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May 2010
Special Legislative Round-Up Edition
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New Jersey
By L. Claire Grisset, NJ State Grange Legislative Director |
One of the New Jersey State Grange resolutions was
to make people who use and over-use tanning booths aware
of the potential dangers. There has been a lot of discussion
between the tanning booth industry and the dermatologists-
what has been proposed is a 10% tax on the roughly 20,000
tanning salons, which is estimated to raise $2.7 billion over
a 10 year period. If you include the “Bo Tax,” which includes
taxing a variety of procedures including liposuction and Botox
injections, it could bring in as much as $5.8 billion dollars in a
10 year period.
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Pennsylvania
By Betsy Huber, PA State Grange Master |
Pennsylvania Legislative Activity |
We’ve been very busy with meetings and lobbying
for you on several issues. A special dairy committee met
twice in January and recommended changing our policy on
pooling of the over-order premium on milk in Pennsylvania.
The committee supported, and the State Grange Executive
Committee approved, a resolution from Berks County
Pomona Grange asking for an “equitable distribution” of the
premium to all farmers. We will be able to testify before the
Milk Marketing Board, if they hold a hearing on the issue.
We submitted comments on the proposed regulations
from DEP on outdoor wood-fired boilers after receiving calls
from several members with concerns.
DEP is also revising the “Field Application of Manure”
manual. Areas of concern yet to be addressed are winter
spreading, animal heavy use areas, and record keeping. This
manual applies to all farms, not just CAFOs or large animal
operations.
We also submitted comments to the Federal
Communications Commission regarding broadband access
for rural Pennsylvania. We requested the FCC to reject any
new rules that will interfere with (private or public) investments
in the building of accessible and affordable broadband
infrastructure in rural Pennsylvania. Instead we asked the
FCC to channel its energy into developing policies that will
help rural areas thrive in the 21st century.
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West Virginia
From West Virginia State Grange News |
| The agriculture community continues to struggle to
survive, always enduring low commodity prices and increased
production costs. The farming community is always faced
with an array of Environmental and Natural Resource’s rules
and regulations.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection is in the process of developing rules governing
Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). These
rules are the results of the clean water act and will require
producers to obtain permits if a certain number of animals are
in a confined area, i.e. feed lots, hog houses, poultry houses,
etc. When these rules are approved by the Legislature and
implemented there will be a requirement to pay a fee to obtain a permit for your operation.
The cost and availability of fresh food in local
communities has caught the attention of the West Virginia
Department of Agriculture. This has resulted in grants being
used to help local communities establish farmer’s markets
to sell home grown produce. This would be an excellent
opportunity for your local Grange to get involved by making
your facilities available for a tailgate market.
These are just a few of the obstacles facing American
farmers as they struggle for survival and to produce food and
fiber to feed the populations of the world.
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Illinois
By David Donley, IL State Grange Legislative Director |
Illinois Ag Legislative Day is a Success |
Our Legislative Department participated in the Illinois
Agricultural Association’s annual Ag Day at our Capitol. Each
year this provides us a readily available access to a large
number of our State Legislators where we are especially
involved with advocating for funding of the Illinois Council on
Food and Agriculture Research (CFAR), University of Illinois
Extension and Soil and Water Conservation.
With the change in Administration in Washington, D.C.,
there has been a push for health care reform in the United
States. Concern for rising health care costs and concern
for those not covered by health insurance has renewed the
debate and controversy over providing health care for those
living in the United States. As diverse as the membership in
the Grange is, it may be difficult to come to a consensus on
the issue.
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Vermont
By Errol Briggs, VT State Grange President
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Vermont State Grange Legislative Day Highlights the Grange Year |
The annual Grange Legislative Day at the State
House in Montpelier, under the direction of Legislative
Chairman James Ballard, was especially well attended this
past year. Both the Governor and Legislature presented
proclamations to the Grange. This event has become a
highlight of the Grange year, with participation by many
Grangers and government officials.
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Idaho
By Don Johnson, ID State Grange Legislative Director |
Our “Peoples House” (State Capitol) is officially open
for business. Our elected officials are hoping for a short
session!
The Governor of our State has shared his thoughts
and wisdom about our fiscal responsibilities and financial
condition of our State. Now, how do the bills get paid with
less revenue? Governor Otter stated in his State of the State,
“no new taxes!”
Governor Otter’s fiscal year 2011 budget
recommendations:
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Budget based on zero growth from 2010 revenue
forecast for 2010 is $28M less than August forecast and FY
2011 is $83M less than forecast.
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Governor Otter has recommended consolidating
parks and recreation operations moved to lands; registration
services moved to fish & game; a four-year phase out of
general fund money going to public television, Human Rights
Commission, Hispanic Commission, Independent Living
Council, Developmental Disabilities Council, Deaf and Hard
of Hearing Council, and Digital Learning Academy. This is a
recommendation to collocate smaller boards and commissions
to increase fund raising activities, greater efficiencies, and
increased partnerships.
Additional fiscal year 2010 supplementals include
removing funding for U of I Idaho Center for Livestock and
Environmental Studies (R9.6M) and providing only limited
and necessary supplementals in other areas of budget.
Food Producers of Idaho (our AG umbrella
organization) has started our weekly legislative meetings. Dr.
Duane Nellis, President of the University of Idaho, spoke to
the group and highlighted a number of items important to the
role of the University of Idaho. Among these were: (1) wants
to see the U of I become a 21st Century Land Grant University;
(2) over 2,000 students from U of I have been involved in
outreach efforts in communities throughout Idaho; (3) the
University will need to be more globally connected; (4) the
University will need to be more interdisciplinary-integration
across all departments and colleges at the university to solve
real world problems, this is a necessary component of the
21st Century Land Grant; (5) the University must be more
sustainable in their approach to education. The University
must also be more diverse and recognize the changing culture
in Idaho; and (6) the University must be more strategic in the
mission of being a Land Grant. |
New Hampshire
By Jim Tetreault, NH State Grange Legislative Director |
Now is the Time to Organize Your Grange's Meet the Candidate Meetings |
This is a very busy time in our towns and cities.
Some of our towns have already had the first meeting of the
deliberative session. Some towns are getting ready for the
annual town meeting.
This is an opportunity for your Grange to perform
some valuable community service. Your Grange can host a
Meet the Candidates Evening/Afternoon. Offer opportunities
to use your meeting place to review and discuss the Annual
Town Warrant. This is also an opportunity to make your
Grange known in the community, I was impressed that Daniel
Webster Grange will be setting up a display and handing out
brochures to promote their Grange.
Opinion/Editorial Views from Around the Grange
Editors Note: For more than 140 years, Grange members
have cherished the opportunity for open debate and
discussion on the various issues of the day affecting
the general well being of the Grange’s diverse, national
membership. The Grange Declaration of Purposes,
originally authored by the Founders of the Order of Patrons
of Husbandry and which remains part of the Constitution of
the National Grange today, reminds us that “…. difference
of opinion is not a crime and the fault lies in the bitterness
of the controversy.” Thoughtful presentation of views and
opinions by individual Grange members is as much a part of
our tradition of legislative advocacy as the collective decision
making aspects of our policy development processes such
as adopting resolutions, lobbying and grassroots activism. In
fact without the generous contribution of individual Grange
members of their perspective, knowledge and experiences
about issues facing our communities, states and nation, the
Grange’s democratic, collective decision making process
would quickly deteriorate into what critics of unrestrained
democracy have always feared; a tyranny of the majority,
that inevitably loses its authority to claim to be an accurate
representation of the views of those it is supposed to
represent. Individual perspective and advocacy serve as
the ultimate check and balance on the Grange’s collective
decision making policy development process that keeps the
organization’s policy perspectives fresh and current with the
concerns of its grassroots members.
The two articles that follow, both are reprinted from
their respective State Grange newspapers, represent the
views and opinions of the individual authors and do not
necessarily represent the adopted policy of the National
Grange, or their respective State Granges. In addition the
publication of these articles does not indicate a preference
on the part of the National Grange to adopt or oppose the
policies advocated herein.
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New York
By Roger J. Halbert, NY State Grange Legislative Director |
How Far Should Smoking Bans Go?
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Let me make one thing perfectly clear at the outset.
I do not smoke, never have and, quite sure I never will.
But I feel compelled to address this issue while it is fresh in
many minds, having discussed the issue at the recent State
Grange Convention in Bata-via. A resolution submitted for
consideration called for legislation that would make smoking
in a vehicle while a child is present illegal. At our local meeting
just before the State Session, we discussed this issue, having
proposed a resolution prior to the statewide smoking restrictions
in restaurants in 2002. We proposed that a restaurant
owner’s rights were being violated and the owner should
decide whether smoking was permitted in his/her establishment.
New York State Grange adopted that position, favoring
rights of owners. However, contrary to State Grange position,
in 2002 the State Legislature and Governor enacted the new
law prohibiting smoking in restaurants and other public places.
The resolution this year seemed to be going down the
same road. I understand the reasoning that children should
not be subjected to secondhand smoke. However, a strong
position is the distinct disapproval of government, one more
time, infringing upon the rights of owners enjoying their personal
property. How far are we willing to ask “big brother” to police
us in our daily lives?
Believing that the delegates would not support the
submitted resolution (making it illegal to smoke in one’s vehicle
in the presence of children…which was ultimately disapproved),
a second resolution was offered asking the Legislature to
disapprove legislation that “prohibits one’s choice to smoke on
privately owned property or in open air spaces.”
This created much discussion on the floor, including
the concern of children observing adults while smoking and the
negative influence it has on children. No argument here, but
are we willing to say it is illegal for parents or adults to smoke
in one’s home in the presence of children? I would guess not.
Some practices and role modeling need to be left up to parents,
even though we know it is handled poorly at times.
Erroneously suggested on the floor that there wasn’t
known proposed legislation to further limit smoking in New York
State, the delegates then decided it was safer to not take a
position. The truth of the matter is Assembly woman Sandra
Galef (Putnam and Westchester counties) leads the smoking
ban for playgrounds in New York State. The legislation does not
include a provision for fining violators and police would not be
authorized to “arrest, ticket, stop or question any person based
solely or in part on an alleged violation.” In most instances, police
would be able to approach someone to let them know they are in
a no-smoking area.
Even though this would be a “watered down” law, it
still would be allowing “big brother” once again to dictate what
the state believes to be acceptable behavior of adults in the
presence of children.
While one might deduce that being against a law that
would prohibit one from smoking in their personal vehicle as
violation of their personal rights to enjoy personal property, then
the same person would favor allowing one to smoke in or on their
own personal property, residence, or vehicle and would also
believe that in the out of doors, one could smoke freely without
violation. Not the case at the recent State Grange Session,
when the counter proposed resolution to disapprove legislation
that would restrict smoking on privately owned property or in open air spaces also met defeat.
Personal rights should have prevailed just as they did in our
stand regarding smoking in restaurants prior to its prohibition
when it became law in New York State. I can’t believe that
we would support a law that prohibits an adult from smoking
in a private residence in the presence of a child, but given the
delegate vote regarding smoking in playgrounds and in open
air spaces, I wouldn’t bet the house on it. While this is not a
crucial issue, we could have taken a position on the sensitive
issue of property and personal rights as they relate to smoking.
Even though we all can probably agree that smoking is
dangerous for one’s health, we opted to take the easy, less
controversial way out of having “no position” on the subject. I
think we missed the boat on this one.
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Connecticut
By Dan Mutchler, CT State Agriculture Committee |
Does Raw Milk Get a Raw Deal?
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People have been drinking raw milk for thousands
of years. By ‘raw’ we mean to say milk which has not been
pasteurized. The news media thrives on sensationalism and
lately has made the term raw milk something to be afraid of
and consider dangerous. Let us consider some of the factual
information on this controversial topic.
In general, non-pasteurized or raw milk from animals
such as sheep, goats, cows, donkeys, and even reindeer
has been a reliable and safe vitamin and nutrient-laden food
for a long time. Cultures all around the world have relied
on milk for good health and sustenance long before French
chemist, Louis Pasteur’s process was developed (first tested
in 1864), and those cultures still exist today. It is easy to see
that raw milk is not a deadly food. One of the negatives about
pasteurization is that there are many good naturally occurring
bacteria which get destroyed in the process, along with any
potentially dangerous bacteria there might be. Pasteurization
is a process which slows microbial growth in food. Raw milk
contains beneficial live bacteria similar to yogurt, which have
the amazing ability to actually crowd out bad bacteria and also
give the milk some amazing natural preservative qualities.
Much of the illness and death associated with raw milk
in the past was a direct result of animals that were confined to
filthy, manure filled pens combined with dirty hands, and any
number of contaminants in unsanitary milk pails.
We live in more enlightened times with much more
advanced biology, and much better understanding of the
importance of adhering to stringent sanitation practices
in agricultural operations. These must be a way we, as a
modern society can return to utilizing this amazing food
product, which God created and intended for the preservation
of life.
This is an ongoing discussion and there are several
farms in Connecticut where this incredible food can be
obtained. However, it is under constant legal attacks and I
hope we do not have to see it legally banned before thoroughly
examining the possibilities of producing and marketing this
product in a safe healthful way. |
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