Representative Austin Scott News

The organic food industry is gaining influence on Capitol Hill, prompted by its entry into traditional farm states and by increasing consumer demand.

As members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees seek to repeal mandatory country-of-origin labeling, backers tout a new survey from the Consumer Federation of America citing that 90% of Americans favor labeling the origin of meat.

Tensions between conventional and organic agriculture boiled over this week during a late-night House Agriculture Committee debate on farm legislation that for decades has propped up traditional crops and largely ignored organics.

Lucas said he believes the House Agriculture Commitee has come up with a farm bill that will get bipartisan support, even as it reduces spending on the Supplmental Nutrition Assistance Program.

22, 2009, file photo, bottles of Heinz organic tomato ketchup are on display inside Costco in Mountain View, Calif.

The organic food industry is gaining clout on Capitol Hill, prompted by rising consumer demand and its entry into traditional farm states.

A Republican-controlled panel in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the biggest cuts in food stamps for the poor in a generation and a potentially expensive expansion of federally subsidized crop insurance.

The National Community Pharmacists Association is expecting its highest turnout in two years for the association's 2013 Legislative and Government Affairs conference being held Monday and Tuesday.

" You've got to represent the wishes of your constituency. My proper position would be to vote the wishes of my constituents ." Those are the words of 13th district Congressman David Scott.

Georgia State Representative Donna Sheldon announced her campaign team today. The list includes a mix of political professionals with experience in Georgia as well as in national and even international politics.

Memo to everyone lambasting Obama for not getting along with Congress: The President is not all-powerful. And he needs help from his supporters.

Debate over concealed carry of guns in Illinois erupted on the floor of the general assembly in Springfield Wednesday, and Representative Mike Bost of Murphysboro was right in the middle of it.

U.S. Reps. Tom Graves and Kurt Schrader , along with a bipartisan group of 13 other representatives, recently introduced the Pest Free Food Supply Act.

Monday's lead New York Times story was an unusual choice for the top slot: online sales taxes.

Supporters of the proposed Internet sales tax like to make it sound as though they just care about the little guy, the shopkeeper still intrepid enough to keep the doors open at her bricks-and-mortar store on Main Street.

The unfair advantage given on-line retailers; the might of people like Walmart is incalculable; the needs of state and local governments deprived of income - all these contribute to the prediction that the legislation will pass the Senate shortly and maybe even the Republican-controlled House as well.