Leahy, Jeffords And Sanders
Hail Senate Passage Of MILC Extension

(WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21) -- Vermont’s Congressional Delegation – Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Jim Jeffords (I) and Rep. Bernie Sanders (I) – hailed Wednesday’s Senate passage of the two-year extension of the MILC program that they have fought for a year to enact.

The extension was included in a budget package that became one of the last congressional debates of the year.  The last step is due Thursday, when the House is expected to pass the package, sending it to President Bush, who will sign it.

The Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC), which Leahy, Jeffords and Sanders led in including in the 2002 farm bill, expired on Sept. 30.  The extension legislation championed by Leahy, Jeffords and Sanders will continue the program up to the next farm bill, in 2007.

Leahy, Jeffords and Sanders issued the following joint statement after the successful Senate vote on Wednesday:

“The MILC extension now has cleared the last significant hurdle, and all signs are good for the rest of the way.  A late threat, and a serious one, emerged this week with a last-minute effort to strip the extension from the budget package.  When we rounded up enough votes to soundly defeat that effort, the threat finally went away.  On behalf of the Vermont dairy producers who depend on this program when prices fall, we are pleased that this difficult fight is coming to a successful conclusion.”

# # # # #