Minority Farmers Fairness Act of 2003

Minority Farmers Fairness Act of 2003 - Provides an additional opportunity for judicial or administrative relief for those farmers whose petitions or claims against the Department of Agriculture for discriminatory operation of farm benefit programs were denied.

Requires that such request be submitted within one year of the later of the date of: (1) enactment of this Act; or (2) petition or claim denial.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1667 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1667

  To provide an additional opportunity for administrative or judicial 
    relief for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who were 
 discriminated against by the Department of Agriculture in farm credit 
                         and benefit programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 8, 2003

  Mr. Burns introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide an additional opportunity for administrative or judicial 
    relief for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who were 
 discriminated against by the Department of Agriculture in farm credit 
                         and benefit programs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Minority Farmers Fairness Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ADMINISTRATIVE OR JUDICIAL RELIEF 
              FOR SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS WHO 
              SUFFERED DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DISCRIMINATION.

    (a) Opportunity to Submit Claim.--If a person submitted a petition 
for redress in the settlement of the consolidated class action lawsuits 
entitled Pigford v. Veneman and Brewington v. Veneman (United States 
District Court for the District of Columbia, Civil Action Numbers 97-
1978 and 98-1693) or under any administrative process provided by the 
Department of Agriculture in connection with a claim of discrimination 
in the operation of farm credit and benefit programs, and the petition 
or claim was not heard on its merits or otherwise denied, the person 
may obtain de novo consideration of the petition or claim before an 
administrative law judge of the Department of Agriculture or in any 
Federal court of competent jurisdiction.
    (b) Time.--The request for de novo consideration of a petition or 
claim under subsection (a) shall be submitted not later than one year 
after the later of--
            (1) the date of the enactment of this Act; or
            (2) the date the petition or claim was denied.
    (c) Relief.--The administrative law judge or court shall hear and 
determine the petition or claim on the merits and, if found to be 
valid, award appropriate relief under the settlement or section 742 of 
the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and 
Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 1999 (section 101(a) of Public Law 
105-277; 7 U.S.C. 2279d).
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