American Farmland Trust: The 2008 Farm Bill - Debate

Outlining the Debate

New Advocates and Influences

Timeline of Events

Countdown to the farm bill

Below is the timeline for the House and Senate leading up to the final vote and signing of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. If you're new to the inner workings of Capitol Hill, read our overview of the process.

	House Schedule	Senate Schedule
May	Agriculture Subcommittee mark-ups begin - AFT pushes for conservation funding.	No action
June	Agriculture Subcommittee mark-ups finish. Read AFT's press release about the need for an improved safety net.	No action
July	July 17th - 19th - Full House Agriculture Committee mark-up. July 26th - 27th - Full House floor vote. H.R. 2419 passes 231-191.	No action
August	Recess
September		No action
October		Senate Finance Committee mark-ups Oct. 5th Oct 24th - 25th - Senate Agriculture Committee mark-up. AFT's press release on the outcome.
November		Nov 5th - Senate floor vote scheduled; no action due to impasse over amendments.
December		Dec 11th - 13th - Senate floor vote. Passes 79-14.
January	Conference Committee between House and Senate
February	Conference Committee between House and Senate
March	Conference Committee between House and Senate
April	Conference Committee between House and Senate
May	Conference Committee concludes. Final conference report from the Senate Agriculture Committee.
	May 14th - House final vote. Passes 318-106.	May 15th - Senate final vote. Passes 85-15.
	May 21st - White House veto.
	May 21st - Veto override passes 316-108. Legislative procedural issue arises.	May 22nd - Veto override passes 82-13.
	May 22nd - Despite missing trade title, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 enacted into law.