Senators Grassley and Harkin and Rep. Latham have signed on as cosponsors of
the bills to restore the organic standards for feeding organic livestock.

Rep. Leach has not signed on as a cosponsor (read Francis Thicke's message
below) of the Farr-Kind bill to Repeal Section 771 of Omnibus Appropriations
bill (H.R. 955) .  If you are in Rep. Leach's district, please call that
office.

Debbie Neustadt has suggested that the staff person to talk to is in the
Cedar Rapids office (that person who handles ag issues for Leach works in
that office.)

Hopefully someone on this list will provide that telephone number.

Thanks,
Jane Clark

From: Francis Thicke <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 9:16 PM
Subject: Fw: organic restoration bill update

Below, from the Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, is the latest update
of the list of cosponsors of Senate and House bills to restore the organic
standards--that is to negate the appropriations bill rider that allows
organic livestock to be fed conventionally grown feed.

You will notice that Congressman Jim Leach's name is conspicuously absent
from the list of cosponsors.  I presume that many of you contacted Leach's
office asking him to cosponsor the bill.  If you did, I expect you received
the same written response I did.  Unfortunately, I do not have a scanner and
cannot include his letter here, but suffice it to say that his letter is
equivocal, to say the least.  He takes no stand on the issue.  Instead, he
reiterates the arguments for and against allowing organic livestock to be
fed conventionally grown feed ("Those in favor of the new provision maintain
that high prices for organic feedstuffs negate the profits from premium
prices charged for organically raised meat, poultry, and dairy products, and
thus deny some producers access to a USDA program that would permit them
entry into lucrative new markets.")  Congressman Leach ends his letter with
"I will keep your views in mind should the House have the opportunity to
consider such a measure."

In other words, he apparently has no plans to cosponsor the repeal bill, and
he is unwilling to even commit himself to voting for the repeal.

Is there anyone on this listserve who can rattle Leach's cage and wake him
up?

Francis Thicke

**************************
The first target as a potential vehicle for moving the organic restoration
bill has been the Fiscal Year 2003 "Wartime" Supplemental Appropriations
bill, which is expected to be debated in the House and Senate this week.

Below is the master list of official cosponsors for the two bills:
===============
Leahy-Snowe "Organic Restoration Act" (S. 457), introduced 2/26/03

Senate Republicans
Grassley- IA

Senate Democrats
Harkin- IA
===============
Farr-Kind bill to Repeal Section 771 of Omnibus Appropriations bill (H.R.
955) (Introduced 2/27/03)

House Republicans
Latham- IA

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