Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1736 provides for the consideration of the bill H.R. 4783, the Claims Resolution Act of 2010. It makes in order a motion to concur in the Senate amendment thereon by the chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources. It provides 1 hour of debate, with 50 minutes of debate controlled by the Natural Resources Committee and 10 minutes controlled by the Ways and Means Committee. The bill contains a number of important provisions, many of which have already passed the House. It approves settlements in the class action lawsuits brought against the United States Department of Agriculture by African American farmers and against the Interior Department by Native Americans. The bill will fully fund America's obligations in these cases and settles both the Cobell and Pigford class action lawsuits. Both of these have been in the courts and settlement talks for years and years. In Cobell, the Interior Department was ruled at fault for mismanaging billions of dollars in grazing land, gas, and other royalties owed to thousands of American Indians. This settlement will pay off roughly 500,000 plaintiffs in the case. In Pigford, the Agriculture Department discriminated against thousands of African American farmers who applied for loans and other assistance during the 1980s and 1990s. The plaintiffs in these cases have waited decades for resolution of this matter.…”