Re: Grassley

On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 7:38 PM, <LawrLCL@aol.com> wrote:

 

 

---

From: LawrLCL@aol.com
To: landrightsnfarming@gmail.com
Sent: 4/19/2011 9:11:28 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: Fwd: Grassley

 

 

 

---

From: LawrLCL@aol.com
To: lawrlcl@aol.com
Sent: 4/11/2011 10:46:42 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Fwd: Grassley

 

 

 

 

 

Sen. Grassley renews call for civil rights hearings

Senator Chuck Grassley renewed his request for a hearing before the Senate Agriculture

Committee that focuses on USDA‟s

Office of Civil Rights and the alleged widespread abuses of

civil rights throughout the Department of Agriculture. Grassley sent a letter Tuesday to Senate

Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, after previously requesting

a hearing last June.

“T

he concerns plaguing the Office of Civil Rights at the USDA are ripe for Committee oversight

since it has been quite some time since t

he Senate examined these issues,” Grassley wrote. “The

Department has overcome numerous obstacles and made some progress in this area, but the

successes are few and far between. When the Office of Civil Rights was set up, it was expected

www.Agri-Pulse.com

9

Transparency?  In separate side box

Since becoming USDA Secretary in January

2009, Tom Vilsack says he has made civil rights

a priority at the agency. But attempts to

document the progress have been stifled. In July

2009,

Agri-Pulse

filed a Freedom of Information

Act (FOIA) request, asking for information about

civil rights cases at USDA. Despite an initial

acknowledgement that the letter was received

and occasional pledges to answer the request,

agency staff have not complied - almost two

years later.

to provide leadership and direction for the fair and equitable treatment of all customers and

employees of the Department of Agriculture. Unfortunately, it seems that the division that was

set up to oversee discrimination complaints is

the very one being accused of inadequately

addressing the complaints.”

During a conference call with reporters,

Grassley cited an October 2008 report by the

Government Accountability Office that said

USDA has continued to struggle to meet its

basic responsibilities. But Grassley said he is not

pointing a finger at any particular incident.

“We are talking about having a process in place

in the Department of Agriculture, under both

Republicans and Democrats over the long haul,

”

that would bar both employment discrimination

and discrimination in the treatment of farmers

because of race, religion or ethnicity.

”