Bush vetoes Farm Bill again after omission corrected News
Bush vetoes Farm Bill again after omission corrected

[JURIST] US President George W. Bush vetoed the new Farm Bill [HR 6124 materials; White House press release] for the second time on Wednesday, saying that the proposed legislation was fiscally irresponsible. The original version of the text sent to Bush for signature last month inadvertently omitted [JURIST report] a section providing for foreign food aid. Bill supporters had said they would submit the bill for a new vote in Congress to avoid any potential concerns about the legitimacy of the resulting law. Congress is expected to vote on overriding Bush's latest veto later Wednesday. AP has more.

The future of a landmark discrimination case [NBFA press release; JURIST report] brought by the Virginia-based National Black Farmers Association earlier this month against the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) [official website] depends on the passage of the bill. The legislation includes a provision [AP file report] that expressly permits new claims of improper discrimination in the allocation of USDA resources, including loans, disaster relief, and other resources. The new Farm Bill also reopens the class-action suit to farmers who were left out of a 1999 settlement after missing a filing deadline and thousands more who argue that the terms of the settlement were inadequate.