USDA Progress in Addressing Civil Rights Complaints 
                                            Release No. 0502.98 

Statement
                               by
                                
             Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
     on USDA Progress in Addressing Civil Rights Complaints
                        December 4, 1998

     "When the President signed the budget bill, he made history in the
Department of Agriculture's effort to make amends with African American
farmers who were ill-treated and then ignored by their government. 

     "USDA's civil rights efforts have been caught in a legal catch-22. We 
wanted to resolve the backlog of civil rights complaints, but the statute of
limitations prevented us from doing so.

     "Thanks to Congress' waiver of the statute of limitations that passed
recently and President Clinton signed, USDA now can have a process to close
these cases in a fair and timely manner and, provide farmers, where
appropriate, a just compensation.

     "Today's USDA inherited this backlog of complaints because in 1983 USDA
dismantled its civil rights investigative unit, an inexcusable act that left
these older cases to drift, through no fault of the farmers.  Thanks to this
waiver, we now will be able to ensure that justice delayed does not become
justice denied.

     "Today, USDA is announcing the process that we will use to implement
this historic law.  It is one that I believe is fair to the farmers who filed
these older cases and fair to taxpayers.  Under the new process, farmers who
filed written complaints between 1981 and 1996 that have not been resolved
should contact the USDA Office of Civil Rights.  They have a two-year window
for reopening their cases, and I encourage them to act before the October 21,
2000 deadline.

     "As for other cases in the backlog that do not fit these parameters, I
am pleased to report that the task force I convened to resolve the remaining
backlog has completed its review.  The Office of Civil Rights is working to
quickly wrap up these cases, and will soon contact the farmers involved.  I am
impressed by the expeditious work underway, and I have renewed hope that the
backlog will be eliminated by year's end.

                                
     "In January, USDA will have an improved, published process for resolving
all future civil rights complaints.  This will help ensure that past mistakes
are not repeated. It also will allow USDA to focus on our goal of becoming the
premier civil rights leader in government.

     "I wish to thank President Clinton, the many members of this
Administration and the many members of Congress in both parties who helped us
pass a law to waive the statute of limitations. This is an important step in
our healing process.  I also wish to thank the African American farmers who
continued to press their cases far from the national spotlight.  Thanks to
their long and lonely civil rights struggle, we are a stronger nation today."

                                 
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