From: Natl Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture <[log in to unmask]> Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 Subject: URGENT!!! ACTION NEEDED IMMEDIATELY ON FARM BILL!!! CRITICAL ACTION NEEDED IN HOUSE AND SENATE IMMEDIATELY!! Your Call Can Make The Difference! TAKE TWO SIMPLE ACTIONS - CALL THE HOUSE & SENATE! HOUSE ACTION: CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE. HOUSE SWITCHBOARD: (202) 225-3121. Disastrous House Farm Bill (H.R.2646) Could Come Up for Vote on House Floor this Thursday - potentially setting agriculture policy for next ten years. Call Your Representative today with a dual message: Message 1: Oppose the Rule* that would allow the disastrous H.R. 2646 "Farm Security Act of 2001" to come to the floor for debate and a vote. The result? The Bill would be sent back to House Agriculture Committee drawing board. This would give us an opportunity to: - Call for fixes to the worst provisions; - Push for inclusion of positive initiatives that work for farmers, workers, consumers and the environment; - Demand the full, open and broad-based public and congressional debate this important bill deserves. * For legislation to come to the floor of the House, the Rules Committee must propose a Rule that determines such things as how much time is allowed for debate and how amendments are submitted. The full House then votes on this Rule. One quick way to get a bill sent back to Committee for a complete overhaul, is to defeat the Rule that allows the bill to be debated in the first place. Message 2: If the bill does make it to the House floor for debate, VOTE NO ON H.R. 2646. All Members of the House should oppose final passage of this bill that was rushed through the House Ag. Committee with only 15 hours of debate, when Committee members hadn't even seen the bill until the night before it was passed. It is anti-democratic, anti-family farmer, anti-competition, anti-environment and anti-justice, and must be completely re-written. ********************************************************************* SENATE ACTION. CALL YOUR SENATORS. SENATE SWITCHBOARD (202) 224-3121. Both the House and Senate appropriators have passed Fiscal Year 2002 (FY02) agricultural appropriation bills. Because of your hard work, many of the programs we support have received increased funding in either the House or Senate bill, BUT SOME IMPORTANT PROGRAMS STILL NEED ADDITIONAL FY02 FUNDING NOT INCLUDED IN THESE BILLS. Many Senators supported this additional funding in an emergency package that was narrowly defeated. Now we have another chance to get this funding into FY02 agricultural appropriations. CALL YOUR SENATORS NOW action may occur on this funding as early as Wednesday September 12. You can reach your Senator by phone through the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121. HERE IS THE MESSAGE ON THE PROGRAMS THAT NEED ADDITIONAL FUNDS: CONSERVATION PROGRAMS: include $200 million for the Wetlands Reserve Program; $7 million for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program; and $40 million for the Farmland Protection Program. Without this funding, these programs will have no funding in FY02. Also provide an additional $250 million for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH & EDUCATION PROGRAM (SARE): include an additional $3 million for SARE to fund producer grants. ORGANIC CERTIFICATION COST-SHARE: include $3.5 million to help organic farmers and ranchers meet the costs of the organic certification programs. SENIOR FARMERS MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM: include $20 million to keep this program going in FY02. VALUE-ADDED RURAL BUSINESS AND COOP PROGRAMS: include $40 million so that these programs will be funded in FY02. National Campaign For Sustainable Agriculture P.O. Box 396 Pine Bush, New York 12566 Phone: 845-744-8448 Fax: 845-744-8477 e-mail: [log in to unmask] http://www.SustainableAgriculture.net If you would like to join our free Action Alert Network, please e-mail us your name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail. Please let us know if your contact information changes! Keep the faith! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]