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The Farm Bill: Slow Food USA’s Plan of Action
Further info on the Farm Bill and Markers
Marker bills are not intended for passage as free-standing pieces of legislation but instead they are a way to articulate certain priorities and to demonstrate support in Congress for those priorities. They can then influence the legislation crafted by the Agriculture Committees. As a result, when you write to your legislators, it may be helpful to mention particular bills that you feel strongly about.
One example is: H.R. 1551 / S. 919, “Healthy Farms, Foods, and Fuels Act of 2007,” which was introduced in the House on March 15 by Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) and currently has 86 cosponsors. An identical Senate version of the bill was introduced on March 20 by Senators Menendez (D-NJ) with four additional cosponsors (Boxer, Kerry, Cardin, and Lautenberg). The bills contain four titles: conservation, energy, healthy food choices, and new markets and farm viability. Select FFPP recommendations embodied in the bill include: cooperative conservation provisions, an uncapped Conservation Security Program, a socially disadvantaged farmer conservation program, expanded organic programs, and a comprehensive package of programs supporting community-based programs aimed at improving access to locally grown, fresh foods.)
The Farm and Food Policy Project has created a series of charts to help track these bills. To see these matrices, click here: http://www.farmandfoodproject.org/news_and_analysis.asp
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