The letter below is from Sen. Barbara Boxer to a Vote Hemp supporter in reply to a letter asking her to become a cosponsor of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

If you receive a reply from one of your elected representatives please email a copy of it to us at hempinfo@votehemp.com. It will help with our lobbying efforts to know the contents of these letters. We will not publish your name or address and hold them in confidence.

June 15, 2012

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for writing to express your opposition to farm subsidy payments to wealthy farmers.  I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

Throughout my tenure as Senator, I have repeatedly voted to limit commodity payments to farmers.  I strongly support major reform of the commodity payment system, including the elimination of subsidies that serve mostly large-scale farmers.

I believe that most California farmers would greatly benefit from significant commodity program reform, and the savings would enable Congress to provide more aid where it is most needed: to small farms, nutrition assistance programs, resource conservation efforts, and producers of specialty crops.

As Congress develops the new Farm Bill, be assured that I will continue working with my colleagues to revamp the commodity payment system.

Again, thank you for writing to me.  Please feel free to contact me again about this or other issues of concern to you.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Please do not respond to this message. If you would like to comment on legislation, please visit my website and use the correspondence form at https://www.boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm