FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2002
Contact: Drew Goesl 

Lincoln Attends Farm Bill Signing Ceremony

Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) today attended a White House ceremony in which President George W. Bush officially signed the 2002 Farm Bill into law.

"Today it's official," Lincoln said. "Our nation now has a dependable farm policy in place that will ensure a strong safety net for America's farmers, ranchers, and rural America. This new law signifies the commitment we as a nation have made to keep our farm infrastructure and the agriculture producers that support it viable for another generation."

Lincoln joined a bipartisan group of farm-state lawmakers at the early morning signing ceremony to demonstrate her support for the new law she said is critical to Arkansas farmers and rural communities. The final bill passed the Senate last Thursday 64 to 35, with Lincoln voting "yes."

Lincoln has been credited with breaking the stalemate that brought about the farm bill, which had been wrapped up in House-Senate conference negotiations since March, with no end in sight. On Tuesday, April 23, Lincoln gathered together five of her colleagues from southern states for a pivotal meeting with Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), urging Daschle to pressure the conference committee to move the bill forward.

A six-page summary of the Farm Bill conference report, along with a legislative history of the bill and the full text, is available on the Senate Agriculture Committee website at http://www.senate.gov/~agriculture/. Lincoln is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.