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STATE NEWS

PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX TAKES CENTER STAGE ON MONDAY IN WAYS & MEANS   On Monday upon adjournment of the House, the Ways & Means Committee will take testimony on SB 1, authored by Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Buck Creek) and sponsored in the House by Rep. Tim Brown (R-Crawford) and Rep. Eric Turner (R-Cicero). SB 1 eliminates personal property bills for taxpayers with less the $25,000 assessed value which would help many filing a farm personal property return, but would not reach the personal property burden of a large number of full-time farmers. 

ACTIVE LINK TO SURVIVING BILLS BEING FOLLOWED BY INDIANA FARM BUREAU   Members wishing more details about legislation being followed by Farm Bureau statehouse lobbyists see IFB Tracking Report.

HUNTING PRESERVE BILL FALLS ONE VOTE SHORT IN SENATE   After several years of not getting a hearing in the Senate, SB 404, Sen. Carlin Yoder (R-Middlebury), made it to a vote in the final minutes of the last day for bills to move from the Senate to the House. The bill, which would provide authority for the state to regulate hunting preserves for deer and elk, had majority support of those voting in the Senate but lacked one vote of meeting the 26 votes necessary to pass. Following a series of court cases, attempts at regulations, and several bills moving through the House, everyone had high hopes that the bill would be passed, in order to provide certainty for the four hunting preserves, and nearly 400 deer and elk farm operations, in Indiana. Farm Bureau thanks Sen. Yoder for his leadership on the issue and those legislators who supported adoption of the bill.

CHILD LABOR BILL PASSES   HB 1083, Rep. Jerry Torr (R-Carmel), passed the House and moves to the Senate for consideration. The bill, which passed by a vote of 66 to 27, places the exemptions that exist under federal law for children working on a farm owned or operated by their parents into state law. Sen. Phil Boots (R-Crawfordsville) has been added as the Senate sponsor.

CHANGES TO DNR CLAIMS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE   The House passed HB 1307, Rep. Sean Eberhart (R-Shelbyville), which among other provisions related to DNR, changes the process used to collect damages from parties responsible for losses of fish and wildlife. If passed in the Senate, the measure will institute an administrative process for the agency to seek reimbursement for loss of fish and wildlife, rather than rely upon the attorney general filing a lawsuit if the alleged responsible party does not agree with DNR’s determination of fault. The bill passed by a vote of 95-0. Sen. Yoder has been added as the sponsor in the Senate.

SENATE ADOPTS CHANGES TO CFO AND COMPOSTING STATUTES   By a vote of 45-2, the Senate passed SB 359, Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso). The bill clarifies the existing CFO statute and expands the ability to compost organic matter after filing a registration with the state. Rep. Don Lehe (R-Brookston) is the House sponsor of the bill.

AGRICULTURAL POLICY AND FARMERS’ RIGHTS BILL   Many members have called with concerns about radio commercials that smear SB 186, Sen. Carlin Yoder (R-Middlebury). SB 186 simply declares the state policy on agriculture and farmers’ rights. The bill states that the Indiana Code shall be construed to protect the right of farmers to choose among all generally accepted farming and livestock production practices, including the use of ever changing technology.

Talking points for SB 186:

• Farm Bureau strongly supports SB 186, a bill that strengthens and reaffirms Indiana’s vision for, and commitment to, agriculture.
• Agriculture is vital to Indiana's economy. It represents $25 billion to the state economy.
• Farmers need to be able to choose from all farming and husbandry practices to be successful in raising food, feed, fiber and fuel for this and future generations.
• SB 186 does not trump existing laws. Breaking the law is not a generally accepted ag practice.
• The General Assembly historically has demonstrated its support of agriculture. The bill simply voices the legislators’ support and clarifies their intent regarding interpretations of statutes.
• Farmers are committed to growing the very best food for Hoosier families.
• Farmers are proud of their tradition of hard work and dedication that puts safe and affordable food on the table.
• Indiana Farm Bureau supports law that protects the rights of all farmers, regardless of size or commodity, to choose among generally accepted ag practices.

OTHER BILLS OF INTEREST SUPPORTED BY FARM BUREAU THAT HAVE PASSED THROUGH ONE CHAMBER

HB 1116, Rep. Tom Dermondy (R-LaPorte), allows alcohol sales at inns on state owned land.

HB 1219, Rep. Bob Cherry (R-Greenfield), amends the definition of farm product and farm vehicles for purposes of the motor vehicle law.

HB 1387, Rep. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper), allows a farm winery permittee to sell 5,000 gallons of wine per year in a designated geographic area.

SB 16, Sen. Jim Banks (R-Columbia City), requires that the entire brewing process of beer must occur in Indiana to qualify as a microbrewery.

SB 357, Sen. Richard Young (D-Milltown), subject to federal approval, authorizes the state seed commissioner to license the cultivation and production of industrial hemp.

OTHER STATE NEWS

DISTRICT 7 FARM BUREAU HOSTS LEVEE DISCUSSION   Over 50 farmers, government officials and attorneys turned out for a meeting, sponsored by Knox and Sullivan County Farm Bureaus and hosted by District 7, to gain insight into how to manage levee challenges. The meeting, facilitated by Farm Bureau’s Justin Schneider, featured discussions by three farmers about their experiences participating in the management of levees. Marty Evans (Vigo), Rex Marchino (Knox) and Randy Kron (Vanderburgh), discussed the management structure for their levees, how they are financed, successes and challenges with maintenance and working through regulatory compliance. The meeting finished with an open dialogue between the speakers and audience to answer questions and identify issues that need to be addressed through education and possible changes to state law.

INDIANA FISCAL POLICY INSTITUTE RELEASES REPORT ON PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX IN INDIANA   On Thursday, the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute released its report The Personal Property Tax in Indiana: Its Reduction or Elimination is no Simple Task. The report is timely because HB 1001, Rep. Eric Turner (R-Cicero), and SB 1, two distinctly different approaches to the tax, have moved steadily through the General Assembly. The report takes a comprehensive look at the issue, including new information about the effect of the property tax caps enacted in 2008. The analysis finds that distortions still moving through the property tax system created by the caps makes eliminating the personal property tax a very complex issue. According to the report, the caps protected by the state’s constitution limit legislators’ ability to rebalance the property tax burden among homeowners and business interests. The report examines the fiscal ramifications and available options to address the imbalance, including some not currently considered in legislation. The report was authored by John Stafford, who recently retired as director of the Community Research Institute at Indiana-Purdue Ft. Wayne, and Dr. Larry DeBoer, a professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University. The full report, including a county-by-county breakdown of the effect of eliminating the business personal property tax, can be found on the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute website.

FEDERAL NEWS

SENATE PASSES FARM BILL, SENDS TO PRESIDENT FOR SIGNATURE   After nearly three years of discussion and debate, the U.S. Senate approved the new five year farm bill, known as the Agricultural Act of 2014, by a margin of 68-32. Both Sen. Joe Donnelly (D) and Sen. Dan Coats (R) voted in favor of the $956.4 billion bill, which now awaits the president’s signature on Feb. 7. Last week, the House of Representatives approved the bill by a margin of 251-166, with all Indiana members voting yes, with exception of Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-District 3) and Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-District 1).

Some of the key highlights from the new farm bill include:

• The repeal of direct payments for the 2014 crop year.
• A revised commodity program that was cut by $14.3 billion over 10 years and requires producers to make a decision to enroll each commodity in one of two programs, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, until at least 2018.
• A new Supplemental Coverage Option is created, which farmers can buy if they enroll in PLC and covering losses exceeding 14 percent or below 86 percent of revenue.
• An annual $125,000 cap on individuals for all commodity programs taken together, which is doubled ($250,000) for married couples.
• Adjusted gross income eligibility in the commodity program is limited to those making under $900,000.
• A new dairy gross margin insurance program is implemented, but without a supply management feature.
• Conservation compliance is linked to the crops insurance program, but there is no payment limit or means testing of the crop insurance program.
• The Livestock Indemnity Program and Emergency Livestock Assistance Program is continued with increased funding.
• New support for beginning farmers with training and access to capital. 

HOUSE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE RELEASES PRINCIPLES FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM   During a retreat this week, the House GOP Conference released its Principles for Immigration Reform, and leadership is discussing how to move the issue forward this year. Agricultural labor reform is necessary for the current and future viability of our farmers and rural communities, as well as our nation’s collective food and economic security. Indiana Farm Bureau commends the House leadership for recognizing that farmers need long-term access to a legal and stable workforce.

To educate and advocate for agricultural labor reform, Farm Bureau has partnered with Partnership for a New American Economy in the #IFarmImmigration campaign. See more information on PNAE.

DOW ENLIST TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES IN USDA REGULATORY PROCESS   The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the completion of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Dow AgroSciences new Enlist™ corn, Enlist soybean and Enlist E3™ soybean traits, and notice has been published in the Federal Register announcing the opening of a public comment period for the DEIS. The comment period is now open until Feb. 24.

The comment period is an opportunity for growers and others to provide input on the Enlist corn and soybean traits as USDA conducts its review.

There are two ways to get involved and support Dow’s efforts to obtain approval from USDA on their Enlist corn and soybean traits:

1. Submit comments to the docket. The docket is open now until Feb. 24, 2014.
2. Sign the petition to show your support. Dow is also collecting signatures on a petition that provides stakeholders with an easy way to support Enlist. The petition will be submitted to USDA for the trait comment period and to the EPA for its upcoming comment period on the new herbicide formulation. Read More

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