House OKs discrimination settlement

House OKs discrimination settlement

WASHINGTON — After more than a decade of legal and political wrangling, the House on Tuesday approved a historic multibillion-dollar measure to settle class-action discrimination lawsuits and pay thousands of black farmers and American Indians.

An estimated 35,000 black farmers in Mississippi and Alabama, and 2,300 in Louisiana could benefit from the legislation, according to the National Black Farmers Association.

The $4.6 billion legislation now goes to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature.

Obama applauded Congress for “acting in a bipartisan fashion to bring this painful chapter in our nation’s history to a close.”

Clarion Ledger
12/1/10