Political Quotes

“Senator Mack and I would like to take a moment to thank Chairman Lugar and ranking member Leahy for their hard work on the 1996 farm bill. We are particularly pleased with the inclusion of provisions that will have a direct benefit to the State of Florida, our growers, and the Everglades ecosystem. First of all, this farm bill will address three problems that have faced Florida growers of specialty crops. Upon enactment of Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act, the Federal Crop Insurance Act will be amended to provide for coverage of crops destroyed by insects and disease, expand coverage to all nursery crops and aquaculture, and require the Federal Crop Insurance Act to consider marketing windows when determining whether it is feasible to require replanting during a crop year. Disasters are a way of life for all involved in agriculture. Disaster relief appropriations are an item of the past. The laws to today need to cover all of agriculture to allow recovery after time of great loss. The amendments which were passed go a long way to addressing inequalities in law and definition to allow coverage for major agricultural segments. Multiple weather-related disasters, from Hurricane Andrew to the record number of hurricanes in 1995, clearly illustrated deficiencies in disaster coverage of many agricultural commodities.”