Compost It
Farm Internship Bill (SB 6349)in Executive Committee Tuesday Morning.  Members of Committee Need to Hear From You TODAY So They Know This Bill is Important.  Because we are active participants in our democracy, we can call or send a quick email to let each member of this committee know that the Farm Internship Bill is important.  If we do not call or email and let them know that this is indeed an important bill, then this bill will die in this committee.  Committees have a busy agenda and they need to know that THIS BILL is important so they will address the bill and vote it out of committee.  We must nourish this bill so it will flourish or it may perish! 
Action Required!
Join Your Favorite CSA!We want our letters to go to the right place at the right time so we are most effective with our efforts.

Contact Information for each committee member.  Please write a few short sentences detailing your support for this bill.  Following up with a quick phone call to let each person know you have sent an email and that it is important to vote SB 6349 out of committee.

The committee members contact information and draft text is as follows:
 
Rep. Steve Conway, 360-786-7906, [email protected]
Rep. Alex Wood, 360-786-7888, [email protected]
Rep. Cary Condotta, 360-786-7954, [email protected]
Rep. Bruce Chandler, 360-786-7960, [email protected]
Rep. Larry Crouse, 360-786-7820, [email protected]
Rep. Tami Green, 360-786-7958, [email protected]
Rep. Jim Moeller, 360-786-7872, [email protected]
Rep. Brendan Williams, 360-786-7940, [email protected]

If you need help with words, Peggy of The San Juan Agricultural Resources Committee (ARC) provides the following:

Chair Conway
Chair Conway (pictured right) and members of the House Commerce and Labor Committee,
 
Thank you for the opportunity to offer my full support of SB 6349 to establish a process for internships on small farms in Washington State.
 
Recent audits of small farm internship practices by Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) have raised a serious issue for the small farmers in our state.  Washington State labor law does not recognize farm internships as a valid worker category unless the participants are matriculated at a recognized educational institution. Because only a small percentage of farm interns are registered students, the majority of small farms that use interns are likely not in compliance with L&I's requirements.
 
Statewide, small farms are becoming increasingly important in maintaining a diverse and sustainable local economy.  This bill allows small farm s to establish an internship programs for future farmers to pass on crucial vocation knowledge of farming practices and enterprises.  SB 6349 is essential for ensuring continued growth in the agricultural industry. 
 
Please help farm interns and small family farms in Washington and vote SB 6349 out of committee.
 
Sincerely,
 
Once you have become involved in your democracy, you may want to watch what happens to this bill as it makes its journey to become law.  Here is a link to the latest information available.  Watch how your actions work to wend this bill along.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6349&year=2009.

P.S. This is also a great time to share this email with young people, not only because this is a very real opportunity to watch the process as it relates to our farmers state-wide, but especially because it affects our own local food producers.  Let's keep hope alive for enthusiastic young future farmers!  Let's also keep our local farmers afloat by buying the food they work so hard to produce.  Have you joined a CSA for this season?  There are more public hours at the food co-op so take advantage of that, and buy at our local farmers' market or direct from the farmer.  Spread the word!
Linda Degnan Cobos/Maureen Marinkovich
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