71st OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2001 Regular Session
 
NOTE:  Matter within  { +  braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within  { -  braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
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 LC 4051
 
                     House Joint Memorial 16
 
Sponsored by Representatives CLOSE, P SMITH; Representatives
  KROPF, MORGAN, PATRIDGE, SCHRADER, T SMITH, STARR, WINTERS (at
  the request of the Tractor Coalition)
 
 
                             SUMMARY
 
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.
 
  Urges President of United States, Senate and House of
Representatives of United States and Secretary of Agriculture to
take action to prevent demise of American family farmer, to
ensure equality in international trade negotiations to allow
American family farmer to compete in global marketplace, to
encourage development of program to educate consumers on
importance of buying domestic fruit, produce and meat and to
encourage United States Department of Education to develop
agriculture curriculum for elementary students.
 
                         JOINT MEMORIAL
To the President of the United States, the Senate and the House
  of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress
  assembled, and the Secretary of Agriculture:
  We, your memorialists, the Seventy-first Legislative Assembly
of the State of Oregon, in legislative session assembled,
respectfully represent as follows:
  Whereas the American family farmer is critically important in
providing food for this nation's people and for the world; and
  Whereas the American family farmer provides hundreds of
thousands of jobs in rural America and 140,000 jobs in the State
of Oregon; and
  Whereas the American family farmer provides the economic
foundation and financial security for the rural residents and
small businesses of America and pays more than $525 million in
salaries and wages to on-farm workers in the State of Oregon; and
  Whereas the American family farmer accounts for only two
percent of the population of the United States and thus has a
smaller political base; and
  Whereas the American family farmer, through global trade
treaties, is asked to compete with foreign countries whose
regulatory, wage, safety, benefit and subsidy programs are
different and oftentimes less costly to the farmer than those of
the United States of America; and
  Whereas the American family farmer is experiencing a shrinking
pool of domestic buyers for their fruit, produce and meat; and
  Whereas the American family farmer produces the safest food
supply in the world; and
 
  Whereas the American family farmer is currently experiencing
significant financial losses; and
  Whereas the American family farmer is critical to our national
security because it is in the best interest of this nation to be
a nation that is able to feed its people; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of
  Oregon:
  (1) The President of the United States, the Senate and the
House of Representatives of the United States of America and the
Secretary of Agriculture are respectfully urged to take action
to:
  (a) Prevent the demise of the American family farmer;
  (b) Ensure that in international trade negotiations there is
regulatory, wage, safety and subsidy equality for our nation's
farmers, allowing them to successfully compete in the global
marketplace;
  (c) Encourage the United States Department of Agriculture to
develop a program to educate consumers about the importance of
buying domestic fruit, produce and meat; and
  (d) Encourage the United States Department of Education to
develop an agriculture in the classroom curriculum for elementary
students.
  (2) A copy of this memorial shall be sent to the President of
the United States of America, each member of the Senate of the
United States of America and the Governor of each state of the
United States of America.
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