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FARM BILL RECOMMENDATIONS
Legialative ALERT and sample letters - DOC file
February 15, 2007
RE: URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT for 2007 RC&D changes in the 2007 Farm bill
Please respond by March 31
Dear RC&D Council Member:
This year we have two legislative tasks for which we need your help. Last week you received our urgent alert on RC&D funding. Today we are asking for your help with our Farm Bill priorities. In 2002, we achieved a huge victory by having the RC&D program permanently authorized. In the past few years however, we have seen changes implemented in RC&D which change the way the program is operated at the local level.
The NARC&DC assembled a task force to examine the current program and propose legislative changes in the 2007 Farm bill. We would like your support and assistance in writing to your Members of Congress for these legislative changes which will help RC&D operate more effectively and efficiently at the local level. These changes will make it clear that every council should have one coordinator and the local support and resources to provide technical assistance to the council. We will also ask Congress to reaffirm the role of local decision-making through the area planning process, and to reinforce that RC&D is a USDA program that brings to bear USDA resources in a community. Finally, we ask that funding for RC&D be made mandatory rather than subject to annual appropriations.
Attached is material which can help you make the case for Farm bill changes. The packet includes a fact sheet on our farm bill priorities and a sample letter, which you may use to make the case for these changes to the RC&D program. To be most effective please customize this letter by including your local success stories, as well as, adding your personal touch to the letter. To be most effective please send your farm bill letters to your member of congress by the end of March.
Please also remember to send a copy of your letter to the NARC&DC office so we can be sure to follow-up on your requests.
Our staff can assist in providing you with the fax number for your Member of Congress. We also have a new legislative e-mail network for individuals who wish to receive updates and information electronically. To subscribe, send an e-mail to narcdc@rcdnet.org and indicate you would like to receive our legislative updates.
Thank you for your commitment to RC&D. The NARC&DC is ready to help with any questions you may have. Please call Bobbi Jeanquart at (202) 434-4780 if you need any assistance or email us narcdc@rcdnet.org.
And please remember legislative action is strictly a council member responsibility. Neither federal employees nor federal equipment (federally supplied fax machines, computers, or stationary) can be used to assist in these efforts.
Sincerely,
Leroy Dangeau Pearlie Reed
Legislative Co-Chair Legislative Co-Chair
DRAFT - SAMPLE LETTER TO REQUEST CHANGES IN THE RC&D PROGRAM IN 2007 FARM BILL
The Honorable __________________ The Honorable ________________
U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives
Washington DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515
RE: FARM BILL Changes to the Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Program
Dear :
I am a member of the ________ RC&D council located in _________. For the past four years, the Administration has proposed changes in the RC&D program which attempt to fundamentally alter the way RC&D operates in our community and communities across the country. Our council and community need your help to make changes in the 2007 Farm bill to protect the RC&D program and its work in our communities.
RC&D councils help plan and carry out activities that increase conservation of natural resources, support economic development and enhance the environment and standard of living in local communities. RC&D Council members are volunteers and include local, civic, appointed, and elected officials. RC&D Councils are non-profit entities that work in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service through a federal coordinator.
I am writing to you to ask that you support changes in the 2007 Farm Bill to protect the RC&D program. These changes include:
- Acknowledge the role of the local federal coordinator in the law
- Define the role of the local federal coordinator
For over 40 years, RC&D council volunteers have had an USDA-NRCS employee provide technical assistance. In recent years, there have been proposals to eliminate this assistance. We would like to see the role of the coordinator written into the Farm bill and make clear that every designated council is provided one full-time coordinator and the support (i.e. a part-time program assistant, office and equipment) necessary for the coordinator to carry out their technical assistance role.
- Reemphasize that RC&D is a locally led USDA program
For many years, RC&D councils have brought to bear the resources of USDA in communities with assistance from a federal coordinator. They do this through the area planning process and with annual plans of work. In recent years, OMB and NRCS have made changes to the program that have created a top down approach in which goals are imposed which may be in conflict with local community needs and the area planning process. We ask that Congress acknowledge that RC&D is both a conservation and community development program and that priorities should be determined at the local level.
- Make RC&D funding mandatory
In recent years, the RC&D program has been under attack with declining budget requests. As volunteers we need assurance that basic support to our council will be provided so we can engage in long term projects to directly support conservation and economic development. On average RC&D councils bring $7.50 to a community for every dollar the federal government invests, making RC&D a good investment for taxpayer’s funds.
Our council has a record of service to our community that includes the following projects: insert some successful projects
I appreciate your interest in RC&D’s, and hope you can support my request by writing to the Chair and Ranking Members of the Agriculture Committee and asking them to make these changes to the Farm bill.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS
2007 FARM BILL RECOMMENDATIONS
To continue the good work of RC&D council volunteers to serve our communities and to assist in increasing economic development and conservation in communities, the National Association of RC&D councils requests the following changes to the law authorizing the RC&D program:
- Acknowledge the role of the local federal coordinator in the law
This recommendation is a technical change to the law. The law authorizes USDA to provide technical assistance to RC&D councils to carry out area plans and annual plans of work. A core component of the RC&D program has been the federal employees, RC&D coordinators, who provide technical assistance to assist an individual council. To date the role of the coordinator is not included in the authorizing statute. We believe it is time to acknowledge the role of the coordinator in the law and to make clear that every designated council is provided one full-time coordinator and the support (i.e. a part-time program assistant, office and equipment) necessary for the coordinator to carry out their technical assistance role.
- Define the role of the local federal coordinator
The coordinators role needs to be defined in the law. RC&D coordinators assist in the implementation of area plans and annual plans of work. RC&D coordinators provide technical assistance to councils and assist councils in acquiring financial support for projects. Coordinators also serve as a liaison between the USDA and the RC&D council. Coordinators provide leadership leading to the establishment of partnerships and networks for identification and coordination of technical and financial assistance from private as well as government sources.
- Reemphasize that RC&D is a locally led USDA program
For many years, RC&D councils have brought to bear the resources of USDA in communities with assistance from a federal coordinator. They do this through the area planning process and with annual plans of work. In recent years, OMB and NRCS have made changes to the program that have created a top down approach in which goals are imposed which may be in conflict with the area planning process. We ask that Congress acknowledge that RC&D is both a conservation and community development program and that priorities should be determined at the local level.
- Make RC&D funding mandatory
We believe that the recent growth in the RC&D program from 277 councils in 1996 to 375 councils in 2003 covering 85% of the nation and 180 million people is a testament to our success. Congress has recognized the valuable services RC&D councils provide to local communities and has helped to grow this program. In addition, we have successfully leveraged the RC&D appropriation 7.5 to 1 to directly support conservation and economic development, making a continued investment in RC&D a good investment for taxpayer’s funds.
Background
Resource Conservation and Development Councils help plan and carry out activities that increase conservation of natural resources, support economic development and enhance the environment and standard of living in local communities.
RC&D Council members are volunteers and include local, civic, appointed, and elected officials. RC&D Councils are non-profit entities that work in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service through a federal coordinator. Because RC&D areas are locally organized, sponsored and led, the program provides an ideal way for residents to join together to decide what is best for their community. Currently, 375 RC&D councils serve 2,666 counties in all 50 states, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin.
RC&D councils are making a difference in America's communities and represent the entrepreneurial spirit of rural America. RC&D Councils have played a strong role in creating new businesses, education, conserving our natural resources, bioenergy development, and outreach.
RC&D was originally established in the 1960's as a pilot program at USDA to perform a number of conservation and development activities. The program focused on geographic areas where major economic and social downturns had occurred. The program has grown significantly over the years as a result of its ability to provide local solutions to local challenges. Today, RC&D continues to serve local communities through a locally led process where volunteers work together to plan how they can actively solve environmental, economic and social problems facing their communities.
Recommendations as a PDF file
RC&D Making Things Happen
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