United States House Committee on Agriculture
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding appropriations for various governmental agencies, programs, and activities, as defined by House rules.
History of the Agriculture Committee
The Agriculture Committee was created on May 3, 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 seven members, from the states of Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia. Thomas Forrest of Pennsylvania was the first chairman. The Agriculture Committee remained a seven-member body until 1835, when two more members were added. It was not until 1871 that the next two members were added. Since then it has gradually grown to its current size of 46 members.
The U.S. Senate counterpart to the House Agriculture Committee, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, was created on December 9, 1825.
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.
Jurisdiction
As prescribed by House Rules, the Committee on Agriculture's jurisdiction includes the following:
- Adulteration of seeds, insect pests, and protection of birds and animals in forest reserves
- Agriculture generally
- Agricultural and industrial chemistry
- Agricultural colleges and experiment stations
- Agricultural economics and research
- Agricultural education extension services
- Agricultural production, marketing and stabilization of prices of agricultural products, and commodities (excluding foreign distribution)
- Animal industry and diseases of animals
- Commodity exchanges
- Crop insurance and soil conservation
- Dairy industry
- Entomology and plant quarantine
- Extension of farm credit and farm security
- Inspection of livestock, poultry, meat products, and seafood and seafood products
- Forestry in general and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain
- Human nutrition and home economics
- Plant industry, soils, and agricultural engineering
- Rural electrification
- Rural development
- Water conservation related to activities of the Department of Agriculture
Members
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115th Congress
Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
|---|---|---|
| Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit | Austin Scott (R-GA) | David Scott (D-GA) |
| Conservation and Forestry | Glenn Thompson (R-PA) | Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) |
| Nutrition | Jackie Walorski (R-IN) | Jim McGovern (D-MA) |
| General Farm Commodities and Risk Management | Rick Crawford (R-AR) | Tim Walz (D-MN) |
| Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research | Rodney Davis (R-IL) | Suzan DelBene (D-WA) |
| Livestock and Foreign Agriculture | David Rouzer (R-NC) | Jim Costa (D-CA) |
Chairmen since 1820
References
See also
External links
- Agriculture Committee Homepage, official website (Archive)
- Committee Rules (PDF), Agriculte Committee, official website
- House Agriculture Committee. Legislation activity and reports, Congress.gov.
- House Agriculture Committee Hearings and Meetings Video. Congress.gov
- Past Committee Chairs, Agriculture Committee, official website