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.

Reviewed final USDA hemp rule. The final rule incorporates modifications based on public comments and lessons learned during the 2020 growing season.

Key provisions of the final rule include:

Timing of sample collection - the IFR stated a 15-day window to collect samples before harvest. The FR extends this requirement to 30 calendar days before harvest.
Negligent violation - producers must dispose of plants that exceed the acceptable hemp THC level. However, if the plant tests at or below the negligent threshold stated in the rule, producer will not have committed a negligent violation. The final rule raises the negligence threshold from .5 percent to 1 percent and limits the maximum number of negligent violations that a producer can receive in a growing season (calendar year) to one.
Sampling method - stakeholders requested that samples may be taken from a greater part of the plant or the entire plant. They also requested sampling from a smaller number of plants. The FR allow states and tribes to adopt a performance-based approach to sampling in their plans. The plan must be submitted to USDA for approval. It may take into consideration state seed certification programs, history of producer compliance and other factors determined by the State or Tribe.
Disposal and remediation of non-compliant plants - the final rule allows for alternative disposal methods for non-compliant plants that do not require using a DEA reverse distributor or law enforcement and expands the disposal and remediation measures available to producers. AMS will provide acceptable remediation techniques in a separate guidance document.
Testing using DEA-registered laboratories - there are an insufficient number of DEA-registered laboratories to test all the anticipated hemp that will be produced in 2020 and possibly 2021. DEA has agreed to extend the enforcement flexibility allowing non-DEA registered labs to test hemp until January 1, 2022 and is processing lab registration applications quickly to get more labs testing hemp DEA-registered.

The Cattle Market Transparency Act of 2021 will:

Establish regional mandatory minimum thresholds of negotiated cash and negotiated grid trades to enable price discovery in cattle marketing regions. It will require the Secretary of Agriculture in consultation with the Chief Economist, to establish regionally sufficient levels of negotiated cash and negotiated grid trade, seek public comment on those levels, then implement.

Require USDA to create and maintain a publicly available library of marketing contracts between packers and producers in a manner that ensures confidentiality.

Prohibit the USDA from using confidentiality as a justification for not reporting and makes clear that USDA must report all LMR information, and they must do so in a manner that ensures confidentiality.

Mandate that a packer report to USDA the number of cattle scheduled to be delivered for slaughter each day for the next 14 days and require USDA to report this information on a daily basis.

Agriculture - Dept of (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U.S. SENATE

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

Supported HAULS Act which modernizes the agricultural exemption to the hours-of-service rules and provides much needed regulatory relief for farmers, ranchers and ag haulers.

The HAULS Act would:

Eliminate the requirement that ag and livestock hours-of-service exemptions only apply during state designated planting and harvesting seasons
Amend and clarify the definition of agricultural commodities based on feedback provided by agriculture and livestock organizations
Authorize a 150 air-mile exemption from HOS requirements on the destination side of a haul for ag and livestock haulers

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

Reviewed the final rule released January 15 which includes the remaining programmatic provisions of the H-2A modernization rule that were not addressed in the November 2020 final rule release. The final rule amends the H-2A program in several ways including the following:

Mandating electronic filing of job orders and applications.
These elements are designed to bring the H-2A application process into the digital era, by using the FLAG electronic filing system to share information with other federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security while also sharing information with the State Workforce systems and domestic farmworkers.
Allow for staggered entry of workers into the country over a 120-day period and allowing agricultural employers the flexibility to file a single application for different dates of need instead of multiple applications.
Allows H-2A employers 14-day arrival window.
Creates new standards applicable to rental housing and public accommodations.
Allows state workforce agencies to inspect housing every twenty-four months.
Increases surety bond requirements.
Expands the Departments authority to use enforcement tools like program debarment for substantial violations of the program.

Supported Farm Workdforce Modernization Act

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

Reviewed FY 2021 concurrent budget resolution yesterday afternoon. The bill instructs 12 Committees to make changes to programs within their jurisdiction by February 16. The Budget Committee will bundle the proposals for consideration as a package on the House Floor. Reconciliation instructions are provided to:

Committee on Agriculture: Increase spending by $16.1 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Education and Labor: Increase spending by $357 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Increase spending by $188.5 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Natural Resources: Increase spending by $1 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Increase spending by $350.7 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Small Business: Increase spending by $50 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Increase spending by $95.6 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Ways and Means: Increase spending by $940.7 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.

Monitored HCR 11

Reconciliation instructions are provided to:

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry: Increase spending by $22.7 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation: Increase spending by $35.9 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Environment and Public Works. Increase spending by $3.2 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Finance: Increase spending by $1.3 trillion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: Increase spending by $305 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on: Increase spending by $350.7 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030.
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Increase spending by $50.billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Increase spending by $50.7 billion for the ten-year period 2021 through 2030

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

Monitor4ed USDAs updated standards and checklists that will be used for USDA Harmonized GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) and GAP Plus+ audits.

Specialty crop buyers often require rigorous third-party food safety certifications from produce growers to gain market access. USDA AMS offers several different types of voluntary GAP audits to suppliers throughout the production and supply chain that focus on best agricultural practices to verify that fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled and stored in the safest manner possible to minimize risks of food safety hazards. Customers who request this voluntary audit service pay fees that cover audit and administration costs, including auditor travel time and expenses.

The USDA Harmonized GAP audit checklist will be updated to align with the Produce GAPs Harmonized Combined Standard. Updates will include:

New requirements related to sanitation, hazard analysis and packing materials
Incorporating Tomato Audit Protocol metrics into the USDA Harmonized GAP standard
The USDA Harmonized GAP Plus+ audit checklist changes are required to maintain alignment with updates to USDAs technical equivalence acknowledgment from the Global Food Safety Initiatives (GFSI), which allows GAP Plus+ audits to meet U.S. and international food safety requirements.
Key updates include:

Requirements for a cleaning and sanitation program for food contact surfaces
Environmental monitoring programs for microbiological hazards requiring a control identified in the hazard analysis of the packinghouse
Actions related to the use and shelf life of materials

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

Reviewed President Bidens U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021.

The proposal seeks to allow undocumented individuals to apply for temporary legal status. DACA recipients, TPS holders, and immigrant farmworkers who meet specific requirements are eligible for green cards immediately under the legislation. After three years, all green card holders who pass additional background checks and demonstrate knowledge of English and U.S. civics can apply to become citizens. Applicants must be physically present in the United States on or before January 1, 2021. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may waive the presence requirement for those deported on or after January 20, 2017 who were physically present for at least three years prior to removal for family unity and other humanitarian purposes.

The bill requires that DHS and the Department of Labor establish a commission involving labor, employer, and civil rights organizations to make recommendations for improving the employment verification process. Workers who suffer serious labor violations and cooperate with worker protection agencies will be granted greater access to U visa relief. The bill protects workers who are victims of workplace retaliation from deportation in order to allow labor agencies to interview these workers. It also protects migrant and seasonal workers and increases penalties for employers who violate labor laws.

Provisions of interest for agriculture include the following:

Adjustment of Status
An agricultural worker can adjust to legal permanent resident (LPR) status if they meet eligibility criteria including criminal and national security background checks, pay applicable fees, submit an application, and have performed agricultural labor or services for at least 2,300 work hours (or 400 work days) in the five-year period immediately preceding the date on which such noncitizen file the application.
The spouse and children of a noncitizen eligible for adjustment under this section may also adjust to LPR status, provided they meet the eligibility criteria. Spouses and children do not have any agricultural work requirement.
Aside from the agriculture worker specific provisions, the Secretary of Homeland Security can grant legal prospective immigrant status to a noncitizen and his or her spouse and children who meet eligibility criteria including criminal and national security background checks and payment of all applicable fees. LPI status will last for 6 years unless and can be renewed.
LPI and LPR status holders are eligible for employment authorization.
Naturalization
Reduces the residence requirement for naturalization from 5 years to 3 years for LPRs who, for at least three years before becoming an LPR, were both lawfully present and eligible for employment authorization.
Overtime pay for farmworkers
Beginning January 1, 2022, overtime pay shall be required after 55 hours in one week, 50 hours beginning in 2023; 45 hours beginning in 2024; and 40 hours beginning in 2025. The effective date of this section for employers with fewer than 25 employees is delayed by three years, to begin in 2025.
Removing Certain Exemptions for Agricultural Work.
Amends section 13 of the FLSA, to only allow maximum and minimum hour requirement exceptions to remain for any employee employed in agriculture who is the parent, spouse, or child, or other member of the employers immediate family.
Exemptions for agricultural employees that fall under the following criteria are removed:
An employee is employed by an employer who did not, during any calendar quarter during the preceding calendar year use more than five hundred man-days of agricultural labor,
An employee is employed as a hand harvest laborer and is paid on a piece rate basis in an operation which has been, and is customarily and generally recognized as having been, paid on a piece rate basis in the region of employment, commutes daily from his permanent residence to the farm on which he is so employed, and has been employed in agriculture less than thirteen weeks during the preceding calendar year,
An employee is sixteen years of age or under and is employed as a hand harvest laborer, is paid on a piece rate basis in an operation which has been, and is customarily and generally recognized as having been, paid on a piece rate basis in the region of employment, is employed on the same farm as his parent or person standing in the place of his parent, and is paid at the same piece rate as employees over age sixteen are paid on the same farm.
An employee is principally engaged in the range production of livestock.
Creates a labor law enforcement fund.
The fund is intended to be used for compliance activities such as random audits of employers in industries with a history of significant employment of unauthorized workers or H-2As and H- 2Bs.
Sets criminal penalties for MSPA violations.
Establishes a commission on employment authorization.

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

Monitored ongoing USTR blueberry issue. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has determined that fresh, chilled, or frozen blueberries are not being imported into the U.S. in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury to the domestic blueberry industry. As a result of this decision the investigation will end, and the Commission will not recommend a remedy to the President.

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

Reviewed the Joint Committee on Taxations list of 78 expiring tax provisions.

Provisions Expiring on December 31, 2021

Credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property
Alternative fuels include biodiesel, renewable biodiesel, and ethanol. The credit incentivizes the installation of pumps to increase consumer access to biofuels.
Second generation biofuel producer credit
Second generation biofuel, also known as advanced biofuel, is manufactured from non-food biomass like switchgrass, woodchips, and non-food parts of plants. The credit incentivizes the production of fuel from these sources that provide new markets for agricultural commodities.
Tax incentives for starting facility construction date for energy produced from wind and other renewable resources.
Farmers benefit from a stable source of income that comes from leasing a footprint for development
Provisions Expiring on December 31, 2022

Incentives for biodiesel and renewable diesel
Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats and recycled cooking oils. Biodiesel production not only helps farmers by expanding markets for commodities, but in many rural areas of the country, biodiesel production facilities are a driving force in local economies and broaden the local tax base.
Provisions Expiring on December 31, 2023

Tax incentives for starting facility construction date for increased business solar, small wind and other renewable resources.
Farm Bureau supports policies that help create a diverse domestic fuel and energy supply. Power generated from distributed wind and rental income from solar panels provide farmers with a stable source of income and contribute more broadly to the local economy.
Provisions Expiring on December 31, 2025

Twenty-six tax provisions that expire at the end of 2025 were passed as part of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA).

Modification of individual income tax rates
More than 98 percent of farms and ranches operate as pass-through businesses - sole proprietorships, partnerships and Sub S corporations. As such the pay taxes using individual tax rates. If lower TCJA tax rates and expanded tax brackets are not extended, the result will be a tax increase on the majority of farm and ranch businesses.
Increase in exemption amount and phaseout threshold of individual AMT
The TCJA increased the Alternative Minimum Tax threshold for individuals: Rolling back the higher AMT thresholds will cancel out important deductions and credits put in place by TCJA.
Limitation on deduction for State, local, etc., taxes (SALT)
The SALT deduction permits individuals to deduct taxes paid to state and local governments. The TCJA capped the deduction at $10,000 per household. However, farmers and ranchers are still able to take a SALT deduction for taxes paid by their businesses.
Qualified business income deduction (Sec. 199A deduction)
More than 98 percent of farms and ranches operate as pass-through businesses - sole proprietorships, partnerships and Sub S corporations. The TCJA created a new 20 percent business income deduction for pass-through businesses referred to as Sec. 199A. Repealing the Sec.199A business income deduction would expand the tax base of pass-through businesses, increasing their taxes and erasing much of the benefit of the TCJA.
Increase in estate and gift tax exemption
The TCJA doubled the estate tax exemption to $11 million person/$22 million couple indexed for inflation. If the exemption is allowed to revert back, more farms and ranches will be subject to estate taxes. And, as long as the exemption level is temporary, money must be spent on estate tax planning rather than on growing farm and ranch businesses
Provisions Expiring on December 31, 2026

Additional first-year depreciation with respect to qualified property (Bonus Depreciation.
Bonus depreciation (expensing) allows farmers to better manage their taxes by offsetting income with deductions for their business expenses. This is especially critical because like-kind exchanges for equipment and livestock are repealed.
Election of additional depreciation for certain plants bearing fruits and nuts
This provision improves cash flow by allowing farmers to deduct 50 percent of pre-productive costs like pruning, irrigation, fertilizer, and spraying in the year the expense is incurred rather than having to wait to deduct them over the productive life of the plant or tree.
Provisions Expiring on December 22, 2027

Expensing of certain costs of replanting citrus plants lost by reason of casualty
This provision allows citrus farmers whose trees have been destroyed by weather, disease, pest or other disaster to deduct the full cost of replanting instead of having to wait and deduct the costs over the productive life of the tree.

Supported S. 480 or H.R. 1381, Main Street Tax Certainty Act
The Section 199A business income deduction, passed as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, allows pass through businesses to take a deduction worth 20 percent of their business income. Ninety-eight percent of farms and ranches are organized as pass through businesses. The 199A deduction is temporary and expires at the end of 2025. If it is not made permanent, the result will be a huge increase in the taxes that farmers and ranchers pay and leave them without ways to deal with the cyclical and unpredictable nature of their businesses.

Supported HR 1712, Death Tax Repeal Act and S.617, Death Tax Repeal Act of 2021

Continued support of 1031 like kind exchanges. By using Section 1031, farmers and ranchers are able to defer taxes when they sell real property, such as land or buildings, and replace it with similar property. Without Section 1031 like-kind exchanges, farmers and ranchers might have to incur debt to continue their farm or ranch businesses or, worse yet, delay essential improvements needed to maintain the financial viability of their farm or ranch.

Farmers and ranchers frequently use like-kind exchanges to:

Consolidate distant parcels of land;
Obtain more productive land;
Mitigate environmental impacts;
Expand their operation to include young or beginning farmers;
Upgrade structures like greenhouses or buildings used to house animals; or
Move out of the path of urban development.

Continued support of low capital gains. Capital gains taxes are imposed on the sale of land, buildings, breeding livestock and some timber. The tax is owed on the amount that the property increased in value since it was purchased. The impact of capital gains taxes on farming and ranching is significant because production agriculture requires large investments in land and buildings that are held for long periods of time, during which land values can more than triple.

The current top capital gains tax rate of 20 percent is typically only assessed on high-income taxpayers. However, farmers and ranchers often pay the top rate because their capital gains can be realized in a single year, for example when a farm is sold. This high rate discourages improvements that advance sustainable practices and top notch animal care on farms. Capital gains taxes make it harder for beginning farmers to get started because they create a disincentive for established farmers to sell land and buildings. Land and buildings account for nearly 80% of farm and ranch assets. Eliminating or reducing the capital gains tax would make farming more accessible to beginning and young farmers.

Opposed HR 2286, which would do away with stepped up basis. A capital gain is a measure of an assets appreciation - the difference between the amount received when an asset is sold and the assets basis/purchase price. Typically, capital gains are taxed when an asset is sold. Under current law, however, transfers at death are not treated as a sale and the capital gain is not taxed. In addition, the basis of the property is stepped up to current value so that if the property were sold, capital gains taxes would only be paid on appreciation since the property was inherited. The current top capital gains tax rate is 20 percent.

The value of family-owned farms and ranches are tied to illiquid assets such as land, buildings and equipment. With a majority, 82%, of farm assets in illiquid farm real estate, producers have few options when it comes to generating cash to pay taxes at death. When taxes at death on an agricultural business exceed cash and other liquid assets, surviving family partners may be forced to sell land, buildings or equipment needed to keep their businesses running. This not only can cripple a farm or ranch operation, but also hurts the rural communities and businesses that agriculture supports. The harm caused to agricultural businesses that comes from taxes imposed at death is multiplied when both estate taxes and capital gains taxes are imposed.

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