[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Pages 27126-27127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1915
                              HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw your 
attention to a letter from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. It concisely 
sums up many of the problems in the Pelosi health care bill for our 
small family farms.
  According to the letter, ``The employer mandate and 8 percent payroll 
tax will place an enormous burden on a

[[Page 27127]]

significant portion of agriculture and its related industry. Although 
some tax incentives are provided in the legislation, farmers are price-
takers, not price-makers. They do not have the option of merely passing 
along those mandated costs.''
  The letter continues, ``It is concerning that there are no allowances 
for seasonal workers. Requiring coverage for seasonal workers would 
have significantly adverse economic effects on many farmers across this 
country.''
  And finally, ``Our Nation cannot afford the projected costs of H.R. 
3962, especially considering the growing deficits and other fiscal 
calamities with entitlement programs that must be dealt with in the 
immediate future.''
  This legislation makes little sense when many farmers around the 
country are struggling with high feed costs, unsustainable energy 
prices, and a difficult national economy. I urge my colleagues to 
reject H.R. 3962.

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