HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Nearly 100 Pennsylvania State
Grangers visited with their federal
legislators during the annual
Washington Legislative Tour to
discuss issues concerning agricul
ture and rural affairs.
Among the issues discussed
during the March 18-19 visit with
U.S. Congressmen and Senators
were dairy compacts, reforming
the federal tax system, revitaliza
tion of rural schools and improv
ing the rural health care system,
among others.
The Pennsylvania State Grange,
with over 30,000 members in 450
Grange chapters across the com
monwealth, is dedicated to im
proving the lives of rural Pennsyl
vanians through legislative action,
grass-roots initiatives, community
service and offering member ser
vices like financial planning, a
credit union and insurance pro
grams.
Brenda Shambaugh, PA State
Grange legislative director, said
the Washington tour presents an
opportunity for individual Grange
members to voice their position on
issues that have been developed
through the Grange’s grass-root
efforts.
“The visit to Washington was to
speak out on behalf of the Nation
al Grange’s Blueprint for Rural
America,” Shambaugh said. “The
10-point plan is designed to re
vitalize and enhance rural Ameri
ca in preparation for the new mil
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lennium. The blueprint is part of
the National Grange’s program
called, ‘A New Century, A New
Grange’.”
The Grange believes Congress
should authorize the formation of
regional dairy compacts to pro
vide a more stable pricing struc
ture for producers and consumers.
Reducing the number of milk mar
keting orders will lead to a more
streamlined system of pricing,
marketing and distribution of
dairy products, as well as better
regional accountability.
“Like New England’s success
ful Northeast Dairy Compact,
other dairy-producing regions can
benefit from the establishment of
similar compacts to promote co
operative pricing and marketing
systems.” Shambaugh said. “The
Northeast Dairy Compact, which
the Pennsylvania State Grange
diligently work to get created, is a
proven success for our neighbors
to the north, and we seek the same
for Pennsylvania producers.”
Shambaugh said the National
Grange feels Congress should re
form the federal tax system to as
sure preservation of family farms
and businesses through the
elimination of estate and capital
gains taxes, and institute user tax
es to offset costs of federal pro
grams. Moreover. Congress must
also reverse the Internal Revenue
Service’s 1996 disqualification of
farmers from receiving tax credits
on sale of culled cattle.
“A new system is needed to as-
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sure that all wealth bears its just
and equal payment to the govern
ment,” Shambaugh said. “A fami
ly farm is a family business and
plays a key role in the economic
well-being of rural areas across
America.”
Another blueprint issue of the
National Grange concerns the re
vitalization of rural schools
through federal partnerships.
The National Grange supports
using federal resources to revital
ize rural schools by forming
federal/state partnerships to reno
vate them. The revitalization proj
ect should include the provision of
federal funds for rural school dis
tricts seeking assistance, and
could include buying down inter
est rates on local bonds to finance
school construction projects.
“Such partnerships should pro
tect and retain local control, since
traditionally, school construction
and renovations have been the
sole province of state and local
governments,” Shambaugh said.
“Federal partnerships will help
improve the health of rural eco
nomies, which are often depend
ent upon a quality learning en
vironment”
Other key issues discussed in
Washington include:
Rural Health Care The
Grange looks to ensure a quality
health system through equal sup
port by protecting rural residents’
health care through assured equal
ity of rates and services with urban
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areas, according to Shambaugh.
“Medicare recipients, hospitals
and doctors should receive equal
consideration, costs and services
with other regions of the United
States,” Shambaugh said. “This
should include rural-specific
reimbursement rates to managed
care organizations and designa
tion of 'limited service hospitals’
in rural communities.”
Highway Trust Fund The
Grange urges Congress to earmark
highway users’ taxes and other re
lated funds for rural road, highway
and bridge improvements.
“Enhanced transportation net
works that link rural communities
to urban centers are critically im
portant,” Shambaugh said. “Con
gress must assure that trust funds
within the Intermodal Surface
Transportation and Efficiency Act
are not diverted to non-highway
use, and should extend the current
High Trust Fund until the year
2000."
Private Property Rights The
Grange is asking legislators to
support the preservation of Ameri
ca’s farmland for the survival of
the family farm. Shambaugh said,
through responsible environment
al protection and protection of
farmers’ property tights. Congress
should develop the framework for
local community action in farm
land preservation and should be
re-authorize the Endangered Spe
cies Act to preserve the important
ecological balance. Both initia-
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lives should afford rural land own
ers “safe harbor” protection from
undue regulatory regulations.
Global Climate Treaty The
National Grange is calling for the
revision of the Global Climate
Treaty to include all 160 nations to
make it fair and equitable.
‘The Clinton Administration’s
current plan to include only the
United States and 30 other devel
oping nations and to exclude
the other 130 ‘developing’ nations
—will handicap U.S. producers in
competing for important interna
tional markets,’’ Shambaugh said.
“The resulting economic impact
on rural communities will be sig
nificant. The Grange is working to
keep this situation from having a
devastating effect on the economy
of this country.”
Included in the trek to the na
tion’s capital were a congressional
luncheon with legislators, a meet
ing with Pennsylvania’s senators.
House and Senate agriculture
committee staff members and
United States Department of Agri
culture officials and tours of the
White House, the Federal Bureau
of Investigation building and other
local points of interest
To learn more about the Penn
sylvania State Grange, the Na
tional Grange’s Blueprint for Rur
al America or the legislative work
of the Grange, call the Pennsylva
nia State Grange at 1-800-552-
3865 or the National Grange at
1-888-447-2643.
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