Over the last several months the Chairs and Ranking Members of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees crafted a proposal that would save $23 billion dollars in Farm Bill expenditures over the next 10 years.  The concept was to offer up cuts the Agriculture Committees felt would be appropriate rather than leave this in the hands of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to dictate the programs and amounts to be cut.  Most agricultural organizations supported this concept, rather than take a chance on more drastic cuts from the Joint Deficit Committee. 

For the Specialty Crop Industry, the Ag Committee proposal was actually an increase for some programs.  Under the Ag Committee proposal the Specialty Crop Block Grant program would be increased from $55 million per year to $70 million per year with provisions for multi-state grants. In addition the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) was recommended to continue funding at $40 million per year.  Under the 2007 Farm Bill the SCRI was funded for only five years and without an extension in the new Farm Bill the program will be eliminated. 

Dick Minor, President of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, said, “We were very pleased to see the Ag Committees leadership take this pro-active position as it relates to agricultural program funding and protecting as much as possible during the ‘deficit reduction program hunt’.  We were extremely happy with the increases in the key programs that are very important to Georgia producers like the Block Grants and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative.”

Unfortunately all of the hard work by the Ag Committee congressional leadership and other organizations were not rewarded when the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction failed to do their job.  On November 21, the Joint Committee announced they could not reach an agreement on the $1 Trillion dollars in cuts it was charged with recommending.  With the Joint Committee’s failure to reach agreement, the Ag Committee’s recommendations will not be carried forward.  It appears each committee will begin Farm Bill hearings in early 2012 and a normal process will be followed. 

Rep. Frank Lucas, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement in response to the announcement that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction has failed to reach an agreement.

“House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders developed a bipartisan, bicameral proposal for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction that would save $23 billion. However, the Joint Select Committee’s failure to reach a deal on an overall deficit reduction package effectively ends this effort. We are pleased we were able to work in a bipartisan way with committee members and agriculture stakeholders to generate sound ideas to cut spending by tens of billions while maintaining key priorities to grow the country’s agriculture economy. We will continue the process of reauthorizing the farm bill in the coming months, and will do so with the same bipartisan spirit that has historically defined the work of our committees.”

For more information contact the GFVGA office at 1-877-99GFVGA or chall@asginfo.net. 

To all Georgia Growers and Agribusinesses,

As you know the Georgia House of Representatives has passed House Bill 87 (Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011).  The fight is now in the Senate!!

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 40 out of committee last week and we expect it to be on the floor of the Senate for debate as early as Monday of next week.  This weekend is the time to contact your legislators. 

We have been told we have made progress with the Senate leadership and some are asking us to reach out to all Senators.  Our request to you is two-fold,

1. Contact your Senator and let them know your concern from the talking points below,
2. Call or send an email to at least five other Senate Republicans, particularly those north of Macon, expressing your concern over S B 40 and how it will affect the economy in your county.    There are bullet points below to work from. 

If you do not know how to contact your legislator go to:

http://www.votesmart.org/official_state.php?state_id=GA&dist=&go2.x=5&go2.y=8

For a list of all of the Senators:

http://www.votesmart.org/official_state_legislator.php?type=office&state_id=GA&criteria=upper

Talking points for a call or email:

1. Thank the Senator for their service to Georgia, and tell them where you are from and what you grow and/or company operations.
2. Recommend a Study Commission be appointed to look the immigrant labor situation and see what e-verify will do to Georgia’s economy before the legislature throws Georgia’s economy in another tailspin because workers are not available.  Ask them to sit back and take a year to study the impact on Georgia with input from the various industries that are putting people to work. 
3. From a state revenue perspective, all W-2 laborers pay Georgia Income Tax.  This could have an economic impact on budget revenues to the state.     
4. Express concern over the use of the Federal E-verify program because,
   1. Additional cost to do business – training of your employee(s) – manual is 82 pages long.
   2. Concern over economic impact in your community – farms, restaurants, hotels, and other small businesses. 
   3. There are not domestic workers available to do farm work.  It is hot, hard and difficult.
   4. The workers you hire have the proper documentation required under Federal law to work on your farm and you have a completed I-9 for all of them.    
5. The cost of enforcing this legislation will be passed on to local city and county governments.   Kentucky prepared a fiscal impact statement showing that an AZ-type immigration law would cost that state a net $40 million a year in new costs for local jails, state prisons, the foster-care system, the administrative offices of the courts and public defenders.  It is estimated the number of undocumented workers in is 455,000 as compared to Kentucky at 50,000.  That $40 million could be $360 million for Georgia. 

1. Many legislators counter that agriculture has H2A available if there is a worker shortage.  H2A is available but there is a 60 day lead time for a petition for workers, advertising, housing and transportation requirements.  These regulations do not allow for a quick response to a worker shortage. 
2. Additional talking points for your consideration: http://aghost.net/images/e0191701/Reasons_to_avoid_an_Everify_mandate.pdf  

ACTION REQUESTED!!

Please contact your Senator and at least five other Republican Senators by phone or email this weekend. 

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions – 1-706-845-8200.

Charles Hall,
Executive Director,
Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association

As you may be aware, two bills have been introduced in the Georgia legislature dealing with immigration and undocumented workers. Both bills would require all Georgia companies with more than 5 employees to use the Federal E-verify program when hiring new W-2 employees, including seasonal workers. There are also other provisions in the bills imposing potential fines and criminal charges on the employer, even when the employee may have I-9 documents.

House Bill 87 (Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011),

http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/108553.pdf  passed in the Georgia State House of Representatives, Thursday, March 3, 2011 by a vote of 113-56.

Senate Bill 40, http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/108979.pdf ,  has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is currently moving to a vote by the Senate in the near future. A number of organizations, including GFVGA, are working with members of the Senate to make changes but nothing has been finalized yet.

The GFVGA website is one of many places for up to date information as this issue is constantly changing. In addition to GFVGA, please check out the following websites for more information.
Georgia Agribusiness Council’s Inside Agriculture e-newsletter:
http://www.ga-agribusiness.org/index.cfm?show=10&mid=26  

Georgia Farm Bureau’s Legislative Report:
http://www.gfb.org/legislative/session.html

To reiterate, GFVGA is concerned because:

• E-verify adds another beaucratic layer for companies to do business in Georgia. To use e-verify someone in your office has to be trained and registered to use this federal internet based system. The instruction manual for e-verify is only 82 pages long. For companies with HR departments this may not be a problem but for a small business this is an additional burden.

• Some of the provisions in the legislation could charge a business owner with fines or criminal charges even if their employee has proper I-9 documents.

• The cost of enforcing this legislation will be passed on to local city and county governments. Kentucky prepared a fiscal impact statement showing that an AZ-type immigration law would cost that state a net $40 million a year in new costs for local jails, state prisons, the foster-care system, the administrative offices of the courts and public defenders. This sum does not include additional police personnel costs. Authorities estimate the number of undocumented workers in Georgia is 455,000 as compared to Kentucky at 50,000. That $40 million could be $360 million for Georgia.

• Many legislators counter that agriculture has H2A available if there is a worker shortage. H2A is available but there is a 60 day lead time for a petition for workers, advertising, housing and transportation requirements. These regulations do not allow for a quick response to a worker shortage.

ACTION REQUESTED!!

Even with the passage of House Bill 87, we still need your help and involvement. Please make contact with your elected officials concerning these two bills. No matter what your thoughts are on these issues, GFVGA urges you to express your opinions to your legislators. They want to hear from you.

If you do not know how to contact your legislator go to:

http://www.votesmart.org/official_state.php?state_id=GA&dist=&go2.x=5&go2.y=8

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions – 1-706-845-8200.
Charles Hall,
Executive Director,
Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association

To all Georgia Growers,

There have been two bills introduced in the Georgia legislature dealing with immigration and undocumented workers.  Both bills would require all Georgia companies with more than 5 employees to use the Federal E-verify program when hiring new W-2 employees, including seasonal workers.  There are also other provisions in the bills imposing potential fines and criminal charges on the employer, even when the employee may have I-9 documents.   

The bills, House Bill 87 (Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011), http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/108553.pdf , and Senate Bill 40, http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/108979.pdf, are currently moving through committee hearings.  A number of organizations, including GFVGA, are working with the authors of the bills to make changes but nothing has been finalized yet.  House Bill 87 could come to the House floor for a vote in the next week or two. 

GFVGA is concerned because:

• E-verify adds another beaucratic layer for companies to do business in Georgia.  To use e-verify someone in your office has to be trained and registered to use this federal internet based system.  The instruction manual for e-verify is only 82 pages long.  For companies with HR departments this may not be a problem but for a small business this is an additional burden. 
• Some of the provisions in the legislation could charge a business owner with fines or criminal charges even if their employee has proper I-9 documents.
• The cost of enforcing this legislation will be passed on to local city and county governments.   Kentucky prepared a fiscal impact statement showing that an AZ-type immigration law would cost that state a net $40 million a year in new costs for local jails, state prisons, the foster-care system, the administrative offices of the courts and public defenders. This sum does not include additional police personnel costs.  Authorities  estimate the number of undocumented workers in Georgia  is 455,000 as compared to Kentucky at 50,000.  That $40 million could be $360 million for Georgia.  
• Many legislators counter that agriculture has H2A available if there is a worker shortage.  H2A is available but there is a 60 day lead time for a petition for workers, advertising, housing and transportation requirements.  These regulations do not allow for a quick response to a worker shortage. 

ACTION REQUESTED!!

While your elected representatives are home for the weekend please make contact with them or send them an email concerning these two bills.  No matter what your thoughts are on these issues, GFVGA urges you to express your opinions to your legislators.  They want to hear from you. 

If you do not know how to contact your legislator go to:

http://www.votesmart.org/official_state.php?state_id=GA&dist=&go2.x=5&go2.y=8

We will provide an update on the status of the legislation over the weekend or early next week.  However, please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions – 1-706-845-8200.

Charles Hall,
Executive Director,
Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

To the Georgia Congressional Delegation,

Yesterday the Senate passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) by a vote of 73 to 25.  Both Senator Chambliss and Senator Isakson voted in opposition to this bill.  This bill may be coming to a vote in the House later this week.  The future direction of this bill is uncertain at this time.    

The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) urges you to vote NO to the current legislation.  GFVGA supports a sound science, risk based approach to food safety.  We strongly supported S. 510 until the Senate included a provision (Tester Amendment) that exempts certain segments of the food industry based on size of operation, geographic location and customer base.  We believe this provision creates a gaping hole in the ability of consumers to trust the safety of fruits and vegetables purchased in the commercial marketplace.

While some have classified the opposition to S.510 and the Tester Amendment as ‘big farms vs. small farms’, GFVGA takes exception to that generalization.   GFVGA supports the right of any farmer of any size to sell directly to local consumers without adhering to the requirements of this legislation.  However, in S. 510 ‘local’ would be considered within 275 miles of the farm and a farmer can sell thru commercial channels if their annual revenue is under $500,000. With granting the exemptions provided in the Tester Amendment, consumers will be faced with the questions of whether the fruits and vegetables offered for sale adhere to basic food safety standards or not. 

GFVGA encourages your ‘NO’ vote to S. 510.  Thank you.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:                 GA Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
Office – 706-845-8200
Cell – 706-255-5655
chall@asginfo.net

Charles Hall, Executive Director

 To the Georgia Congressional Delegation,

Yesterday the Senate passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) by a vote of 73 to 25.  Both Senator Chambliss and Senator Isakson voted in opposition to this bill.  This bill may be coming to a vote in the House later this week.  The future direction of this bill is uncertain at this time.    

The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) urges you to vote NO to the current legislation.  GFVGA supports a sound science, risk based approach to food safety.  We strongly supported S. 510 until the Senate included a provision (Tester Amendment) that exempts certain segments of the food industry based on size of operation, geographic location and customer base.  We believe this provision creates a gaping hole in the ability of consumers to trust the safety of fruits and vegetables purchased in the commercial marketplace.

While some have classified the opposition to S.510 and the Tester Amendment as ‘big farms vs. small farms’, GFVGA takes exception to that generalization.   GFVGA supports the right of any farmer of any size to sell directly to local consumers without adhering to the requirements of this legislation.  However, in S. 510 ‘local’ would be considered within 275 miles of the farm and a farmer can sell thru commercial channels if their annual revenue is under $500,000. With granting the exemptions provided in the Tester Amendment, consumers will be faced with the questions of whether the fruits and vegetables offered for sale adhere to basic food safety standards or not. 

GFVGA encourages your ‘NO’ vote to S. 510.  Thank you.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:   

Charles Hall, Executive Director
GA Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
Office – 706-845-8200
Cell – 706-255-5655
chall@asginfo.net