Text: SCR00019 Text: SCR00021 Text: SCR00000 - SCR00099 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. __ 1 2 BY GRONSTAL, BLACK, BOLKCOM, CONNOLLY, DEARDEN, 1 3 DELUHERY, DVORSKY, FINK, FLYNN, FRAISE, HANSEN, 1 4 HARPER, HORN, JUDGE, KIBBIE, SHEARER, SOUKUP, 1 5 SZYMONIAK, and HAMMOND 1 6 A Concurrent Resolution requesting that the President 1 7 of the United States, the United States Secretary of 1 8 Agriculture, and the United States Congress 1 9 immediately take all actions necessary to reevaluate 1 10 and amend the 1996 "Freedom to Farm Bill" in order to 1 11 preserve family farms. 1 12 WHEREAS, family farm agriculture traditionally has 1 13 been the foundation of this nation's economic 1 14 prosperity, providing the basis for a system of 1 15 production unmatched in the world for its abundant and 1 16 efficient production of food, feed grains, and animal 1 17 products, and contributing billions of dollars in 1 18 revenue each year to the nation's economy from export 1 19 sales; and 1 20 WHEREAS, in 1996 Congress enacted the Federal 1 21 Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act, commonly 1 22 referred to as the "Freedom to Farm Bill", contained 1 23 in Pub. L. No. 104-127 and Pub. L. No. 104-180; and 1 24 WHEREAS, since the passage of the Freedom to Farm 1 25 Bill, agriculture has faced a crisis caused by 1 26 disastrously low prices; and 1 27 WHEREAS, since the passage of the Freedom to Farm 1 28 Bill, farm families and rural communities have 1 29 suffered from a deepening economic crisis resembling 1 30 the devastating economic conditions experienced in the 2 1 1980s; and 2 2 WHEREAS, according to statistics published by the 2 3 United States Department of Agriculture, net income 2 4 earned by farmers from the production of major field 2 5 crops in 1998 declined 17 percent below the average 2 6 income earned from the production of major field crops 2 7 for the five previous years; and 2 8 WHEREAS, according to projections by the United 2 9 States Department of Agriculture, net income earned by 2 10 farmers from the production of major field crops in 2 11 1999 will decline 27 percent below the average income 2 12 from the production of major field crops for the 2 13 previous five years; and 2 14 WHEREAS, in December 1998, prices paid for swine on 2 15 a live carcass basis plummeted to below depression 2 16 area levels; and 2 17 WHEREAS, when adjusted to 1933 prices, producers 2 18 received 67 cents per hundredweight for swine sold on 2 19 a live carcass basis in December; and 2 20 WHEREAS, the slaughter cattle market has been 2 21 depressed for several years and milk producers 2 22 witnessed the largest one-month price decline in 2 23 history; and 2 24 WHEREAS, since the passage of the Freedom to Farm 2 25 Bill, there is an increasing use of contracting, 2 26 integration of production and processing, and mergers 2 27 and consolidation of agribusinesses which exacerbates 2 28 the desperate financial condition faced by family 2 29 farmers, by limiting opportunities for family farmers 2 30 to market agricultural commodities; and 3 1 WHEREAS, since the passage of the Freedom to Farm 3 2 Bill, the decline in farm exports is significantly 3 3 below the levels predicted when the Freedom to Farm 3 4 Bill was enacted; and 3 5 WHEREAS, since the passage of the Freedom to Farm 3 6 Bill, losses of billions of dollars will force 3 7 thousands of family farmers out of business and may 3 8 threaten the cherished position of the small 3 9 independent producer in the agricultural economy; and 3 10 WHEREAS, for families who have farmed land for 3 11 generations, "freedom to farm" has come to mean the 3 12 freedom to leave their farms or face economic ruin; 3 13 NOW THEREFORE, 3 14 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF 3 15 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the President of the 3 16 United States, the United States Secretary of 3 17 Agriculture, and the United State Congress immediately 3 18 take all actions necessary to reevaluate and amend the 3 19 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act in 3 20 order to address critical issues facing agriculture 3 21 and to preserve family farms; and 3 22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this 3 23 Resolution be sent by the Secretary of the Senate to 3 24 the President of the United States; the United States 3 25 Secretary of Agriculture; the President of the Senate 3 26 of the United States; the United States Attorney 3 27 General; the Speaker of the House of Representatives 3 28 of the United States; the Chairperson of the United 3 29 States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 3 30 Forestry; the Chairperson of the United States House 4 1 of Representatives Committee on Agriculture; and 4 2 members of Iowa's congressional delegation. 4 3 LSB 3423XS 78 4 4 da/sc/14.1
Text: SCR00019 Text: SCR00021 Text: SCR00000 - SCR00099 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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