12/4/06 Lame Duck Walking

Lame Duck up and walking. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Congress returns this week to wrap up business for the year - and it's unclear how much key remaining legislation - including agriculture - lawmakers will actually complete. The Senate plans to take up the current fiscal year ag spending bill - which unlike the House-passed version - includes ag disaster aid opposed by the White House and House GOP. American Farm Bureau Executive Director of Public Policy Mark Maslyn says other legislation may also have to wait until next year. MASLYN: Including immigration which is a huge issue for agriculture we have other issues like the drilling in the outer continental shelf and energy supplies a big issue for us. The House and Senate have passed different bills with regard for drilling for oil and gas off our coasts. Maslyn says he believes those - farm disaster aid and locks and dams modernization - may fare better in the next Congress - when the lame duck status of lawmakers is no longer a concern. MASLYN: It is especially difficult or increasingly difficult to get them to do large items. I think the prevailing thought is they have to do spending bills. They have to come to some resolution on how they finance the government for the next year, whether it is finishing up the appropriations bills or passing a continuing resolution or some sort of omnibus spending package. That's the one thing they have to do. But some issues - like tax breaks - could still be a problem - especially - Maslyn argues - if incoming House Ways and Means Chair Charlie Rangel tries to roll back breaks to pay for new ones - like ending the alternative minimum tax...tape MASLYN: We certainly want to see the tax cuts of 2002 extended; we'd like to see the permanent repeal of the death tax. We did get an extension in the capital gains, the lowered capital gains tax rate so we're good for a couple of years there. But longer term I think it's important those tax breaks or tax cuts continue. The challenge is that there is only a limited amount of money to go around. Mr. Rangel has stated that he has other priorities including the alternative minimum tax. Maslyn says Rangel is not a believer in permanent estate tax repeal - a top Farm Bureau priority. But Maslyn predicts Rangel will come under increasing pressure from the business community to at least continue existing tax cuts. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.