A committee meeting during the 2005 National Convention

The National Grange held its 139th Annual Convention in Columbus, Ohio during the week of November 15 th-19 th. At the convention, more than 80 Grange grassroots delegates from 37 states across the country voted on 180 public policy resolutions and adopted 46 of them. This year's new policies cover a broad range of issues from Canadian cattle to agricultural employers’ responsibility for alien workers and some issues such as eminent domain, social security, immigration, and free trade agreements sparked intensive discussion during the Convention.

The National Grange delegates in the session

To emphasize the Grange’s advocacy for rural citizens the Grange delegates proclaimed: “ While the United States represents only five percent of the world’s population, American farmers and ranchers produce twenty–five percent of the world’s food supply. These American farmers and ranchers are the foundation of this abundant, safe and efficient food source. The Grange continues to pledge its support for rural America and family farms and ranches.”

The following are highlights of new policy statements from the 2005 Convention.

Bill Steel, President of the National Grange, gives his speech.

• EMINENT DOMAIN: The National Grange supports legislation to prohibit the federal government from exercising its power of eminent domain to be used for private economic development. Any state or political subdivision that exercises the power of eminent domain for private economic development shall be ineligible for any federal economic development funds for any purposes for at least two years.
  
• SOCIAL SECURITY: A major challenge facing our nation is the health of Social Security. The National Grange supports Social Security reform that prevents the loss of income to recipients. The Grange asks Congress to give up political rhetoric and inaction and to get aggressive and creative in the solutions for national fiscal solvency and Social Security protection. The Grange supports the elimination of the cap on Social Security taxable wages.
  
• ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: The National Grange supports the efforts of the federal government to increase border security to stem the tide of illegal immigration. We suggest that proof of citizenship and/or legal registered immigration be required for receiving benefits.However, the Grange opposes any regulation or legislation that would hold agricultural employers responsible for checking the authenticity of documentation provided by migrant and seasonal workers at the time of employment.
  
• FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS: Free trade agreements are not always fair when some segments of the economy are sacrificed. While free trade agreements have opened markets to United States’ products, some U.S. companies have found the cost of labor and operations to be more favorable in other countries. Free trade agreements have been negotiated on a bi-lateral and regional basis, which have the potential to be harmful to farmers and the economy. We need fair trade agreements not necessarily free trade agreements.
  
• U.S. SOVEREIGNTY: The National Grange supports legislation that rejects any merger, treaty, or agreement with any country that infringes on the sovereignty of the U.S. Constitution.
  
• ENERGY: The National Grange urges an examination and reform of environmental laws so that new oil refineries can be built to supply our fuel needs. New oil refineries should be built, if feasible, in areas other than the Gulf Coast. There are so many different mandated formulations for gasoline. They should be studied and, if possible, reduce the number to make it easier to refine and transport the finished product. The National Grange also encourages the development of fuel-efficient vehicles to reduce our dependency on foreign oil.
  
• CANADIAN CATTLE: The National Grange supports opening the U.S. border to Canadian live beef under thirty months of age for immediate slaughter.
  
• DIGITAL TV TRANSITION: The National Grange supports legislation that would require the communication industry to continue to transmit information on existing technology (analog) being used for a minimum of 5 years after new technology (digital) is put into service thereby giving time for most individuals to purchase equipment compatible to the new technology.
  
• NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT: The National Grange believes that the No Child Left Behind Act is, in fact, counterproductive. All federal educational program initiatives required by the federal government, no matter how well meaning, such as the No Child Left Behind Act must be paid for by federal government funds and shall not be paid by state and local government funds.
  
• KATRINA RELIEF: The difficulties of response to the areas of New Orleans, southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in the wake of hurricane Katrina left our nation stunned. The National Grange urges U.S. Congress to expedite funding for a resilient, mobile, and wireless data network between local and state first responders and emergency personnel with federal emergency agencies, such as FEMA, Homeland Security Department and the National Guard. The FEMA should be return to an independent agency free from the direction of the Homeland Security Department.

All new policies adopted by delegates in 2005 will be published in the 2005 Journal of Proceedings, 2006 Legislative Policy Book and the National Grange website for your review.

The mission of the National Grange Legislative Department is to provide Grange members with meaningful opportunities for non-partisan, civic participation in the public policy process at all levels of government. Throughout the course of 2005, the National Grange Legislative Department worked hard to meet this goal by keeping our own members aware of current issues and policies, while also representing the Grange in Washington D.C.’s policymaking arena. We are proud to note that our hard work was recognized by the publishing company McGraw-Hill, resulting in excerpts of the National Grange’s Blueprint for Rural America being used in their high school textbook on civics and American government entitled United States Government: Democracy in Action. McGraw-Hill considered the Grange’s Blueprint for Rural America as the model for grassroots advocacy and the textbook will be used in high school classrooms across the nation.

Leroy Watson, Legislative Director of the National Grange, with a copy of McGraw-Hill’s textbook

Other highlights from the year included; Leroy Watson, Legislative Director, participating in a nationally broadcasted program by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to publicize the Grange’s innovative outreach programs on the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program; the National Grange attending a White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation in St. Louis, MO that included more than 1,000 conservation leaders from organizations in the private, nonprofit and government sectors; a direct mail program to over 160,000 people in support of legislation designed to combat the rising price of energy; and a record breaking Legislative Fly-In, in which Grange members met with 140 U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives.

Reporting on all of these successes and more, the Legislative Department’s newsletter, View From the Hill, enjoyed an increase in output as well, raising the number of articles from 57 in 2004 to 90 in 2005. Positive feedback from members, coalition groups and congressional offices has provided interesting insights into the influence the View From the Hill has achieved. “We will continue to work to fill its pages with Grange advocacy activities and up-to-date legislative information on issues that directly affect our members,” said Chil-Sook Hwang, the editor of the View From the Hill.

Delegates and members attending the 139 th Annual National Grange Convention in Columbus, Ohio were energized by effective, hands-on grassroots legislative action to address one of the most talked about legislative issues at this year’s convention, the abusive use of eminent domain for private economic development. About 200 postcards were collected at the Annual Convention and sent to U.S. Senators urging their support for H.R. 4128, The Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005. H.R. 4128 would prohibit the federal government from exercising its power of eminent domain for private economic development. H.R. 4128 would also prohibit any state or local government from exercising its power of eminent domain for private economic development if that state or local government receives federal economic development funds. It also makes a state or local government that violates the prohibition on the use of eminent domain for private economic development ineligible for any federal economic development funds for two fiscal years.

Interest in the issue of private property rights and the abusive use of eminent domain authorities arose earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a case known as Kelo v. New London that there are no practical constitutional limitations on the use of eminent domain powers by the government to seize private property exclusively for the purpose of private economic development. Instead, the high court ruled that limitations on the use of eminent domain powers are a “political” decision that should be resolved as part of the legislative process, rather than in the courts.

Lead plaintiff Suzanne Kelo brought her case to the U.S. Supreme Court after the City of New London, Connecticut condemned her home for the sole purpose of turning her property over to a developer who would build a privately owned shopping and business development that would, in turn, generate higher property tax revenues than the single family homes occupied by Ms. Kelo and her neighbors.

In response to the Kelo decision, Grange members across the nation became active in efforts to reverse or limit the effects of Kelo. In August, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in her case, Ms. Kelo was invited to address a meeting hosted by the North Stonington Community Grange #138, in North Stonington, Connecticut. At this year’s National Grange convention, sixteen separate resolutions from State Granges were received calling for the repeal or reversal of the Kelo decision. National Grange delegates adopted a strongly worded policy resolution advocating the eminent domain reforms contained in H.R. 4128. On November 3, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation by a margin of 376-38. Now, eminent domain reform awaits action in the U.S. Senate.

The National Grange encourages local and state Granges and individual Grange members to join the National Grange delegates in expressing support to their U.S. Senators for immediate eminent domain reform.

Download a copy of the postcard used at the National Grange convention.

Postcard Front / Postcard Back
(Avery #8387 Postcard Sheet)

The dates of the National Grange’s Legislative Fly-In 2006 are scheduled for May 22-23 (Mon-Tue), 2006. The Fly-In will celebrate its 9 th anniversary in 2006. Since 1997, the National Grange Legislative Fly-In has become one of the fastest growing grassroots advocacy programs in our nation’s capital where Grange members can actively celebrate the responsibilities of citizenship.

Open to all interested Grange members, the Legislative Fly-In invites Grange members from across the country to travel to Washington, D.C., in order to learn about current national legislative/regulatory issues of concern to the Grange, to meet with their lawmakers and to experience the best Washington, D.C. has to offer, culturally and educationally. The Potomac Grange #1 will continue to offer a scholarship providing a reimbursable grant towards food and lodging expenses for qualified participants.

Program and registration information including the scholarship application will be available on the National Grange website soon. If you need any assistance to participate in this event, please don’t hesitate to contact the National Grange Legislative Department at chwang@nationalgrange.org or 1-888-447-2643 xt. 109.

Follow the link to view the 2005 National Grange Legislative Fly-In Photo Gallery.