[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2676 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2676

To ensure that minority farmers are adequately compensated for years of 
   discrimination in the operation of programs of the Department of 
                              Agriculture.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 2001

 Mr. Thompson of Mississippi introduced the following bill; which was 
  referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
   Committees on Agriculture, and Ways and Means, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To ensure that minority farmers are adequately compensated for years of 
   discrimination in the operation of programs of the Department of 
                              Agriculture.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Black Farmer Equal Remedy Act of 
2001''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to require the Secretary of Agriculture 
to provide immediate relief to all black farmers who submitted 
petitions for redress under Pigford vs. Glickman and Brewington vs. 
Glickman, including those farmers who filed petitions and qualified for 
class membership, but were denied adjudication.

SEC. 3. NO FAULT AWARDS.

    In the case of a person who qualified as a member of the plaintiff 
class in the settlement of the consolidated actions entitled Pigford 
vs. Glickman, but were denied certification, the Secretary of 
Agriculture shall provide a remedy in the form of a direct payment of 
$50,000 as immediate relief.

SEC. 4. COMPENSATORY RELIEF.

    (a) Tax Relief.--Relief shall be provided to all class members 
under Pigford vs. Glickman in the form of 100 percent tax relief from 
Federal taxes directly related to the $50,000 settlement payments 
awarded to claimants under the consent decree.
    (b) Other Relief.--Additional relief will be provided to farmers in 
both track A and B who qualified for the class as stipulated under the 
decree, including relief to class members whose claims were dismissed. 
This relief may include the following:
            (1) Unlimited technical assistance provided by all 
        Department of Agriculture agencies without interruption.
            (2) Priority preference for all Department of Agriculture 
        farm programs, including farm operating loans, farm ownership 
        loans, conservation loans, emergency loans, and all noncredit 
        benefit programs.
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