House Committee on Agriculture
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Categories: US House Committees | Congressional Committees Project | Agriculture in the United States
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee (often referred to as simply "Agriculture", as in "He's on Agriculture") is a Congressional committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over bills and resolutions relating to issues within the scope of the Subcommittee's jurisdiction, and has oversight responsibilities over agencies, programs and activities that fall within it's jurisdiction which is defined by the House Rules, and can recommend funding appropriations for governmental agencies, programs, and activities that fall within it's jurisdiction.
| House Committee on Agriculture | |
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| Members, 110th Congress | |
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History of the Agriculture Committee
The Agriculture Committee was created on 3 May 1820, after Lewis Williams of North Carolina sponsored a resolution to create the committee and give agricultural issues equal weight with commercial and manufacturing interests. The committee originally consisted of 7 members, from the states of Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia. Thomas Forrest was the first chairman. The United States Senate counterpart to the House Agriculture Committee, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, was created on 9 December 1825. The Agriculture Committee remained a 7 member body until 1835, when 2 more members were added. It was not until 1871 that the next 2 members were added. Since then it has gradually grown to its current size of 51 members.
Role of the Agriculture Committee
The Agriculture Committee is not generally considered to be a particularly powerful one. However, it is an important committee to be on for Representatives from many rural areas where agriculture is the main industry. The committee has jurisdiction over agriculture, forestry, nutrition, water conservation, and other agriculture-related fields.
The committee also has a great deal of influence over immigration as many nonresident aliens are employed in agricultural fields.
Jurisdiction
As proscribed by House Rules, the Committee on Agriculture's jurisdiction includes the following:
- 1) Adulteration of seeds, insect pests, and protection of birds and animals in forest reserves.
- 2) Agriculture generally.
- 3) Agricultural and industrial chemistry.
- 4) Agricultural colleges and experiment stations.
- 5) Agricultural economics and research.
- 6) Agricultural education extension services
- 7) Agricultural production, marketing and stabilization of prices of agricultural products, and commodities (excluding foreign distribution).
- 8) Animal industry and diseases of animals.
- 9) Commodity exchanges.
- 10) Crop insurance and soil conservation.
- 11) Dairy industry.
- 12) Entomology and plant quarantine.
- 13) Extension of farm credit and farm security.
- 14) Inspection of livestock, poultry, meat products, and seafood and seafood products.
- 15) Forestry in general and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain.
- 16) Human nutrition and home economics.
- 17) Plant industry, soils, and agricultural engineering.
- 18) Rural electrification.
- 19) Rural development
- 20) Water conservation related to activities of the Department of Agriculture.
Current Legislation
- H.R. 17-110 — To reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, and for other purposes.
- February 7, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.
- H.R. 45-110 — To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to community-based organizations and local redevelopment agencies operating in low-income communities to promote increased access to and consumption of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and other healthy foods among residents of such communities, and for other purposes.
- February 6, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
- H.R. 80-110 — To provide for Federal research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities to enable the development of farms that are net producers of both food and energy, and for other purposes.
- March 2, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research.
- H.R. 94-110 — To make funds available for program integrity purposes, including the data mining project, under the Federal Crop Insurance Act.
- February 6, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.
- H.R. 95-110 — To make funds available for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 for program integrity purposes, including the data mining project, under the Federal Crop Insurance Act.
- February 6, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.
- H.R. 124-110 — To require the prompt issuance by the Secretary of Agriculture of regulations to restore integrity to the payment limitation requirements applicable to commodity payments and benefits, to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse related to the receipt of commodity payments and benefits, and for other purposes.
- March 2, 2007: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Executive Comment Requested from USDA.
- H.R. 137-110 — To amend title 18, United States Code, to strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting, and for other purposes.
- April 10, 2007: Cleared for White House.
- H.R. 166-110 — To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to reform funding for the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, and for other purposes.
- February 6, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
- H.R. 167-110 — To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide financial assistance for the construction, improvement, and rehabilitation of farmers markets.
- February 6, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
- H.R. 185-110 — To require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide compensation for certain livestock losses.
- February 6, 2007: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Executive Comment Requested from USDA.
- H.R. 206-110 — To amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to provide greater access to the food stamp program by reducing duplicative and burdensome administrative requirements, authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to certain community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups for the purpose of establishing and implementing a Beyond the Soup Kitchen Pilot Program for certain socially and economically disadvantaged populations, and for other purposes.
- February 6, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
- H.R. 215-110 — To amend the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the egg, meat, and poultry inspection laws to ensure that consumers receive notification regarding food products produced from crops, livestock, or poultry raised on land on which sewage sludge was applied.
- February 6, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
- H.R. 217-110 — To lift the trade embargo on Cuba, and for other purposes.
- March 16, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology.
- H.R. 357-110 — To amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to implement mandatory country of origin labeling requirements for meat and produce on September 30, 2007.
- February 6, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
- H.R. 419-110 — To provide assistance to agricultural producers for crop and livestock losses in 2005, 2006, or 2007 as a result of natural disasters, and for other purposes.
- March 2, 2007: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Executive Comment Requested from USDA.
- H.R. 461-110 — To ensure general aviation aircraft access to Federal land and to the airspace over Federal land.
- February 7, 2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.
- H.Con.Res. 25-110 — Expressing the sense of Congress that it is the goal of the United States that, not later than January 1, 2025, the agricultural, forestry, and working land of the United States should provide from renewable resources not less than 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States and continue to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber.
- May 17, 2007: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Ordered to be Reported.
External links
| GovTrack Links | |
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| Committee Page | |
| Feeds: | Atom |
| RSS | RSS2.0 |
- Agriculture Committee Homepage
- Minority Webpage (109th Congress)
- Committee Rules (PDF)
- House Rules for 109th Congress, see page 427 for official jurisdiction and other information.
- The Congresspedia page on the House Committee on Agriculture.
This article incorporates material from the Wikipedia article "United States House Committee on Agriculture". The list of authors can be found here.
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