U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) led the Senate on Monday in introducing legislation to help protect farmers from fatal tractor rollovers through a U.S. Department of Agriculture cost-share grant program for retrofitting older tractors with rollbars and other protections.
Hyde-Smith, with Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jim Justice (D-W.Va.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), introduced the Roll-Over Prevention and Safety Act (ROPS Act) to continue operation of the National ROPS Rebate Program. Mississippi farmers rely on this effective program, which could expire without congressional action.
“We need to extend this small, but important program that can save lives in rural America. Farming and ranching can be dangerous work, which is made even more perilous because receiving help after an accident in rural areas can take a considerable amount of time. Making retrofitting tractors affordable is worthwhile and I hope this lifesaving legislation finds broad support in the Senate and House,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee and Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.