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U.S.
Senator Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees |
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For Immediate
Release December 5, 2006 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852 |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar announced today that he and his bipartisan colleagues who worked to provide $4.9 billion in critical aid to America’s farmers and ranchers will continue to bring up the aid package before the Senate until it’s passed. The amendment failed this evening by three votes. “Emergency disaster relief for farmers and ranchers is not a partisan issue,” said Senator Salazar. “Providing America’s farmers and ranchers with the help they so desperately need should be an easy decision for both sides of the aisle to make. Sadly, some in the Senate believe it is not important enough. I have seen first-hand the drought devastation on our farms and ranches and I pledge that my colleagues and I will not stop bringing this issue up until America’s farmers and ranchers receive the aid they deserve.” Several times over the last year, a bipartisan group of Senators including Democratic Senators Salazar (CO), Conrad (ND), and Baucus (MT), and Republican Senators Coleman (MN), Hagel (NE) and Thune (SD), introduced S. 3855, the “Emergency Farm Relief Act of 2006.” That bill was offered today as an amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations Act being debated in Congress. Covering losses incurred in both 2005 and 2006, the Act would provide billions in direct emergency disaster relief for losses due to ongoing disasters. The legislation is comprehensive and national in scope, covering losses from hurricanes, drought, flood, disease and other weather related causes. The bill also provides the option for program crop and dairy producers to elect to receive a supplemental direct payment for 2005 instead of crop disaster and/or dairy production loss payments for 2005 and 2006, a Livestock Compensation program for producers in designated disaster counties to help cover their added costs of procuring livestock feed, and funding for a small business grant program for businesses that have suffered financial losses due to drought conditions in their communities. In March, Senator Salazar joined with a bipartisan group of 26 Senate colleagues, led by Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, to introduce S.2438, the Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2006. In April 2006, S.2438 was unanimously included into the $96B Iraq/ Afghanistan/ hurricane relief emergency supplemental appropriations bill, H.R. 4939, which passed the Senate by a vote of 77 to 21 in early May of this year with Senator Salazar’s support. Unfortunately, this important rural relief provision failed to survive the House-Senate conference. Senator Salazar was the only member of Colorado’s Senate delegation not a member of the conference committee, and was the only member of Colorado’s Senate delegation to consistently back this critical legislation to preserve the livelihoods of Colorado’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities. # # #
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