On a 90-1 roll call, senators voted on Monday to provide $5 million for a USDA “re-lending” program to resolve ownership of so-called heirs’ property, an issue that has vexed black farmers for generations. Alabama Sen. Doug Jones said the issue, which has led to forced sales of land, was “yet another vestige of the Jim Crow era that has lasted far too long and we must correct.”
Jones was sponsor of an amendment to include $5 million to implement the re-lending program. His proposal was added to a Senate bill that would provide funding for seven federal departments including the USDA. The House has a similar $5 million provision in its “minibus” bill that includes the USDA, said Jones, a Democrat.
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, was the only senator to vote against the amendment.
Heirs’ property is land that has passed informally from generation to generation of a family without a clear title. Owners are limited in their ability to use the land as collateral or to qualify for USDA programs. Under the re-lending program, the USDA would loan money to cooperatives, credit unions and nonprofit organizations. In turn, they would lend money to projects that resolve ownership and succession on land with multiple owners.