Agriculture Department employees found to have engaged in discriminatory actions would be subject to discipline ranging from a letter of reprimand to dismissal under a bill filed Thursday by Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson, the son of civil rights activist Jesse L. Jackson.
The bill by Jackson, D-Ill., a House Agriculture Committee member, would address a long-standing complaint by Black and other minority farmers that department and agency workers go unpunished even when the discrimination is documented. The bill was filed Nov. 30 and has seven co-sponsors.
Jackson said the Biden administration and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are making efforts to improve racial equity at USDA, but added that he decided his first bill in Congress should address the lingering effects. The department still faces mistrust among many Black farmers and ranchers and has a history of lawsuits by women, Latino and Native American growers over its lending practices.
