[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 19, 2000)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 56767-56768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-24254]



[[Page 56765]]

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Part VII





The President





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Proclamation 7341--National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2000



Proclamation 7342--Ovarian Cancer Awareness Week, 2000



Proclamation 7343--Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 2000
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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 182 / Tuesday, September 19, 2000 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 56767]]

                Proclamation 7341 of September 15, 2000

                
National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2000

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Throughout history, America's farmers and ranchers have 
                worked our land with skill, energy, and determination. 
                They have endured floods and droughts, survived bitter 
                winters and scorching summers, seen crops devastated by 
                insects and livestock lost to disease. Through hard 
                times and good times alike they have labored, making 
                American agriculture the most efficient and productive 
                source of food and fiber in the world.

                Beyond the natural and economic challenges our Nation's 
                agricultural workers face each year are the daily 
                physical hazards associated with their profession, 
                including handling livestock, using chemicals, and 
                operating powerful machinery. To reduce the level of 
                preventable workplace accidents that have taken such a 
                toll on our country's agricultural communities, 
                engineers and manufacturers have worked diligently to 
                make farm equipment safer. Today, tractors and other 
                farm machinery come with standard safety features such 
                as rollover protection, bypass starting systems, and 
                tamper-proof guarding and shielding.

                However, designing safer farm machinery is only part of 
                the solution. We must also ensure that agricultural 
                workers are aware of the benefits of new safety 
                features and that they strive to use and maintain them. 
                Safety and health organizations are accomplishing this 
                vital task by offering hands-on, interactive training 
                programs in farming and ranching communities across the 
                country. Through safety day camps and farm safety 
                programs targeted specifically for children and 
                adolescents growing up on farms and ranches, they are 
                helping to protect the well-being of the most 
                vulnerable members of our agricultural communities.

                My Administration is also working hard to improve the 
                health and safety of rural Americans. For example, we 
                created the E-rate program, which, among other things, 
                secures low-cost Internet connections for rural health 
                clinics and hospitals. We have also urged the Congress 
                to fund a meaningful Medicare prescription drug benefit 
                that would provide affordable, dependable coverage to 
                all beneficiaries, including more than 9 million 
                Medicare beneficiaries in rural communities across the 
                Nation. Compared to their urban counterparts, rural 
                beneficiaries have lower incomes and more limited 
                access to pharmacies, and are less likely to have any 
                prescription drug coverage. Rural beneficiaries 
                generally pay more for prescription drugs than urban 
                beneficiaries and are more likely to go without needed 
                medication because of its expense. Meaningful drug 
                coverage for Medicare beneficiaries would help improve 
                the health and quality of life of millions of older 
                members of our Nation's farming and ranching 
                communities.

                All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to our country's 
                farmers and ranchers, whose hard work puts food on our 
                tables and helps ensure our Nation's leadership of the 
                global economy. We can best acknowledge that debt by 
                recognizing the importance of continually improving the 
                health and safety of America's agricultural workers, 
                not only during this special observance, but also 
                throughout the year.

[[Page 56768]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim September 17 through 
                September 23, 2000, as National Farm Safety and Health 
                Week. I call upon government agencies, organizations, 
                and businesses that serve our agricultural sector to 
                strengthen their efforts to promote safety and health 
                programs among our Nation's farm and ranch workers. I 
                ask agricultural workers to take advantage of the 
                diverse educational and training programs and technical 
                advancements that can help them avoid injury and 
                illness. I also call upon our Nation to recognize 
                Wednesday, September 20, 2000, as a day to focus on the 
                risks facing young people on farms and ranches. 
                Finally, I call upon the citizens of our Nation to 
                reflect on the bounty we enjoy thanks to the labor and 
                dedication of agricultural workers across our land.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 00-24254
Filed 9-18-00; 11:18 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P