The Legislative Process

The federal legislative process is both slow and complex. In addition to the framework provided by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, both the Senate and House of Representatives have adapted legislative traditions. In order to understand agricultural policy, one must also understand how policy is created, debated, and eventually passed. 

The video below describes the basic premise for how a bill becomes a law:

This video demonstrates the clear difference between a bill and a law. According to the legal definitions provided in the Merriam-Webster's dictionary, a bill is "a draft of a law presented to a legislature for enactment," while a law is "a rule made by the government." Agricultural policy focuses both on bills (proposed ideas)  and laws (government rules) related to the agriculture industry. 

The video also clearly illustrates the long and difficult journey a bill must make to become a law. The vast majority of bills introduced never even make it to the floor for a vote. As the video suggested, most bills die in committee. In the 113th Congress, over 10,000 bills were introduced: 3% were enacted as laws, 4% received a vote, and 86% never moved beyond committee (GovTrack.us). These numbers are consistent with congressional outputs from the last 35 years. 

In addition, the bills that were enacted by the 113th Congress waited an average of 263 days before being passed into law, according to statistics provided by Quora. The Founding Fathers designed the legislative process to be slow and methodical, which they believed would prevent the Congress from overlooking citizens' rights to share their opinions with lawmakers.

Although the video does an excellent job of explaining the basic steps of the legislative process, the actual process is even more complex. This flowchart provides a detailed overview of the steps and outcomes of a legislative bill:

Source: http://www.acr.org/~/media/ACR/Images/Advocacy/Federal%20Relations/billdiagram

This flow chart helps demonstrate some of the more complicated traditions of Congress. 

        For example, in order to be debated on the House floor, a bill must be placed on the calendar and given specific debate guidelines by the Rules Committee. This committee exercises enormous power in determining the fate of bills. 

        In the Senate, the traditions of filibuster and cloture influence bills. The Senate allows for the use of the filibuster - unlimited debate - to stop members from voting on a bill. Senate rules require a two-thirds majority vote to invoke cloture - a process to  end debate and move to vote. This means that while only a simple majority vote is needed to officially pass a law in the Senate, most bills must actually receive two-thirds majority support to move to a vote. 

These are just some of the rules that influence the American federal legislative process. 

All citizens should understand how laws are passed, but it is especially important for people working in agriculture. The agriculture industry is heavily impacted by government rule. Anyone who hopes to influence policymakers - producers, distributors, or consumers - should understand the process. Visit house.gov and senate.gov for more information. 

National Ag Day and Our Founding Farmers

On Tuesday, March 15, Americans celebrated National Ag Day. According to the Agriculture Council of America's website, Ag Day was established as part of National Ag Week (March 13-19, 2016) in 1973 to recognize and celebrate the role of agriculture in our nation. 

The National Ag Day program helps Americans:

• Understand how their food is produced
• Value the contributions of agriculture to the economy
• Appreciate the role of agriculture in their every day lives

 "Farmers all over America are harvesting record crops. You know, I've always thought that when we Americans get up in the morning, when we see bacon, eggs, toast, and milk on our breakfast table, we should give thanks that our farmers are survivors. You are the real miracle workers of the modern world - keepers of an incredible system based on faith, freedom, hard work, productivity, and profit - a system that feeds us and sustains millions of the world's hungry."

 - President Ronald Reagan, BrainyQuote 

Ag Day has also become a large event for policymakers to learn more about the agriculture industry and spread the word to their constituents. This year, Agri-Pulse hosted a panel discussion on Capitol Hill entitled "Farm to Fork Politics: How Sustainability is Reframing Food Production and Marketing," and the USDA hosted its "Celebration of Agriculture" dinner, in addition to the many other industry events held throughout the nation. 

In honor of National Ag Day last week, let's take a look at the key role agriculture has played throughout America's history - starting with its founders - leading our nation to where it is today. 

"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness."

 - Thomas Jefferson in a letter to George Washington, BrainyQuote

Agriculture has been a consistent star in our nation's history. Famines across Europe led many families to flee to America, where they discovered new crops and developed innovative farming techniques. Although historians debate the level of agricultural relations between the pilgrims and native peoples, we continue to celebrate Thanksgiving in honor of the first settlers' farming heritage.

During the 18th century, royal threats to the import-export industry sparked the flame that would lead to the Revolutionary War and the independence of the United States of America. When delegates of the new nation met at the Constitutional Convention in 1787,  the agriculture industry remained at the forefront of our Founding Fathers' minds. One central debate - should plantations be allowed to use slave labor? - would continue for almost 100 years before the nation fought the Civil War to solve the issue.

Photo credit: http://americanhistory.si.edu

Agriculture continued to drive America's success or failure in the 20th century. During World War I, American agriculture products helped the Allied Powers hold on to defeat the Central Powers. After World War I, Americans learned that while agricultural prosperity could propel the nation, agricultural desolation could also depress the nation. During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt developed new federal programs to aid the agriculture industry, including the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) (New Deal History). When war broke out again in World War II, the ability of American men, and especially women, to maintain the fields and feed the troops played a critical role in the military's success. 

Unfortunately, as American urban culture continues to grow, people have lost sight of the role of agriculture in our nation's past, present, and future. Today, most Americans are two to four generations away from the farm and remain unaware and uninterested about ag policy, according to research by the University of Maryland extension service. 

"Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country."

 - William Jennings Bryan, BrainyQuote

An example of the USDA's
Where Was the Food on Your Plate Grown?
  interactive map

This new reality has led to information campaigns, such as the program launched by the USDA on Ag Day called "Where Was the Food on Your Plate Grown?" This program helps kids connect their every day meals with the ag industry across America. 

Agricultural policy continues to play an important role in shaping America's identity, and events like National Ag Day help bring agriculture back into our nation's consciousness. 

"Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field."

 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower, BrainyQuote