Congress passed a reauthorization bill this week that renews important provisions in the U.S. Grain Standards Act (USGSA).

These include allowing the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) to collect fees for export inspection and weighing services, renewal of the USGSA Advisory Committee and stronger language requiring FGIS to provide export inspections in the event of a suspension of services by a delegated state inspection agency. The latter was a priority for the American Soybean Association (ASA) and other farm organizations following the withdrawal of services at the Port of Vancouver by the Washington State Department of Agriculture in July 2014 and the refusal by FGIS to take over until a lockout of dock workers at the port ended the following month.

The resulting disruption of exports was costly to both exporters and farmers, and undermined the reputation of the U.S. as a reliable supplier of grain and oilseeds to foreign customers.  At the request of ASA, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the Senate Agriculture Committee obtained a commitment from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that the Secretary of Agriculture has authority to hire private security personnel to guarantee the safety of FGIS inspectors, which had been an issue in the Port of Vancouver suspension.  The bill now goes to President Barack Obama, who will sign it before the USGSA provisions would otherwise expire after Sept. 30.