House Likely To Vote on Farm Bill Conference Next Week: Conaway.

A vote on a motion to proceed to conference on the farm bill is expected next week in the House, according to House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas. “It’s my understanding that the speaker will trigger that motion next week,” Conaway told reporters, referring to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.Conaway said is currently working on the list of conferees and is “putting together all the committees that might have jurisdictional linkage to the deal.”Conaway said he's anticipating that Democrats will offer at least one motion to instruct conferees to consider a particular position as negotiations get underway. Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., is aiming to make that non-binding suggestion be the establishment of baseline funding for a vaccine disease bank at USDA.Conaway and Peterson met Wednesday for the first time in eight weeks, according to Peterson. Peterson indicated to reporters that the face-to-face got heated. "I was not easy on him, and I told him bluntly what I think, which I always do,” he said. “He didn't like it, but I said I'm just telling what I think and I'm trying to be helpful... We get this thing into conference next week and if people become sensible it won't take long to do this,” Peterson said.A top Democratic farm senator said the House bill includes food stamp work requirements the Senate won’t accept. Senate Agriculture Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said Thursday she wants the House to understand current law and that there are already work requirements in place for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. “They want more older people to work, they want more moms with smaller children to work, and that is a disagreement the Senate has,” she said.