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HR 985

CONGRATS-SEN. MARK WALKER

103rd Regular Session

Raises the funding cap in a Farm Bill provision from $20,000,000 to $36,000,000 and changes numeric references from 3 to 4.

Placed on Calendar Agreed Resolutions
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Bill Summary · HR 985

Summary — H.R. 985

Note on document contents and inconsistencies
- The materials provided for H.R. 985 include two distinct items that appear to have been combined: (A) a short statutory amendment to Section 12513 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 1632d), and (B) the full text of a House resolution (LC 129 0496) honoring the Very Reverend Father George Shukri Makhlouf. The bill title shown (“CONGRATS‑SEN. MARK WALKER”) does not match the resolution text. This summary describes both components and the available procedural history.

Purpose and intent

  • Component A (statutory amendment): To modify numeric provisions in Section 12513 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 by changing several occurrences of the numeral “3” to “4” and increasing an authorized dollar amount from $20,000,000 to $36,000,000. The intent is to alter statutory limits or counts and raise the funding cap in that section.
  • Component B (honorary resolution): To honor the life and memory of the Very Reverend Father George Shukri Makhlouf, recount his biography and service, express the House’s condolences, and direct the Clerk to make copies available for public distribution.

Key provisions / changes

  • Statutory amendment (7 U.S.C. 1632d / Section 12513 of the Farm Bill):

    • Subsection (b): replace “3” with “4”.
    • Subsection (g)(1)(A): replace “3” with “4”.
    • Subsection (i): increase the dollar figure from “$20,000,000” to “$36,000,000”.
    • The text supplied does not include surrounding statutory context, so the specific programmatic effect depends on how those numerals are used in the statute (e.g., number of years, number of participants, number of programs, or similar).

  • Honorary resolution (LC 129 0496):

    • Finds and declares facts about Father George Shukri Makhlouf: born in Palestine, Nakba survivor, orphaned and displaced in 1948, theological training in Paris, educator in Ramallah, ordained in 1985, pastoral service in Palestine and multiple U.S. parishes, later service in Atlanta; advocacy for peace and justice; survived by two sons, a brother, nephews/nieces, and seven granddaughters.
    • Expresses the House’s regret at his passing and honors his life and ministry.
    • Directs the Clerk to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press.

Who is affected / impact

  • Statutory amendment: Affects whatever program(s) or authorities established under 7 U.S.C. 1632d (Section 12513 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018). Raising numeric limits and increasing the authorized amount from $20M to $36M could expand program capacity, duration, or financial support. Exact impacts require reading the full statutory subsection to determine whether “3” refers to duration, number of grants, tiers, etc.
  • Honorary resolution: A non‑binding ceremonial action affecting no government programs or budgets. It recognizes a private citizen’s service and informs the public and record of the House’s expression of condolences.

Procedural / timeline highlights

  • Introduced in House: February 5, 2025.
  • Committee referrals: House Committee on Agriculture; Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry (dates: 2025-02-05 and 2025-03-14).
  • Local/Consent and Congratulatory/Memorial calendar actions: First readers and read/adopted in House (April 4, 2025); placed on Congratulatory & Memorial Resolutions Calendar (May 23, 2025); adopted (May 23, 2025); reported enrolled (May 24, 2025). According to the record, the resolution was adopted and copies were authorized.
  • Sponsors / primary and cosponsors listed in the record include Representatives Ruwa Romman, El‑Mahdi Holly, Spencer Frye, Sam Park, Marvin Lim, Gabriel Sanchez, Derrick Van Orden, and cosponsors Bryan Steil and Salud O. Carbajal.

Notes and recommended next steps

  • For readers interested in programmatic effects of the statutory amendment, examine the full text of 7 U.S.C. 1632d (Section 12513 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018) to determine what the numerals “3” and the funding amount refer to (e.g., number of consecutive years, grant limits, program slots).
  • The resolution honoring Father George is ceremonial; it has no fiscal impact or regulatory effect. If official usage requires, resolve the title/text mismatch (“CONGRATS‑SEN. MARK WALKER” vs. the Makhlouf memorial text) by consulting the sponsoring office or the chamber’s clerk for the authoritative version.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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