Immediate
Action Needed to Secure President Bush's signature of the 2002 Farm Bill! U.S.
Senate approves final passage of the 2002 Farm Bill by a vote of 280 to 141! Please
Contact President Bush and Urge Him to Sign the Farm Security and Rural Investment
Act of 2002! His e-mail address is: president@whitehouse.gov
Yesterday
the US Senate passed H.R. 2646, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (the
Farm Bill) by a vote of 64 to 35. Last week the House of Representatives approved
the Farm Bill by a vote of 280 to 141. The 2002 Farm Bill is a compromise piece
of legislation that will direct federal farm program for the next six years. It
is currently budgeted to spend more than $173 billion on farm programs, conservation,
rural development, and energy security programs that are vital for farmers, ranchers
and rural Americans. Thank you to all of the Grange members who contacted their
US Representatives and US Senators to urge support for this important legislation.
Before
the legislation can become law, it must be signed by President Bush. It is very
important that President Bush hears from Grange members as soon as possible regarding
the need to immediately sign the 2002 Farm Bill in to law. As Spring planting
season progresses across the nation, hundreds of thousands of farmers and ranchers
need to make appropriate planting, production and marketing decisions based on
the provisions of the new Farm Bill. Further delay in signing this legislation
into law is not acceptable. Throughout the Farm Bill process, the National Grange
has actively notified both Members of Congress and its grassroots membership regarding
Grange supported provisions that should be part of the final legislation. As such,
the National Grange made the final vote to support passage of H.R. 2646, the Farm
Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, a Key Vote that measures each individual
Member of Congress' overall support for rural America Action
Plan---The 2002 House/Senate Farm Bill Conference Committee has completed
the final version of H.R. 2646, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of
2002 (2002 Farm Bill). The
House of Representatives has adopted the final compromise legislation by a vote
of 280 to 141. The US Senate has adopted the final compromise legislation by a
vote of 65 to 35. Thank you to all of the Grange members who responded to our
request to contact their U.S. Representatives and US Senators to urge them to
vote in favor of final passage of the 2002 Farm Bill. The large majority of US
Representatives and US Senators voting in favor of final passage of this legislation
demonstrates the effectiveness of direct grassroots personal contacts with our
political leaders at critical times like this. Now
the final compromise version of the 2002 Farm Bill must be signed by President
Bush to become law. Please contact President
Bush immediately and ask him to sign the 2002 Farm Bill into law. The National
Grange considered support for the 2002 Farm Bill to be a Key Vote that measures
each individual Member of Congress' overall support for rural America. Thank
you for your grassroots participation in the National Grange Legislative Program.
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