BOARD00908

• Board Meeting Date: 7/23/2002
• Description: Special Session Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatiyes of the Sixty-third General Assembly of the State 0"
Colorado:
That we, the members of the House of Representatives, strongly urge the United States Congress:
(1) To examine and adopt measures to allow producers of agricultural commodities to receive short-term
assistance in coping with and responding to the drought conditions, such as the following:
(a) Directing the United States Department of Agriculture to coordinate the availability of hay and other
types of livestock feed for those ranchers in drought areas from areas that are still producing adequate amounts of
such feed;
(b) Implementing tax code modifications that 'enable producers who are forced to sell livestock during
periods of drought to receive additional time to reinvest the sale proceeds before having to pay capital gains tax
on the earnings, thus allowing the producer to wait until the drought conditions have subsided before reinvesting;
(c) Allocating funds in the $4-5 billion range to provide crop and livestock producers with direct
emergency assistance to be delivered through existing Farm Service Agency channels;
(2) To develop comprehensive and integrated public policy that identifies and implements long-term
plans for combating the impact of droughts, including components such as:
(a) Reexamining how drought relief assistance is provided and elevating the manner in which it is
provided to place drought assistance on the same level of assistance that is provided to other natural disasters such
as wildfires, hurricanes, and floods; -
(b) Researching farming methods and seed varieties that are resistant to drought and long periods of low
moisture;
(c) Examining the feasibility of prioritizing water allocations;
(d) Establishing a National Drought Council within the Federal Emergency Management Agency to
provide an integrated and coordinated approach toward minimizing the effects of drought and to educate and
inform American citizens on how to prepare for and respond to drought emergencies; ..
(e) More closely considering water availability when creating public policy to manage growth, not onl~
for consumption purposes, but also being m.indful of future drought potential as well.
Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be sent to the President of the United States, the
Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the United States Senate, the Majority Leader
of the United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the United States House of
Representatives, and to each member of the Colorado Congressional Delegation.

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