Dry bean checkoff increase advanced with new lobby limit

After several days of debate, senators advanced a bill from general file March 11 that would increase the checkoff levied on dry beans.

The current checkoff rate on dry beans is 10 cents per 100 pounds of beans, which was set in 1987. LB242, introduced by Gering Sen. John Stinner, would increase the checkoff to 15 cents beginning Aug. 1, 2015, and authorize the Dry Bean Commission to adjust the checkoff to a maximum of 24 cents.

Stinner said the increase would further research and promotion efforts by the commission.

“The checkoff was developed to help the commission in research, education, marketing and promotion efforts designed to expand the value of dry beans,” he said. “The assessment should be increased to offset the declining purchasing power of the existing checkoff.”

LB242 also would repeal a provision that allows dry bean producers to apply for a refund of their checkoff paid within 30 days of the sale of dry beans.

An Agriculture Committee amendment, which failed on a 19-18 vote, would have reduced the amount of checkoff revenue the commission could spend on federal lobbying from 25 to 15 percent and reinstated the refund provision removed from the original bill.

O’Neill Sen. Tyson Larson supported the amendment.

“When we have appointed boards where people don’t have the option to vote [for or against] those members, it’s important that producers who may or may not agree with what the board is doing have a way to voice their dissent,” he said. “The only real way to do that is through the refund provision.”

Venango Sen. Dan Hughes supported the bill but opposed the amendment, saying that members of the commission understand that they are accountable to dry bean producers.

“[LB242] provides the commission a much better opportunity to budget and plan so they’ll know how much money they’ll have to work with,” he said. “If any board is going to spend up to 25 percent of their budget on any given thing, it’s going to be important. We need to give them that flexibility.”

Upon the failure of the committee amendment, Larson introduced a series of amendments and motions to delay a vote on the bill. None were adopted.

On March 11, Stinner introduced an amendment, adopted 44-0, which contained only the lobbying adjustment from 25 to 15 percent of revenue.

Wahoo Sen. Jerry Johnson supported the Stinner amendment.

“I believe this is a great compromise made by the representatives that support the Dry Bean Commission,” he said.

Senators advanced the bill to select file on a 37-1 vote.