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Senator Santorum Presents $12 Million in Federal Funding to the PA Department of Education and Hosts a Land Conservation Roundtable in Doylestown
August 30, 2006
Doylestown, PA – U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today was in Philadelphia at the Math, Science and Technology (MaST) Community Charter School to present significant federal funding to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The federal funding is part of the State Education Agency (SEA) Charter School Grant to help plan, design, and create new charter schools in Pennsylvania, increasing the school choices that parents have to provide a quality education for their children.
“I am pleased that Pennsylvania is receiving $12 million in federal funding that will give parents more options for choosing the school that best meets the educational needs of their child,” said Senator Santorum.
Charter schools are independent public schools designed and operated by parents, educators, community leaders, education entrepreneurs and others with a contract, or charter, from a public agency, such as a local or state education agency. Charter schools are operated free-of-charge to parents and are open to all students.
Later, at the Heritage Conservancy in Doylestown, Senator Santorum hosted a roundtable discussion on Federal Conservation Policy and the 2007 Farm Bill. Most programs governing farm policy in the existing law, the 2002 Farm Bill, will expire in September of 2007. The 2002 Farm Bill authorized more than $21 billion for conservation programs.
“Heritage Conservancy’s mission is the preservation of open space and the working landscape, and the Farm Bill contains a number of conservation programs that will be critical tools in helping us achieve that goal. Senator Santorum has demonstrated his strong support for conservation and for farmers, as well as his sincere interest in hearing ideas and suggestions that will strengthen the new Farm Bill for the agricultural community, the environment, and all those who are served through local and regional agriculture. We’re so pleased to be able to facilitate this important discussion among so many of the key voices from the conservation and agricultural communities,” said Clifford C. David, President of the Heritage Conservancy.
The roundtable discussion provides an opportunity for conservation and environmental leaders to share their ideas and concerns with Senator Santorum as the Senate Agriculture Committee prepares to write the 2007 Farm Bill. During his tenure in the Senate, Senator Santorum has been an active advocate for preserving and protecting farmland from suburban sprawl and development, keeping Pennsylvania’s precious farms from becoming shopping malls or condominiums. Senator Santorum authored the Farmland Protection Program in the 1996 Farm Bill.
“Conservation is an important issue to our state and will be a priority for me in the next Farm Bill. As the first Senator from Pennsylvania in more than a century to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee, I am committed to ensuring that our state’s conservation and agriculture interests are represented,” said Senator Santorum. “I am proud of my work on the Farmland Preservation Program, through which our state has received $22 million to protect more than 36,000 acres of farmland.”
In July 2006 Senator Santorum introduced the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Flexibility Act, a bill to enable farmland protection groups to function more efficiently and to better utilize the federal farmland protection funds.
The Farm and Ranch Land Protection Flexibility Act would allow qualified state, local and private organizations to enter into annual grant agreements with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). These nonfederal organizations could combine the NRCS grant funding with state, local and private funds to protect farm land.
The Farm and Ranch Land Protection Flexibility Act also directs the Secretary of Agriculture to give priority consideration to protecting farmland in watersheds that would benefit most from the protection of farmland. In addition, the bill will adjust eligibility standards for farms with woodlots, wooded corners, and forested riparian areas, thereby making it easier to protect farms with wooded land.
Most recently the Senate passed H.R. 4, which included a provision which Senator Santorum authored that provides land-rich, but cash poor families an opportunity to donate land for conservation purposes by increasing the charitable deduction limit from 30 percent of adjusted gross income to 50 percent. The charitable deduction limit is increased to 100 percent of adjusted gross income for eligible farmers and ranchers if the donation does not prevent the use of the land for farming or ranching purposes. Additionally, the provision allows a taxpayer to carry forward the deduction for 15 years in certain circumstances.
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