James Oberstar: “I commend my good friend and colleague from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson), chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, for his…”

“I commend my good friend and colleague from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson), chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, for his leadership in bringing the Conference Report on H.R. 2419, the ``Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008,'' to the House. His outstanding work and dedication over the past year and a half have culminated in this important legislation, which includes critical authorizations for farm programs and addresses vital nutrition, conservation, and economic development needs across the Nation. This Conference Report makes great strides in the fight against hunger by providing an additional $10.4 billion for nutrition programs, which help 35 million low-income families. For the first time in 30 years, the legislation increases the minimum benefit under the Food Stamp Program, which keeps 26 million of our Nation's poorest individuals from going hungry, and indexes the benefit amount to inflation. The Conference Report also provides an additional $1.3 billion for the Emergency Food Assistance Program to provide food banks, soup kitchens, and other emergency feeding sites with much needed resources.”