A Victory for Farmers

Statement

Thankfully, though a rare occurrence with President Obama in office, the farmers of Southwest Virginia received some good news this past week. On Thursday, the Department of Labor withdrew a proposed rule -- most negatively impacting extended family farms -- trying to place new restrictions on children who work in agriculture. I'm pleased that our four-month long fight -- taken up by American farmers from across the country and dozens of my colleagues and me in Washington -- resulted in this victory.

As you know, agriculture is an integral part of Southside and Southwest Virginia's economy and heritage. That heritage extends to families working together on their farms. While safety is always a priority, unelected Washington bureaucrats are not in the best position to issue a one-size-fits-all rule stating how kids can and cannot help on extended family farms. Had this rule been adopted, kids who work on a grandparent's, uncle's, or aunt's farm would've been limited in working with farm animals, operating certain types of farm machinery, and prohibited from working country grain elevators, grain bins, silos, feed lots, stockyards, livestock exchanges and livestock auctions. Fortunately for us, the Washington bureaucrats got the hint that America is fed up with Washington, D.C. decrees.

I assure you I will continue to monitor this situation because -- depending on the next administration -- you never know how much flexibility it may have.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my offices. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.

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