House and Senate Ag Committee Leaders have announced the first public meeting for the 2013 Farm Bill conference will be held next week on October 30th beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. Also – although the Senate is not in session this week – The Hill reports House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray are setting the stage for the new House-Senate budget conference to begin the same day as the farm bill conference. The goal of the budget conference is to reach an agreement by December 13th and determine a maximum discretionary spending level for the 2014 Fiscal Year – which began at the start of this month. Currently – 91-billion dollars separates the House and the Senate on their numbers. The current top-line budget the government is operating under is 987-billion dollars – but funding runs out January 15th. Another goal of the conference is a deficit agreement to ease passage of another debt ceiling increase by February 7th
October 30th