Date: 2002-09-24
Speaker: H OLLINGS (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I rise to introduce a bill that the distinguished Senator from Georgia. Mr. CLELAND. and I are sponsoring to assist rural farming communities that have become dependent on tobacco in finding ways to diversify. Right to the point: The tobacco program as we know it today is not sustainable for tobacco producers or the communities that have become dependent on tobacco for their standard of living. For too many years. too many people in this Chamber ignored the problem of the tobacco program. while addressing every other farm issue under the sun. and we now run the risk of putting tobacco farmers out of business with no concern for the impacts on rural communities. It is in the best interest of not only tobacco farmers and their communities. but of the future health of Americans. to pass this legislation South Carolina has about 2.000 honest. hardworking tobacco farmers who. of late. cant make ends meet because the demand for tobacco is down so far. Its not that everyone in the world has all of a sudden stopped using tobacco. Its that American companies are using foreigngrown tobacco. Its cheaper for corporations to go to Brazil. or China. or Vietnam. than to buy tobacco from South Carolina or Georgia. The same thing that happened to textile workers in this country is now happening to our farmers. who have bills to pay. and children to send to college. and everything else like that. In addition to low demand. farmers are in trouble because of past Federal policies intended to encourage farmers to get out of this business. which have instead led them to totally rely on tobacco. At the recommendation of the Presidents Tobacco Commission. we need to kick the habit of quota subsidies for tobacco farmers or this charade will never end. Any legislation that fails to focus on the tobacco problem as a community. is not dealing with the problem as a whole. We have to help tobacco communities diversify their economic base. or they will plummet into further economic distress. This legislation provides these communities with the tools to attract new industries and. thus. new and different kinds of jobs for the area. We cant expect to buy farmers out. try to take care of them with a shortterm fix. and not take care of the communities longterm future. This legislation does just that by making quota buy outs for farmers mandatory. offering special incentives for growers who transition their land from tobacco production and providing meaningful community assistance to bring economic development and diversify the rural economy. Obviously. every one in this Chamber will want to know: how will we pay for it? What will these buyouts cost a government that this year is running a $412 billion budget deficit? It will not cost the American taxpayer a single dime. I will be paid for by fees assessed on manufacturers based on market share. We used a similar funding mechanism in the LEAF Act that had the full support of tobacco growing states. When you come right down to it. this is a balancing act to fix a broken farm program without decimating rural communities and without cost to the American taxpayer. This is as balanced a way as Senator CLELAND and I know how to deal with this. The legislation has the support of the health care community and the tobacco growers alike. We have received letters of support from the Alliance for Health Economic and Agriculture Development. the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. the South Carolina Tobacco Growers Association. the South Carolina Farm Bureau. FlueCured Tobacco Cooperative Stabilization Corporation. and the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association. We urge your support. By Mr. KOHL (for himself. Mr. SESSIONS. and Mrs. FEINSTEIN):