[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 70 (Monday, May 21, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5277-S5278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DeWINE:
  S. 921. A bill to adjust the boundary of the William Howard Taft 
National Historic Site in the State of Ohio, to authorize an exchange 
of land in connection with the historic site, and for other purposes; 
to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``William 
Howard Taft National Historic Site Boundary Adjustment Act of 2001.'' 
This legislation would do three things: First, it would authorize the 
expansion of the historic grounds of the William Howard Taft's 
childhood home; second it would allow the Secretary of the Interior, 
through the National Park Service, to swap one section of equal-valued 
land for another; and third, it would allow the National Park Service 
to extend the boundary line of the Historic Site.
  As you may know, I strongly support the preservation of Presidential 
Historic Sites. Sadly, a number of these Presidential Historic sites 
are becoming run down and are in dire need of our help to secure their 
existence for future generations. These sites are great educational 
tools for our children. We must ensure their survival. If we don't, we 
will lose a valuable part of our American history.

[[Page S5278]]

  That is why I introduced the Presidential Sites Improvement Act last 
year and plan to reintroduce it later this year. This legislation is 
designed to provide grant money for the protection and improvement of 
Presidential sites, like the William Howard Taft home in Ohio.
  President Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1857. He was the son 
of a distinguished judge and former Ohio Attorney General. Taft 
graduated from Yale, and then returned to Cincinnati to study and 
practice law. As my colleagues know, Taft went on to become our 27th 
U.S. President. He is the only President in U.S. history who went on to 
become the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In describing his 
illustrious career as a public servant, Taft once wrote that he always 
had his ``plate the right side up when offices were falling.''
  With the bill I am introducing today, we can make a lasting 
commitment to future generations by preserving the memory and 
contributions of our nation's former leaders. Our children and 
grandchildren should have the opportunity to understand the richness of 
our country's history.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, last year's Loan Deficiency Payments, 
LDPs, were made available to producers for crops grown on farms not 
covered by Production Flexibility Contract, PFC, under the 1996 farm 
bill. In Iowa there are 6200 farms that do not participate in the farm 
program. Non-participating farms are classified as farms not enrolled 
in 1996 at the beginning of the program, or farms that changed hands 
during the farm bill that were not properly re-enrolled.
  The Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000, which we passed into 
law last year, furnished LDP's to farmers who produced a 2000 crop 
contract commodity on a farm not covered by a PFC. Senator Nelson and I 
are offering legislation to extend this one-year opportunity for 
producers. Our legislation provides an extension of this opportunity 
that will run for the remainder of the 1996 farm bill.
  Not all of the 6200 non-participating farms will choose to use and 
benefit from an LDP, but for the family farmers in Iowa who are not in 
the program, guaranteeing close to $1.78 on corn and $5.26 on soybeans 
is significant assistance.
  With the record low prices Iowa producers have experienced recently, 
I think that the Federal Government should do everything it can to keep 
producers on the farm. This by no means solves all their problems, but 
it helps and it's something we should have done for these individuals 
on a permanent basis when we provided a one-year opportunity for 
participation in the LDP program last year. I ask unanimous consent 
that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 923

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

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF EXPANSION OF PRODUCERS ELIGIBLE FOR 
                   LOAN DEFICIENCY PAYMENTS.

       Section 135(a)(2) of the Agricultural Market Transition Act 
     (7 U.S.C. 7235(a)(2)) is amended by striking ``the 2000 crop 
     year'' and inserting ``each of the 2000 through 2002 crop 
     years''.

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