CALIFORNIA CERTIFIED FLORIST (CCF)

EXAM PREPARATION CLASSES SCHEDULED

The California State Floral Association (CSFA) &  

The California Certified Florist (CCF) Program

Present:

CCF Prep Classes

Sunday, September 22nd

Two Locations:

A To Wholesale Floral Supply Inc.  

1511 E. McFadden Avenue,

Santa Ana, CA  92705

Northern California - Location To Be Announced

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

For More Information call the CSFA office at 916-448-5266 or go to the CCF website at:  www.californiacertifiedflorist.org 

On Tuesday, Governor Brown released a revised state budget that attempts to invest the unexpected revenue in one time actions while preaching a tone of austerity and control.   In a release, the Governor's office stated the budget, "strengthens California's fiscal integrity by investing in California's schools, chipping away billions from the "Wall of Debt" and maintaining a prudent reserve.  But California's fiscal stability will be short-lived unless we continue to exercise the discipline that got us out of the mess we inherited."

The revised budget plan unveiled is balanced and on track to lower the state's debt to $4.7 billion by 2017-a reduction of over 86 percent. This was achieved through billions of dollars in permanent cuts in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 budgets as well as temporary revenues passed by voters last year.  At the center of the May Revision is a significant investment in the state's public schools. The plan provides $1,046 more per K-12 student in 2013-14 than was provided in 2011-12 and funding levels will increase by $2,754 per student through 2016-17.

In addition to the higher ongoing funding, the May Revision proposes to invest $1 billion in one-time revenues to support implementation of new national standards for evaluating student achievement in English-language, arts and math (known as Common Core Standards).

The May Revision also proposes:

• A state-based approach to the optional expansion of subsidized medical care allowed under federal law. This expansion will significantly increase health care coverage and access to new federal dollars.
• A revenue-neutral revamping of the state's enterprise zone and hiring credit programs to encourage manufacturing investment and increase employment in high-poverty areas.
• An additional $48 million in CalWORKs job training and subsidized employment opportunities.
• To maintain a $500 million increase to the University of California and California State University systems with additional increases in each of the next four years to make higher education more affordable, more efficient and to maintain quality.

While the budget is projected to remain in balance for the foreseeable future, the May Revision also recognizes the risks posed to the budget - including the uncertain economic recovery, court rulings and actions from the federal government - which underscore the need to maintain fiscal discipline.  Further information on the May Revision can be found at www.ebudget.ca.gov.

Registration is open for 4 UCNFA programs coming up in June. Follow the links below for agenda and registration details for these programs or download the attached flyers.

$45 per person

$45 por persona

Afternoon Spanish $25 per person

Save the date for this program coming to the Central Valley. Check the UCNFA website soon for registration details:

July 24, 2013 Parlier

As the saying goes, the House writes a Farm Bill; the Senate writes a Farm Bill, and then they rewrite the Farm Bill in conference.  That process is well underway as both Senate and House Agriculture Committees this week approved 2013 five-year comprehensive farm legislation, with both bills closely resembling legislation written in 2012, and both bills representing significant budget savings.  Both bills carry about a $100 billion-per-year price tag, but nearly 80% of that is the cost of nutrition programs including federal food stamps.  Overall, most national agriculture organizations praised the committees for moving bills forward, and while each group was not 100% happy with both bills, relief at the progress and apparent speed with which the bills are moving generated optimism. These groups know the heavy lifting will be done in conference committee.

Senate Farm Bill:  The Senate vote was 15-5, with four senior Republicans and a lone Democrat voting against the bill.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, NV) says the bill will be on the floor for full chamber action early next week.  The Senate's ag program package - estimated to save $24.4 billion - was the trickier to get through committee as GOP leadership changed this session with the ascension of Sen. Thad Cochran (R, MS) to the ranking member slot.  This forced Chair Debbie Stabenow (D, MI) to rewrite the commodity title of the bill, which kills off $5 billion in direct and countercyclical payments, to reflect Cochran's desire to provide greater payment protection to southern crop producers to balance out last year's shallow loss income protection program which his producers alleged favored large, Midwest farmers. That program option pays producers the 12-22% of the difference between losses covered by crop insurance and total calculated loss, and caps payments at $50,000 per farmer. New to this year's Senate bill is the Adverse Market Payments (AMP) program option, essentially keeping 2008 target price levels in place for most crops. Sens. John Thune (R, SD) and Pat Roberts (R, KS) opposed the new program, with Thune unsuccessfully trying to amend the language to kill off the target prices for all crops but peanuts and rice. Both Thune and Roberts argued the target price notion was a step backward as the committee moved to eliminate direct payments altogether.  

The marketing loan program for wheat, rice and other crops was retained.  Roberts, who voted against the final committee product, said, "I do not believe this is a reform bill. I believe it is a rearview mirror bill." Sen. John Boozeman (R, AR) declared the House wouldn't accept the new target price program. Dairy support programs are replaced by a margin protection program, similar to the House approach.  Program payments are capped at $750,000 per farm, and other payments.  Federal crop insurance is expanded in the bill by about $5 billion by creating new supplemental coverage option allowing producers to buy more coverage above that normally purchased for crop losses.  Cotton producers get their own insurance program.  An agreement between environmental groups and farmers to resolve the issue of forcing farmers to enter conservation programs in order to qualify for crop insurance was reflected in the bill, but Sen. John Hoeven (R, ND) unsuccessfully tried to kill the provision.  Twenty-three conservation programs are consolidated into 13, and caps the Conservation Reserve Program at 25 million acres. The bill provides nearly $800 million for a number of existing and new alternative energy programs at USDA, preserving programs designed to find alternative feedstocks to corn in producing ethanol.  Federal food stamps are cut by $4.1 billion. The full Senate bill can be found at www.agriculture.senate.gov.

House Farm Bill:  The House Agriculture Committee approved its bill on a 36-10 vote, with Chair Frank Lucas (R, OK) reporting the bill will save nearly $40 billion over 10 years, including $6 billion in sequestration cuts.  "This is an adventure that began two years ago and we have an adventure ahead of us in June," Lucas said, referring to expected House floor action. While votes to support action were narrower than last year, most were strong enough to demonstrate bipartisan support for the package. The House bill kills off most direct payments, establishes full planting flexibility, and creates a producer choice between a Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program and a Revenue Loss Program (RLP).  PLC is analogous to the Senate shallow loss program in that it provides a "complement" to existing crop insurance coverage. RLC requires a farmer to have at least a 15% loss, is based upon county-wide coverage based on broad losses, and uses yields and indexing of below-cost of production prices as its benchmark. Both apply up to the total base acres of each farm.  Dairy supports are replaced by a voluntary "basic-level" margin coverage program, similar to the Senate, but this program is controversial among some producers as it requires supply control through the Dairy Market Stabilization Program.  

On crop insurance, the House creates a Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), an "area-wide group risk policy," designed to cover losses not paid by individual crop policies.  Like the Senate, the House rolls 23 conservation programs into 13, saving about $6 billion. The CRP cap is lowered to 24 million acres.  Energy program renewals save about $500 million, but all biomass and biofuels programs - including research and commercialization assistance for non-food crop feedstocks - are reauthorized.  Accepted during markup was an amendment by Rep. Steve King (R, IA), same as one accepted last year, to make it illegal for states to ban the sale of foods from other states where livestock/poultry production practices are different.  The amendment is aimed at California where it's illegal to sell eggs from hens not raised under standards identical to those in California; King says his state is the nation's largest egg producer and the California law - as well as laws in Oregon, Washington and Maine - are illegal and interfere with interstate commerce.  Where the Senate cuts about $4 billion from federal food stamp assistance, the House bill cuts a whopping $20 billion over 10 years, even more than the $16 billion approved in the 2012 bill.  Full details of the House bill can be found at www.agriculture.house.gov.

The tougher part of writing a new Farm Bill is about to begin as both House and Senate committees start the task of getting their respective chambers to bless committee-approved bills.  The Senate will begin debate as early as next week if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, NV) gets through the procedural process efficiently. Two bills - the Farm Bill and the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) - are Reid's must-pass legislation in May so he can move to immigration reform in June. WRDA was approved this week. The Senate bill is expected to be approved relatively quickly, though not without amendment battles even though Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, KY) will limit the number of amendments to be considered. The House Farm Bill will not see floor action until June, but as Rep. Steve Fincher (R, TN) said this week, that battle will be "a dog fight."  House Speaker John Boehner (R, OH) will likely move the bill to the floor under a modified open rule.   

While not all amendments will be allowed, it's expected there could be as many as 100 or more ruled in order for debate and vote.  The biggest battles for the House bill will be the cost of its commodity title and why doesn't the bill 1) cut food stamps more, or 2) cut food stamps less. Further, Boehner personally doesn't like the House dairy program substitutes and may work to eliminate them. The biggest hurdle for the Senate Farm Bill will be the rewrite from 2012 of the bill's commodity title.  While last year, the Senate ag panel killed off direct payments, replacing them with a shallow loss income protection program, this year's bill carries target prices at 2008 levels, a move to appease southern producers who felt last year's program favored big Midwest corn and soybean producers. Sens. Pat Roberts (R, KS) and John Thune (R, SD) are expected to try and rewrite through amendment the target price language, preserving those payments for peanuts and rice only.   

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D, NY) is expected to try and remove $4.1 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - federal food stamps - but her chances are slim given she tried last year and was unsuccessful.  SNAP cuts will be a major conference committee issue given the House bill cuts that program by over $20 billion, and several House budget hawks are signaling a floor fight over what they feel is a program that needs to be cut even more.  Democrats contend the cuts mean 1 million are left without food assistance and will work to restore the funds.  The United Egg Producers (UEP) and the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) are expected to bring to the floor of both chambers an amendment to the Egg Products Inspection Act to create federal regulations for "enhanced environment" cages for egg laying hens. Another controversial amendment both chambers will likely debate is whether or not to make USDA-inspected horse slaughter illegal in the U.S.  Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D, NM), a freshman, offered and withdrew the amendment during the House ag panel markup after Rep. Kristi Noem (R, SD) took her on.  USDA is expected to provide the first grants of inspection to new horse slaughter facilities in Iowa, Missouri and New Mexico soon.

The marathon Senate Judiciary Committee markup of comprehensive immigration reform continued this week, with the committee dodging a bullet on guest worker visas as its Chair Patrick Leahy (D, VT) expressed frustration over the number of outstanding amendments and lack of formal votes taken so far.  At the same time, members are awaiting the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) "score" on how much the Senate package will cost now and after all amendments have been accepted and a final committee package is in hand.  The House "gang of six" bipartisan members said this week the Senate's bill "an amnesty bill" and unfair to immigrants here legally.  

They called for securing the borders before any discussion of immigration reform.  House Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte (R, VA), has said his committee will not address a comprehensive bill, but rather smaller, more focused bills that can be rolled into a package on the House floor.  Plaguing both the Senate effort and that in the House are issues of how many visas in each category should be allowed for guest workers; how to treat health insurance coverage for undocumented workers - should workers buy their own insurance if not covered by a company plan or be covered under the new health care law - and payment of back taxes by those granted new immigrant status. In the House, immigration reform negotiators are quickly nearing a make-or-break deadline in developing legislation, and critics of the House GOP approach see this as an opportunity for pressure to be brought on House Speaker John Boehner (R, OH) to simply bring a Senate-passed bill to the House floor, with divisions to be bridged in conference committee. There's House conservative frustration with deals worked out between the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that would green light about 200,000 unskilled workers to enter the country each year.   

This provision is a keystone to the Senate package. On the health insurance front, this may be an issue for the respective chamber's tax writing committees, along with provisions requiring the payment of back taxes to qualify for new legal status.  On the Senate side, the Judiciary Committee opted this week to postpone action on rewriting the law on H-1B visas - those for high-skill workers - to see if Sen. Charles Schumer (D, NY) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R, UT), ranking member of the panel, can work out a deal Hatch wants to allow more science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workers into the U.S. each year. The bill currently caps the number of STEM visas at 65,000; Hatch wants that raised to 110,000. The issue is whether there's a U.S. citizen who could do the job, and how to get companies to demonstrate "good faith" efforts to recruit a citizen before bringing in an alien.  Hatch plays a pivotal role in the evolution of the bill as he also sits as a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee. He's carrying amendments developed by Finance that would require the IRS to set up a benchmark for undocumented immigrants to hit to show payment of owed taxes.

President Obama's nominees to lead EPA and the Departments of Labor and Energy were cleared by the panels of jurisdiction, but not before contentious delays and concerns were overcome.  In the case of the nomination of Gina McCarthy to head EPA, Republican members boycotted the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee hearing to consider her nomination because of her "lack of transparency" and her failure to answer four out of five questions from the panel posed to her in writing.  McCarthy's nomination was finally voted out last this week, but will face an equally contentious floor consideration.  The full Senate approved the nomination of Ernest J. Moniz, an MIT professor to head the Energy Department, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee (HELP) voted to approve the nomination of Thomas E. Perez to head the Department of Labor. Senate Republicans have targeted the Perez nomination because, they say, when he headed the Justice Department Civil Rights Division he allowed his office to become too partisan and ideological.

CORSAGES & BOUTS..."in 5 Minutes or Less" 

(NO wire NO tape)

By Ren� van Rems, AIFD 

Rene van Rems Floral Training Center

Carlsbad, CA 92008

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2013

9 A.M. - 4 P.M.  (one hour lunch break @ noon)

$124.50 per student, all inclusive

By Request...

Corsages and other body flowers..."The New Way"

              Learn how to:

• Create FAST custom corsages & boutonnieres
• Make your own LIGHT-WEIGHT corsages & boutonnieres
• SELL corsages & boutonnieres
• SELECT flowers that will last for DAYS!
• PRE-MAKE your corsages & boutonnieres
• UP-SELL bling and accessories
• Work with bling and accessories
• *This is the only corsage/bout workshop offered this year

To register, contact Cathy Brinks @ 888.824.7363

Full registration only please. All Credit Cards accepted.

RENE VAN REMS INTERNATIONAL 

5451 AVENIDA ENCINAS, SUITE F

CARLSBAD, CA 920078

rene@renevanrems.com