This hearing will examine policies that make investments in jobs and opportunities for farmers and rural businesses through new markets, entrepreneurship, regional strategies and energy innovation. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will testify, among others.
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Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today announced the Committee’s Farm Bill hearing schedule for February and March, noting that the Committee will continue examining Farm Bill principles and evaluating policy solutions to develop a 2012 Farm Bill. Click here to see the schedule (note that details are subject to change).
In 2008, the financial crisis destroyed confidence in the markets, shuttered thousands of small businesses, and put 8 million Americans out of work. Last year, Congress passed historic legislation, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, to bring increased transparency and accountability to these markets. This hearing continues the Committee’s oversight of Title VII of the Wall Street Reform law, which governs derivatives, and will feature testimony from the Hon. Gary Gensler, Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Hon. Mary Schapiro, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. You can watch the hearing live on this website. The webcast begins at the hearing’s start time.
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On October 31, 2011, MF Global Holdings Ltd. declared bankruptcy – the eighth largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. Since then, federal officials have been unable to find a significant amount of the firm’s customer’s money. It is currently estimated that up to $1.2 billion in customer funds is missing. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry has jurisdiction over the sort of commodity trading that MF Global was engaged in, and the hearing on December 13 will be a continuation of the Committee’s investigation into the firm’s bankruptcy.
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