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PROGRESS ON REGULATIONS FIGHT IN WASHINGTON
Good news this week in our fight to keep some of the Department of Labor’s proposed changes on farm regulations from moving forward. We received word that the U.S Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will re-propose the portion of its regulation on child labor in agriculture interpreting the “parental exemption.” We are making progress, but there is still much work to do, especially in the areas of educational programs. These programs are far too valuable to remain in jeopardy.
I have, and will continue, to let Washington know about the concerns you have expressed to me. I read each letter, email, and Facebook post. I want to ask for your help in keeping these communications coming. Our direct email for this is farmregs@mail.house.gov.
Also this week, I submitted a letter to the House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy, and Trade hearing on DOL’s proposed changes in child labor regulations.
Dear Chairman Tipton and Ranking Member Critz:
The Department of Labor’s proposed revisions to the regulations governing the employment of youth on farms and ranches have created confusion, controversy, and concern these last few months. I appreciate the opportunity to share my concerns with these regulations with your committee, as well as the comments I have received from my constituents and other Missourians.
Some of my best memories come from time on our family farms. In fact, both of my great-grandfathers were farmers. I remember, quite vividly, picking corn as a youngster. There is no comparison to the discipline and work ethic I learned during those long, hot days in the field. The farm was also a connection between all of the families in the community. We helped our neighbors and they helped us. It was a small farm, but a very large connection to the community.
At the heart of these proposals, I believe, is the desire to protect children. But many have asked me if the proposed regulations would actually do that or simply result in harming farmers, ranchers, rural communities and a basic way of life treasured by so many. It is those with ‘boots on the ground’ who do the hard work of farming and ranching each day who should be heard on this issue. Those who are raising families and have their children’s health, safety and wholesome upbringing at the very forefront of all they do.
From the comments and questions I have heard from my constituents and other concerned Missourians, there seems to be confusion and concern about the proposed rules, including but not limited to: the parental exemption, the application of the rules only to children under the age of 16, and changes to the student-learner exemption. Some of the examples are included here below:
Dr. Lewis Bybee has a veterinary practice in Sweet Springs and works primarily with large animals. “I am a strong believer that children develop a solid work ethic while getting their hands dirty doing day to day chores. They develop caring attitudes towards animals and love the farm way of living.”
John Morgan is a high school vocational agriculture teacher. He says, “I do believe that rules and regulations need to be in place, but they need to be reasonable and flexible. Farmers don’t want their employees, child or adult, to get hurt.” John also adds that family exemptions are very important and should be extended to nephews, nieces, grandchildren, etc.
Judy Briggs tells me she grew up on a farm, a family business. “We, my brothers and sisters, all helped to make it run. And we probably knew more about the safety and operation of it than the hired hand who, in later years, worked for my father,” she wrote. Let’s not hamstring the small farmer any further, she says. This rule may be a great way to push the younger generation away from the small farm.
Connie Latimer, the City Administrator of Marshall, tells me that she believes some of these proposed regulation changes would place undue hardship on the parents who are working harder and harder to hang on to their heritage. “I believe doing chores, feeding cattle, raising calves to show for 4-H, and working in the field and garden helped to mold me into the person I am now.”
Dr. Elizabeth Evans from the Biology Department at Rockhurst University points out that we have seen over the years what happens when children do not grow up on farms. “They lose a valuable set of experiences that may then prohibit them from considering agriculture and its related entities as possible future careers.”
I am a strong believer that our core development begins at home with the family. I do not want to see family taken out of the family farm. Farm and ranch families are the poster children for ‘Made in America’ and it should stay that way. Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Critz, I applaud you for holding this hearing to examine the draft rules and their possible effects on small business farms and families. Please keep the family in family farms. I ask that my letter and the attached comments from concerned Missourians be made part of the record for this hearing.
If you would like to read the entire announcement from DOL regarding parental exemption you can find it here: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/whd/WHD20120203.htm
PROGRESS CONTINUES IN GREEN IMPACT ZONE
Construction crews are still busy fixing and replacing sidewalks, curbs and driveways throughout the Green Impact Zone. Reports show large chunks of work along 39th Street and Swope Parkway, Benton Blvd and The Paseo are scheduled for completion this month. This work also includes the replacement of trees and catch basin lids, fire hydrant relocations, bus stop benches/shelters and bus pads.
WHAT YOU WON’T HEAR ANYWHERE ELSE
We often hear about crime, disaster and discord in DC, and that is fair. We want our families to be safe and our elected officials to work together. But what we often don’t hear about are all of those people who are doing the right things for the right reasons. This week I came across a situation I want to share – because we will likely never hear about it publicly – but it deserves to be told. A man and his wife learned about a woman in my district who has fallen upon hard times. She works two part-time jobs and takes care of her kids. Still, there isn’t enough money to pay the rent and the utility bill at the same time. And food is truly a day to day struggle. So this couple, without prompting from anyone, without ever meeting the woman, stepped up. They are anonymously making sure her rent is paid each month and they have done it for almost a year now. Because of them, her kids are able to live in a home, with lights, with heat and with food – all at the same time. We know that those things, in combination, are unfortunately not a given for so many families through these times of struggle.
And that – is a story, I believe, we all need to hear.
LIBERTY MEMORIAL TAKES CENTERSTAGE
There has been much talk and maneuvering in Washington this week regarding our effort to get Liberty Memorial designated as a national monument. It is a richly deserved honor. While there continues to be some confusion and controversy surrounding this, because of issues that have nothing to do with Kansas City, I want to assure you that I continue to work to make this happen. The Liberty Memorial is a treasure, not only in our community, but in our country. It is right to get this designation for all of those who have worked so hard in this effort over many decades, and certainly for the soldiers and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice. I will continue to update you on latest developments as we work together to see our mission succeed.
VETERANS JOB FAIR
The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking for ways to expand VA’s traditional hire-a-vet program through additional career fairs. It recently held a very successful event in Washington and reports more than 500 tentative job offers for Veterans. I will keep you updated on any information regarding future events. Veterans currently make up 30% of VA’s total workforce and there is a goal to increase that number by another 10%. It is critically important that we support our Veterans and help them put their skills to work here at home as we work to rebuild our economy.
SAFER PROGRAM
Members of Congress were notified this week, so I wanted to let you know, that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency has released its Funding Opportunity Announcement. The application period for the FY 2011 SAFER Program is now open and will close on February 24th. The application materials and Get Ready Guides are available at www.fema.gov/firegrants.
CIVILITY CORNER
The Congress of the Untied States of America must be a body of strength and vision.
Unless you read the above sentence carefully, you may not have noticed that it reads, the Untied States, instead of the United States. Our nation is tied together, not by race, religion, or creed; we are united by our shared vision of a nation which embodies freedom, the pursuit of happiness, and equality for all.
For this reason, we must carefully consider those presenting their passions. Unless we are a bit more decorous with our words and judicious with our politics, we could become the Un-tied States of America. It is woefully unnecessary to allow our differences to unravel the strongest and most determined country on the face of the Earth.
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Emanuel Cleaver, II
Member of Congress
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