Friday, April 27, 2012 10:54 am

Washington, D.C. (Friday, April 27, 2012)—Today, U.S. Representative Diane Black (R-TN), released the following statement after President Obama’s Department of Labor announced they will halt a proposed rule that would have severely limited the work young people could do in the agriculture industry:

“Forcing the Department of Labor to abandon this proposed family farm regulation is a huge victory, but one the agriculture community should have never had to fight. That the federal government was working to prevent farmers from passing the tradition on to the next generation defies all logic and shows that the bureaucracy is running amok.  

“I am relieved that the Administration is backing off this ludicrous proposal, and I commend farmers across the country for coming out in such force against it. However, this is not the first nor will it be the last regulation we’ll have to fight. I and my Republican colleagues in the House will continue to oppose the over-regulation of every industry and the nanny-ization of our country.”

In December, Black joined over 150 of her colleagues in sending a letter to the Department of Labor opposing the rule. She also cosponsored legislation, H.R. 4157, that would have prohibited the Secretary of Labor from finalizing or enforcing these proposed family farm regulations.

Previously, Black fought against a proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule to regulate milk spills – a regulation the Administration also abandoned after public outcry.