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News from
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
For Immediate Release
Contact: Chip Weiskotten, 202-226-8553
Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449
HOUSE
PASSES BILL TO ENSURE TIMELY DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR RANCHERS
Herseth
Sandlin Leads Effort to Ensure South Dakota Livestock Producers Receive
Long-Overdue Aid
July 30,
2007, Washington, D.C. –
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed legislation supported
by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin to ensure that eligible livestock
producers in South Dakota will receive disaster assistance in a timely
way. Due to an unintended legal technicality in the disaster assistance
package signed into law earlier this year, certain ranchers would have
been prevented from receiving disaster payments to which they are entitled.
This legislation corrects this oversight by striking the problematic
language, thereby restoring the original intent of the law.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin,
who serves on the House Agriculture Committee, worked to secure passage
of this important bill prior to the August Congressional recess, and
in anticipation of the expected delivery of disaster payments this fall.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin
said, “After more than a year of effort – and despite several veto threats
from the President – we were successful in passing much-needed agriculture
disaster aid earlier this year. Unfortunately, a small technical issue
could have prevented many South Dakota producers from receiving this
necessary and long-overdue assistance. This legislative fix will correct
that error, and ensure that qualifying producers can indeed receive
the aid they deserve. I’m proud to have helped pass this bill in the
House and to send it to the President for his swift signature.”
Earlier this year,
the President signed into law a $3 billion in disaster assistance package,
included as part of the fiscal year 2007 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations
bill. This package provides assistance to producers who suffered crop
and livestock losses from weather-related disasters during 2005, 2006
or 2007. However, several months after the bill’s passage, a legal interpretation
by the United States Department of Agriculture would have denied aid
to all livestock producers that did not participate in the Non-Insured
Crop Disaster Assistance Program or a crop insurance pilot program for
rangeland.
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Congresswoman
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats
committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is
co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the
profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three
committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’
Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin
was appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence
and Global Warming.
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