaucracy of current agricultural research programs, without producing results which can already be obtained more efficiently under existing authority.

Specifically, the Administration opposes H.R. 5056 because the bill would:

—    Establish a new National Institute for Alternative Products, including a board, staff, revolving fund, and Agricultural Research Commercialization Corporation to provide loans and grants for research, development, and commercialization of new industrial materials made from agricultural commodities. The Department of Agriculture strongly supports development of new uses for farm and forest products, and is conducting research and development programs without the cumbersome and expensive bureaucratic structure included in H.R. 5056.

Commercialization of agricultural research is primarily the responsibility of the private sector. In developing new products for the marketplace, the Department can — and does — cooperate with the private sector using existing authorities, such as the Technology Transfer Act.

—    Establish an Agricultural Weather and Climatology Office, within the Department of Agriculture, to establish a National Agricultural Weather Information System. This $10 million program would duplicate efforts of the National Weather Service, which should retain sole Federal responsibility for such programs.

—    Authorize a number of other redundant or unnecessary programs, such as a Groundwater Policy Coordination Office. The establishment of a permanent policy-level office removes the authority of the Secretary to administer the Department in the manner he deems most efficient and effective.