Family Farm Security Task Force to improve ag conditions
Our agriculture and our farm communities must be full partners in our rural recovery. I’ve appointed a Family Farm Security Task Force to review our laws and regulations and determine how best we can improve conditions here at home.
In my budget, I will recommend some one-time tax relief to help our farmers and ranchers. [And] he time has come to move forward and enact a minimum wage for farm workers.
Source: State of the State address to the Idaho legislature
Jan 8, 2001
Voted YES on allowing workers to choose between overtime & comp-time.
This bill would have allowed workers to choose between overtime and compensatory time.
Status: Cloture Motion Rejected Y)53; N)47
Reference: Motion to invoke cloture on a Committee amdt to S. 4;
Bill S. 4
; vote number 1997-68
on May 15, 1997
Voted YES on replacing farm price supports.
Replaces farm price supports with seven years of annual fixed payments.
Status: Bill Passed Y)64; N)32; NV)4
Reference: Agriculture Market Transition Act of 1996;
Bill S. 1541
; vote number 1996-19
on Feb 7, 1996
Create block grants for Agricultural Stewardship.
Kempthorne signed the Western Governors' Association resolution:
The WGA would like to join the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) in proposing a new concept, one that NASDA has dubbed “A New Vision for Agricultural Stewardship.” The NASDA concept calls for the creation of a state block grant program, designed to allow states the flexibility to target resources to their specific conservation and environmental needs. Under the plan, the state departments of agriculture, in conjunction with state and local agriculture and conservation partners, develop priorities to be addressed under their block grant umbrella.
The NASDA block grant proposal promotes broad flexibility in this development, noting that the block grant can be used to address threats to soil, air, water and wildlife; or be used to meet state or federal environmental regulations; or make “beneficial cost-effective changes to cropping systems, grazing management, manure, nutrient, pest, or irrigation management, land uses,
or other measures needed to conserve and improve soil, water, and related natural resources.” The intent is to not duplicate existing programs, but to give states the ability to address areas of specific need. The funding could even be designated for use in existing state conservation or environmental programs, should a state find that’s where the most need rests.
Under the Agricultural Stewardship Program, the states would enter into cooperative agreements with USDA on an annual basis and issue annual reports to USDA regarding the progress to date and future intentions.
While Western Governors feel the program outlined above is extremely important, it must be defined broadly so that Governors may designate a lead state agency, and it must be weighed in conjunction with the need for improvements and adjustments to existing conservation and environmental programs.
Source: WGA Policy Resolution 01 - 08: Farm Bill Reauthorization 01-WGA08 on Aug 14, 2001
