LD-2 Disclosure Form

Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) - All Filers Are Required to Complete This Page

1. Registrant Name Organization/Lobbying Firm Self Employed Individual

Oregon Farm Bureau Federation

2. Address

Address1

1320 Capitol Street, NE

Address2

Suit 200

City

Salem

State

Zip Code

97301

Country

USA

3. Principal place of business (if different than line 2)

City

State

Zip Code

Country

4a. Contact Name		b. Telephone Number	c. E-mail
Mr.	DAVID DILLON	5033991701	dave@oregonfb.org

5. Senate ID#

400263203-12

7. Client Name	Self	Check if client is a state or local government or instrumentality
Oregon Farm Bureau Federation

6. House ID#

400040000

LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.

HEMP

Advocated for USDA to extend hemp production rule comment deadline.

Asked EPA to study crop protection for hemp producers. Currently, there are limited crop protection tools labeled for hemp since hemp production became legal. EPA is seeking comments on the ten pesticide applications it has received for use on hemp.

Filed comments with USDA regarding hemp IFR identying issue areas of concern for hemp production in Oregon.

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

Monitoried USDA and USTR have announced that China is meeting requirements that are contained in the U.S.- China Phase 1 Agreement and focused on Market Facilitation Program.

Agriculture is facing one of the toughest economic environments since the 1980s. Retaliatory tariffs imposed by China put a bulls-eye on farmers backs. As a result of these tariffs and other non-tariff barriers, agricultural and related product sales to China fell by nearly $11 billion in 2018 alone. Farmers eagerly anticipate a boost from increased sales to China, Japan, Canada, Mexico and South Korea, but we understand it takes time - it could be several months before we see the benefits of the recent agreements on agricultural export sales. Farming is a capital-intensive business. Farmers and ranchers can have hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in equipment, land and crops. Just like most American families, an immediate, unexpected drop in income puts the entire household at risk.

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

The recently enacted CARES Act includes Section 22003, which clarifies the U.S. Department of Transportations authority to allow States to increase truck weight limits on U.S. interstate highways during the COVID-19 emergency. Supported coalition to increase truck weights on all U.S. highway and federal interstate highways to a minimum of 88,000 pounds. States are encouraged to share this letter with their State governments.

Increasing truck weight limits to a minimum harmonized level will help ameliorate the potential loss of trucking capacity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and will assist in the delivery of emergency supplies.

Section 22003 of the CARES Act clarifies DOTs authority to allow States to increase their truck weight limits on U.S. highways during the COVID-19 emergency. States already could increase truck weight limits on U.S. interstate highways during natural disasters, but it was unclear if States had the authority during COVID-19 because COVID-19 may not be considered a natural disaster. States already have the authority to raise truck weight limits on their State roads. The stimulus bill makes it clear that States also have the authority to raise truck weight limits on U.S. interstate highways during COVID-19 for the remainder of fiscal year 2020.

Supported The U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced a Notice of Enforcement Policy and Waiver regarding expiring drivers licenses and medical examiners certificates - for drivers who had current credentials as of March 1 - allowing FMCSA to exercise its enforcement discretion to not take action in certain cases when a commercial learners permit, CDL or Medical Certificate is expired.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Transportation - Dept of (DOT), Transportation - Dept of (DOT)

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

Worked with congressional delegation to USDOL Wage and Hour to determine how H2a employees fit into the state mandates regarding COVID-19 housing regulations.

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

Support Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act, S. 1822

The House and Senate have approved the DATA Act. This bipartisan bill, once signed into law, will improve the accuracy of broadband coverage maps and better direct federal funds for broadband buildout.

The DATA Act corrects the current method of gathering broadband coverage data by requiring broadband providers to report data in a way that is significantly more accurate, granular and transparent. More granular and accurate maps are critical to successfully target and distribute federal broadband programs.

FCCs Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force
The Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force will focus on the connectivity and technology needs of precision agriculture.
Mississippi Farm Bureau President Mike McCormick was appointed to the task force. Blake Hurst was named vice chair of the working group for Examining Current and Future Connectivity Demand for Precision Agriculture.

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
On Jan. 30, the FCC approved the final rules to reallocate $20.4 billion from the Universal Service Fund over a 10-year period for rural broadband deployment. This new program will be called the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. FCC Chairman Pai estimates that this funding will connect 4 million rural Americans to broadband service.

ReConnect Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would begin accepting applications for the second round of $550 million in loan and grant funding on January 31, 2020.USDA has already awarded $343 million from the first round and expects to announce the next round of awards soon.

Reliable internet access is more important that every before for rural agriculture producers

Broadband is no longer a luxury, its a necessity. Rural broadband is essential to modern agriculture, the farmers and ranchers who grow our food and the quality of life of rural Americans. While most Americans take broadband for granted, 26.4% of rural Americans lack access, according to the Federal Communications Commission. This is alarming, particularly when compared to the only 1.7% of urban Americans who lack broadband access.
Farmers not only grow our food, fuel and fiber, they also generate terabytes of data allowing them to precisely apply fertilizer where it is needed, target seed distribution during planting, monitor farm machinery for potential problems and make data-driven business decisions.
Broadband-based programs also make it possible for livestock producers to monitor feed usage, schedule delivery of animals, improve the efficiency of their operations and ensure animal health.

Americas farmers and ranchers embrace technology that allows their farming operations to be more efficient, economical and environmentally sensitive.
Broadband connectivity allows equipment like cloud-connected planters, irrigators, tractors and harvesters to automatically change application rates for seed, fertilizer and other inputs. This improves sustainability by allowing farmers to apply less water, protect soil health and plant seeds to achieve optimal yield and lower environmental impact.

Current and future generations of rural Americans will be left behind without affordable broadband service that gives them online access to health care and education services, government agency resources and new business opportunities.
School children should not have to go to a fast-food restaurant or coffee shop in town to get access to high-speed internet because its unavailable at home. As more primary care physicians and specialists leave rural communities, telemedicine has become a necessity in providing access to critical health care services for rural residents.

With more than 19 million rural Americans not having broadband access, there are multiple concerns for farm families during this public health crisis. Farm Bureau asks Congress to appropriate significant funding for rural broadband deployment that erases the digital divide and provides universal service to all areas of the country. More than 72,000 schools have closed due to COVID-19. Many schools have instructed students to continue their education online. However, rural students without broadband access will be severely limited in their ability to stay connected with their teachers and peers and keep up with their schoolwork.

In many cases, adults in rural households have off-farm jobs that may require them to work from home at this time. Without broadband connections, their jobs could be in jeopardy. With health care facilities in all communities poised for an onslaught of potentially sick and highly contagious COVID-19 patients, doctors and nurses in rural facilities must be able to quickly connect with medical specialists. Telemedicine networks are likely the best method to provide this service, but these networks may be unavailable in rural areas that do not have adequate broadband access.

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

CARES Act

Rural Communities:

Small Business Administration:
$10 billion for the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EDIL). AFBF staff is speaking with the SBA to clarify if farms will qualify for SBA EDILs.
Broadband Programs:
$100 million for the USDA ReConnect Pilot Program.
$25 million for the USDA Distance Learning, Telemedicine and Broadband Program.
$200 million for the Federal Communications Commission Telehealth initiatives.
Rural Health Care:
$100 billion for grants to reimburse hospitals and health care providers for COVID -19 related expenses and to replace revenue lost because of the virus outbreak. This amount will be shared between rural, suburban and urban hospitals.
$275 million to expand services and capacity for rural hospitals, telehealth, poison control centers, and for HIV\AIDS support programs.
Language to allow Community Health Centers to maintain or increase staffing and capacity to address the coronavirus. Community Health Centers are a federally-supported health center system of over 1,400 organizations that provide an affordable health care option for more than 29 million people. Nearly half of health centers (44 percent) are located in rural communities.
Provides the Secretary of HHS to reassign members of the National Health Service Corps to neighboring communities. This will provide flexibility for health care providers to move between rural communities that could be facing a higher rate of COVID19 patients.
Expands the use of telehealth, specifically:
Allows Medicare patients to use telehealth even with a doctor that a patient does not have a preexisting relationship.
Allows rural health clinics to treat patients with telehealth.
Agricultural Assistance
- $14 billion to replenish the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), which is used to stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices through initiatives like the Market Facilitation Program (MFP).

- $9.5 billion to help specialty crop growers, farmers who support local food systems, dairy farmers, and livestock producers.

- A temporary three-month extension on repayment of commodity marketing assistance loans, from nine months to a year.

Nutrition Assistance
- $15.5 billion in additional funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to assist more participants. This will not increase benefit levels for individuals.

- $8.8 billion in additional funding for Child Nutrition Programs.

- $450 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

Employee Retention Benefits

Establishes a refundable credit against employer payroll for certain employers that are hurt by the coronavirus but retain their employees. The credit would be for 50% of eligible employee wages paid after March 12, 2020, and before Jan. 1, 2021. It would be provided for as much as $10,000 of compensation, including health benefits.
Employers could receive the credit if a government order related to the pandemic requires them to partially or fully suspend operations, or if their gross receipts declined by certain thresholds.
Employers with more than 100 full-time employees in 2019 would receive credits for wages paid to employees while they arent providing services. Employers with fewer employees would receive credit for wages paid while operations were suspended or during the quarter in which the company had a significant decline in gross receipts.
Employers couldnt receive the credit if they receive a loan under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program for loans established by the bill.
Employers couldnt use the credit for wages for which they also receive a credit under the work opportunity tax credit or a paid leave credit established by the 2017 tax overhaul (Public Law 115-97). Wages taken into account for the paid leave credits established under the second coronavirus response law (Public Law 116-127) couldnt also be used for the employee retention credit.

Unemployment Benefits
Creates a temporary Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program through December 31, 2020, to provide payment to those not traditionally eligible for unemployment benefits (self-employed, independent contractors, those with limited work history, and others) who are unable to work as a direct result of the coronavirus public health emergency.
Provides an additional $600 per week payment to each recipient of unemployment insurance or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for up to four months.
Provides an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits through December 31, 2020, to help those who remain unemployed after weeks of state unemployment benefits are no longer available.
Unemployment benefits under these programs would be available to individuals who are in quarantine, caring for a diagnosed family member, or out of work because their employer closed due to the coronavirus. It also would be available to those who are self-employed, have limited work history, or otherwise wouldnt qualify for unemployment benefits. Benefits wouldnt be provided to individuals who can telework with pay or who are receiving other paid leave benefits.
Provides full funding to states who provide short-time compensation programs, where employers reduce employee hours instead of laying off workers and the employees with reduced hours receive a pro-rated unemployment benefit. This provision would pay 100 percent of the costs they incur in providing this short-time compensation through December 31, 2020.
Unemployment benefits would not apply to seasonal or temporary workers.

The agriculture appropriations bill provides funding for a wide array of federal programs, mostly within USDA. These programs include: agricultural research; education and extension activities; natural resources conservation programs; food safety, marketing and inspection activities; rural economic and community development activities; telecommunications and electrification assistance; and various export and international activities of the USDA in the following areas:.

Farm Programs;
International Programs;
Agricultural Research Priorities; and
Food Safety.
Farmer Stress and Mental Health;
Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority
Biotechnology Promotion;
Expanding International Markets and Safeguarding U.S. Agriculture;
Animal Health;
Food Safety and Protection;
Crop Protection Tools;
Rural Development;
Agriculture in the Classroom;
Wildlife services; and
Renewable energy.
Natural Resources Conservation Service;
Food Safety User Fees;
Horse Processing; and
Agricultural Marketing Service Packers and Stockyards Program.

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

Supported S. 3559, the Immediate Relief for Rural Facilities and Providers Act, to be included in the coronavirus package. The new legislation seeks to address the financial strain to rural health care providers and hospitals due to the pandemic.

To accommodate the millions of anticipated coronavirus cases, state and federal governments have suspended elective surgeries to free up hospital beds for people expected to be hospitalized by the virus. However, because rural hospitals rely disproportionately on elective surgery this directive is making it more difficult for them to keep their doors open, make payroll for their workers, and continue serving their communities.

S. 3559, the Immediate Relief for Rural Facilities and Providers Act, would help rural hospitals and providers and the 60 million Americans who depend on them for health care. The measure would:

*Provide Immediate Relief for Rural Hospitals with an emergency mandatory one-time grant to Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and rural Prospective *Payment System (PPS) hospitals equaling $1,000 per patient day for three months.
*Provide Stabilization for Rural Hospitals with a one-time, emergency grant for CAH and rural PPS hospitals equaling the total reimbursement received for services for three months to stabilize the loss of revenue.
*Encourage Hospital Coordination with a 20% increase in Medicare reimbursement for any patient in a rural hospital using the swing bed program to incentivize freeing up capacity in larger, overcrowded hospitals.
*Provide Stabilization and Relief for Providers with an emergency, one-time grant for all providers and ambulatory surgery centers equal to their total payroll from January 1 - April 1, 2019.
*Provide Funding for Physicians and Providers by authorizing the Small Business Administration to provide low interest loans to providers and ambulatory surgery centers at a 0.25% interest rate that will not accrue until two years after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

Opposed H.R. 5737 which would require federal land management agencies to permanently end livestock grazing on any allotments where the current permittee has accepted a payout in exchange for relinquishment of their term grazing permit.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Regulatory Modernization

The industry needs more efficient, safe and reliable infrastructure and modernizing the NEPA review process will deliver those projects to communities across the country, not just for agriculture, but for every sector of the economy. It shouldnt take 7 years to approve a grazing permit or a highway project.
We support regulation that makes sense, helps us protect our natural resources and doesnt stifle economic growth.

Federal grazing permits last 10 years, but as soon as one is granted, ranchers often begin working preparing for the permit renewal years in advance due to the lengthy NEPA review process. Ranchers utilize forage on federal grazing allotments which provides numerous environmental benefits including wildland fire risk reduction, carbon sequestration, and habitat improvement for wildlife and endangered species. NEPA delays can risk the positive measures livestock grazing provides to our public lands that federal land management agencies could not do on its own.

American farmers and ranchers need reliable and safe infrastructure to deliver their products to consumers in the U.S. and around the world and to get the supplies they need on the farm. Americas infrastructure is in decline, and it takes the federal government an average of 7 years to complete a NEPA review. Continuing to be the greatest economy in the world will require a more efficient review process. Modern infrastructure is key to remaining competitive - for agriculture and other industries. If we dont repair and upgrade it - America will fall behind.
Renewable Energy

Throughout rural America, windmills, biofuel facilities, and other renewable energy products are helping reduce our nations carbon footprint, but too many projects are threatened by an onerous and outdated NEPA review process. Modernizing NEPA will help speed up deployment of renewable energy projects, helping farmers and ranchers protect and care for the natural resources we all rely upon.

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

Supported Accurate Labels Act, H.R. 6044, was reintroduced in the House by Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR). The Accurate Labels Act is intended to provide clear, accurate, and meaningful information to consumers.

The Accurate Labels Act would amend the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act to ensure that consumers have access to clear, accurate and meaningful product information by doing the following:

*Establish science-based criteria for all additional state and local labeling requirements. States that meet the criteria can enact their own ingredient listing or labeling programs.
*Allow state-mandated product information to be provided through smartphone-enabled smart labels and on websites, where consumers can find up-to-date, relevant ingredients and warnings.
*Ensure that covered product information is risk-based. Warning labels act as important precautionary notices of legitimate risks and need to be taken seriously.
*These changes to federal law will ensure that consumers continue to benefit from the nutritional and allergy information on packaging today, while guaranteeing that any additional product information required by states or cities is clear, accurate, meaningful and science-based.

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

Information Update Page - Complete ONLY where registration information has changed.

23. Name of each previously reported individual who is no longer expected to act as a lobbyist for the client

26. Name of each previously reported organization that is no longer affiliated with the registrant or client

28. Name of each previously reported foreign entity that no longer owns, or controls, or is affiliated with the registrant, client or affiliated organization

29. Have any of the lobbyists listed on this report been convicted in a Federal or State Court of an offense involving bribery, extortion, embezzlement, an illegal kickback, tax evasion, fraud, a conflict of interest, making a false statement, perjury, or money laundering?
No Yes

First Name	Last Name	Suffix	Covered Official Position (if applicable)	New
Gail	Greenman

First Name	Last Name	Suffix	Covered Official Position (if applicable)	New
Gail	Greenman

First Name	Last Name	Suffix	Covered Official Position (if applicable)	New
Gail	Greenman

First Name	Last Name	Suffix	Covered Official Position (if applicable)	New
Gail	Greenman

First Name	Last Name	Suffix	Covered Official Position (if applicable)	New
Gail	Greenman