Article: BILL WOULD PROTECT FARMERS FROM COTTON-GIN PROBLEMS.(BUSINESS)

The General Assembly has unanimously passed a bill governing cotton gins that, if signed by Gov. Jim Gilmore, will provide financial safeguards for farmers across eastern Virginia.

House Bill 1037 requires that anyone handling cotton after it's been ginned must be bonded to insure against loss, and it contains requirements for licensing, recordkeeping and inspection. In addition, it hands enforcement authority to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The changes were prompted by incidents in 1997 and 1998 at gins in Emporia and Wakefield. After some farmers complained that they had been short-changed, state police seized records at ...

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