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| MARCH 2004 |
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Senator
Dole Discusses New Medicare Drug Benefit
On February 19th in Washington,
DC, former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole launched a series
of press conferences to educate people about the new Medicare prescription drug
program. This was the first in a series of six speaking engagements to take place
in other cities over the next several months, in which Senator Dole plans to address
those Americans who will benefit the most from this program, mainly seniors and
those with disabilities.
"The
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit represents the greatest expansion of Medicare
benefits since its inception," said Senator Dole. "It will help millions of Americans
lower the cost of their prescriptions and millions more will be eligible for free
medicine. There were a lot of competing pressures in designing this bill and having
been through efforts like this before I think the final result is the right approach
that provides a tremendous benefit to seniors." The
National Grange is a co-sponsor of Senator Dole's speaking tour along with other
advocacy organizations such as the Lupus Foundation of America; the National Coalition
for Women with Heart Disease, the ALS Association, the National Alliance of the
Mentally Ill, the Alliance for Aging Research, RetireSafe.org and Pfizer, Inc.
Although the Grange represents one of the few sponsors that aren't directly related
to health issues, they have been a major supporter of this legislation since its
earliest stages. "While
the Grange is not a health organization like many of the other groups here are,
we are tremendously concerned about ensuring that our older members have access
to needed prescription medications," said National Grange President William Steel.
"Senator Dole remains very popular among our members and his efforts to help ensure
that people fully understand the benefits of the new Medicare prescription drug
legislation will increase the likelihood that eligible Grange members will take
advantage of the benefit when it becomes available in a few months." top
National Grange Voices USDA Budget Concerns
The National Grange recently
joined forces with other agricultural and public advocacy groups to voice their
concerns about the President's budget proposal for fiscal year 2005. Under the
President's plan, the USDA's budget authority for discretionary programs in 2005
would be reduced by about $1.7 billion or 8.1 percent compared to current spending
levels. Issues
regarding production shortfalls in certain parts of the world and the U.S. over
the last three years and improvements in import and export market conditions have
affected the amount of government support for commodity programs. As a result,
the five-year cost of the Farm Bill is now projected to cost $14.6 billion less
than projected by the Congressional Budget Office shortly after the Farm Bill
legislation was enacted. Decreased funding for this legislation will create a
shortage of funds for programs that are essential for improving the quality of
rural life such as conservation and energy research, rural development and international
food assistance programs.
When considering the budget for Fiscal Year 2005, the letter urged both Congress
and the Senate to oppose reductions in program commitments made in the 2002 Farm
Bill. In order to enhance economic opportunities for America's farmers and rural
communities, it is critical that the federal budget be able to provide an economic
safety net for producers, expand our nation's resource conservation, renewable
energy and agricultural research while addressing a broad range of rural development
and global hunger needs. top
U.S. Court Declares Requirements of Dairy Promotion Act
Unconstitutional
In late February, the U.S. Court of Appeals found that
the requirements made of farmers in the Dairy Promotion Stabilization Act of 1983
are in violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment rights to free speech.
The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, ("Dairy Board") was established
by the Dairy Promotion Act to finance generic research, promotion and advertisement
campaigns, such as the famous "Got Milk?" campaign featuring celebrities sporting
milk moustaches. The Dairy Promotion Act provides is that 15 cents per hundredweight
of milk sold by each dairy farmer in the nation is taken and then contributed
towards the generic advertising, research and promotion campaigns that are authorized
by the Dairy Board to encourage the consumption of milk and other dairy products. After twenty
years of successful dairy research and promotion projects, two small, rural Pennsylvania
dairy farmers decided to test the Constitutional basis of the Dairy Act. Joseph
and Barbara Cochran are independent, small-scale dairy farmers who are not members
of any manufacturing and marketing coop. Under the Dairy Act, the Cochrans pay
approximately $4,000 from their operating budget per year towards the Dairy Board
funded ad campaigns. The Cochrans argued that not only does this create a financial
burden to dairy farmers, these ads can also be very misleading to consumers, implying
that all dairy producers as well as dairy products, are basically the same, making
no distinction between the different production methods, such as small scale or
organic. The
Cochrans believed that because there is such a difference between the traditional
farming methods they employ and the farming methods more commonly used by larger
dairy producers, the Dairy Act violates their First Amendment rights by insisting
they finance these advertisements. According to court transcripts, ".the Cochrans
object to the advertising under the Dairy Act because it conveys a message that
milk is a generic product that bears no distinction based on where and how it
is produced, and thereby forces them to subsidize speech with which they disagree". The court reached
the conclusion that because the dairy industry isn't regulated regarding how the
product is advertised and dairy farmers are not automatically part of a union
or collective organization, those that object should not be compelled to financially
contribute to speech they disagree with. According to the Circuit court opinion,
the Dairy Act is a violation of First Amendment because these rights aren't limited
to freedom of individual speech. They also encompass freedom from expression,
meaning no American should be compelled to support a message with which they disagree.
The Cochran's attorney, Steven M. Simpson said, "Speech wouldn't be free if government
could require people to convey officially sanctioned messages. The same principle
applies to compelling people to pay for speech with which they disagree". top Bridging
the Digital Divide
The Alliance for Public Technology held a policy forum
at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on March 5, 2004 entitled Meeting
Social Obligations in a Broadband World. The Alliance for Public Technology (APT),
on which Legislative Director Leroy Watson serves as a board member, is a non-profit
organization of public interest groups and individuals seeking to promote wider
deployment of telecommunications technology. The United States is ranked number
11 in density of high-speed Internet access, with the world leader being Japan,
followed by Canada, with Korea landing in third. Considering what an advanced
society we are, is it surprising that we do not lead the world? The
forum consisted of three series of panelists gave informative talks on the state
of the U.S. in relation to our policies as well as detailing and comparing the
broadband infrastructure of other countries. Communications Workers of America
Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said in order to achieve telecommunications
for the long run we must use three pillars, which are universal affordable services,
quality services and quality jobs, and financial equity and transparency. Cohen
calls for implementation of policy that would provide 10 to 100 megabytes per
second at an affordable rate, say $25 by the year 2010 for all Americans. Cohen
states that the U.S. is behind the rest of the world because our regulatory agencies
generally define "high speed" Internet access as 200 kilobytes and only 1/3 of
Americans have Internet at home, but 20% of those can't get broadband. Cohen's
final remark was "It's clear to us, we can't afford to wait". Following
Larry Cohen's introduction were APT Policy Director, Matthew Bennet's State Broadband
Report comparing policy initiatives in all 50 states, then ATP President Debbie
Goldman presenting Thinking Outside the Beltway, an examination of state and global
initiatives. Other Panelists included California Public Utilities Commissioner,
Carl Wood; Yasu Tanikawi, representing the Embassy of Japan; Scott Cleland, CEO
of the Precursor Group and Professor Arturo Gandara, University of California
Davis School of Law. Many
rural Americans realize this because they do not have access to high-speed Internet
access (cable or DSL) simply due to their rural geographic location. This affects
medical and educational facilities in addition to private residences. During the
closing remarks of Debbie Goldman, president of Alliance for Public Technology,
asked the over 150 in attendance who had high speed Internet access at home and
nearly everyone raised his or her hand, demonstrating that the policy makers and
researchers in attendance are unaffected by the situation in rural America. They
appear to be aware of the situation, yet unaffected by it. It is almost certain
that if they were affected they would readily make attempts to update the broadband
infrastructure in a more expedient manner. For more information about the APT
and the policy forum, please visit www.apt.org.
top USDA
Invests in Rural Telemedicine and Distance Learning
The U.S. Department
of Agriculture recently announced that it is making $325 million in loans and
grants available to rural communities towards the enhancement and development
of telemedicine and distance learning programs. The Distance Learning and Telemedicine
Grant and Loan Program (DLT) was first authorized under the 1990 Farm Bill, then
reauthorized under the 1996 Farm Bill to encourage, improve, and make affordable
the use of telecommunications, computer networks and related technology for rural
communities to provide better access to educational and medical services. Telecommunications
technology has provided a valuable lifeline to rural communities by providing
them with access to information and services that would otherwise be unavailable
to them, providing more geographically isolated communities an on-ramp to the
information superhighway. In the area of medical care, this technology can enable
rural residents to seek medical attention before problems escalate. It allows
specialists to make virtual house calls; rural patients can have an appointment
with a specialist without incurring the expense of having to travel long distances
to keep their appointments. The
DLT program provides financial assistance through grants, loans or a combination
of the two. Decisions on funding are based on objective criteria, referring to
economic need, ability to utilize resources and geographic location, and subjective
criteria, which focuses on the unique circumstances of the community proposed
to benefit from this program. Both criteria are used as a way to score eligibility
of interested communities. For more information about the program, please visit
www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/dlt/dlt.htm.
top Connecticut
State Grange Legislative Policy Book Now Available
The Connecticut State
Grange is pleased to announce that it has created its very own legislative policy
book, available both online and hard copy. When looking for the online version,
you will also notice the newly enhanced Connecticut State Grange web site. The
home page is colorful, clear and very user-friendly. A special feature includes
a box with a drop-down menu that provides links to all community Granges within
the state. To check out the new web site, visit www.ctstategrange.org;
to obtain an online copy of the 2004 Connecticut State Grange Legislative Policy
Book, please visit www.ctstategrange.org/LegPolicyBook2004.pdf.
top Industry
Officials Expand Testing for Bird Flu
Late in February, Texas was the
latest state in the U.S. to discover a case of avian flu in a flock of chickens.
Although avian, or bird flu, is usually limited to those who come into direct
contact with poultry, there is the possibility that this virus could mutate or
combine with a human flu virus, making it more contagious to the general population.
Symptoms of bird flu include fever, cough, sore throat and fatigue. Shortly
after the diagnosis, the U.S. poultry industry has faced some major losses. The
European Union (EU) had decided to enforce a one-month ban on U.S. poultry imports.
Despite the fact that the Texas bird flu is not nearly as life threatening as
the one discovered in Asia, the entire flock has been destroyed and the farm has
been under quarantine after the birds tested positive. To
further ensure the health and safety of agricultural consumers, government and
poultry industry officials will be expanding testing to cover most of the poultry
raised in the U.S. This new program involving blood tests will cost an estimated
$12.5 million and is expected to go into effect towards the end of the month.
Although the tests will be voluntary, we can expect wide participation from the
poultry industry as a way to prevent further bans. States would oversee and administer
the testing, which would allow poultry producers to receive USDA certification
that their flock is free of the disease. top
Washington Senate Passes Resolution Thanking Washington
State Grange
On March 8, 2004, the Washington State Senate passed a resolution
thanking the National Grange for their many years of service to the state. Known
as State Resolution 8732, the bill was sponsored by Marilyn Rasmussen, who has
been a Grange member since 1976. Resolution 8732 acknowledges that, "Washington
has been blessed by local Granges since 1873." and "the Grange continues to be
a major player in the affairs of our state to the benefit of all Washingtonians..".
In recognition of contributions made by the Grange the resolution says "that the
officers and members of the Washington State Grange be urged to keep up the good
and useful work.". Other Senate and Grange members that signed include, Senator
Joyce Mulliken, Senator Luke Esser, Senator Mark Doumit, Senator Mary Margaret
Haugen and Senator Bob Morton. Click
Here to view Resolution 8732. top Don't
Forget to Register.
Don't forget to register for the National Grange's
Legislative Fly-In, May 16-18, 2004. Open to all interested members, the Legislative
Fly-In allows participants to experience the best Washington, DC has to offer,
both culturally and educationally. The Potomac Grange #1 will also be offering
a scholarship providing a reimbursable grant towards food and lodging. The deadline
for Fly-In registration is April 19, 2004. For the scholarship program, the deadline
is March 31, 2004. Clikck on links below for more information.
Fly-In Registration | Download
Form
Fly-In Scholarship | Download
Form
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