House Agriculture Committee reports HR 7567 after series of amendment votes

Representative David Scott moved that the bill HR 7567, as amended, be reported favorably to the House with the recommendation that it do pass. The motion was put and, after a requested recorded vote, the clerk announced the final tally: 34 yeas and 17 nays. Chairman Thompson declared the motion agreed to and ordered HR 7567 reported favorably to the House.

The committee conducted a series of recorded roll-call votes on individual amendments offered to the bill. Most amendments were rejected by narrow margins: a recurring pattern in the clerk’s announcements showed many tallies of 24–27 or 25–26 against individual amendments. Notable exceptions: recorded vote #15 on filed amendment 38 (offered by Mr. Harris of North Carolina) passed 26–25 and was adopted; a second-degree amendment offered by a member from Kansas passed 29–22 and the underlying amendment as amended was later approved 51–0; recorded vote #25 on filed amendment 36 (also offered by Mr. Harris) passed 27–24 and was adopted. The transcript records multiple other failed amendment votes with tallies provided by the clerk.

During the session the chairman and ranking member repeatedly stated their intended votes before each roll call; the clerk opened and closed each electronic vote and announced tallies. After the final recorded roll-call on the motion to report, Chairman Thompson instructed staff to make technical clarifying or conforming changes “without changing the substance of legislation,” and asked members wishing to submit additional or dissenting views to provide them to the committee office by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6.

No other policy debate, witness testimony, or amendments requiring further committee work were recorded in the transcript beyond the amendment votes and the motion to report. The committee concluded its business and adjourned.