There is movement on the Black Farmer settlement and the Cobell Indian land misuse settlement. In a written statement, The Administration applauds the Congress for including provisions in the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010.
White House officials say, “the bill would fulfill the obligations set forth in the Cobell and Pigford II settlement agreements. The settlements that have been achieved are historic and provide full and final resolution to two long-running disputes - a case involving the management of individual Indian trust accounts related to Indian lands and claims of prior discrimination brought by black farmers against the Department of Agriculture.” The president allocated 1.25 billion dollars for the black farmers and 1.4 billion for the Cobell settlements in the 2011 budget. What remains now is passage of the bill.
The black farmers are a step closer to getting their pay out after 15 years of waiting. The House is voting on the bill this week and the Senate is set to take it up at the same time. Meanwhile, congress must approve the monies by the May 31, 2010 deadline for the settlements to be funded.