10/10/05 Seeking disaster status; L&I hearings

10/10/05 Seeking disaster status; L&I hearings

Washington Ag October 10, 2005 Governor Christine Gregoire has asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to designate an additional 14 Washington counties as farm disaster areas due to damages caused by this year's drought. In September the governor sought a designation for Garfield, Whitman and Pacific counties and that is under consideration by USDA. The new request adds Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Franklin, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, and Walla Walla in eastern Washington, as well as four southwestern Washington counties. A federal disaster declaration would make low interest loans available Hearings begin this week on the Department of Labor and Industries proposed hike in workers' compensation premium rates for 2006. For agriculture the rate increase would average about five percent. The Washington Farm Bureau opposes the increase until L&I is reformed and its Dan Fazio says having individual producers at the hearings is important. Fazio: "It would be huge. You know one farmer is worth 100 lobbyists. People need to know what is going on out there." The first hearing is tomorrow in Spokane at the Airport Ramada Inn at 10 am. Thursday there's a hearing in Yakima at the Red Lion Hotel Yakima Center at 10 am. I'm Bob Hoff.
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