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“AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1603 on Aug. 1, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND
RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998
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speech of
HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, July 22, 1997
The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill, H.R. 2160:
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, today I rise in support of the Wynn amendment to increase funding for equal opportunity complaint resolution in the Department of Agriculture. With over 1,400 discrimination cases pending, the USDA's Office of Civil Rights is underfunded, understaffed, and unable to fulfill its purpose. This amendment would transfer $1,500,000 in revenue to the program for administrative and staffing assistance, and would enable the Department to fulfill its goal of eliminating racism within.
For years, the USDA has been discriminating against minority farmers. While the Secretary of Agriculture has acknowledged the problem and created the Civil Rights Program, it seems like little has been done. There are continued delays in investigations of discrimination complaints, inadequate minority representation in the Office of General Counsel, and an ongoing tension between the Office of General Counsel and the Office of Civil Rights. The number of discrimination complaints has more than tripled since 1991. It is time to put a halt to this disturbing statistic.
The Wynn amendment would provide money for additional staff to help combat the backlog of discrimination cases. The amendment simply caps the Market Assistance Program funding level and transfers its additional allocation for fiscal year 1998 to the Civil Rights Program. It is a small price to pay for such an important oversight.
In addition, we must continue to keep pressure on the Secretary of Agriculture to ensure that this funding is put to good use and that the problem is attacked immediately. He must put his money where his mouth is.
I urge my colleagues to support the Wynn amendment.
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