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.
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History of the Agriculture Committee[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
As prescribed by House Rules, the Committee on Agriculture's jurisdiction includes the following:
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Members, 113th Congress[edit]
The committee chairman is Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, and the Ranking Member is Collin Peterson of Minnesota.
Subcommittees[edit]
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation, Energy, and Forestry | Glenn "G.T." Thompson (R-PA) | Tim Walz (D-MN) |
| Department Operations, Oversight, and Nutrition | Steve King (R-IA) | Marcia Fudge (D-OH) |
| General Farm Commodities and Risk Management | Mike Conaway (R-TX) | David Scott (D-GA) |
| Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture | Austin Scott (R-GA) | Kurt Schrader (D-OR) |
| Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit | Rick Crawford (R-AR) | Jim Costa (D-CA) |
Source:[6]
Chairmen since 1820[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ H.Res. 6, H.Res. 17
- ^ H.Res. 7, H.Res. 22
- ^ Previously served on the committee from 2003 to 2011
- ^ Dan Benishek, Jeff Denham, Doug LaMalfa, Richard Hudson, Rodney Davis, Chris Collins, and Ted Yoho are serving their first term on the committee in the 113th Congress. "Lucas Announces New GOP Members to Serve on the Agriculture Committee". Agriculture Committee. December 5, 2012. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
- ^ The last eleven Democratic members of this committee (Suzan DelBene, Gloria Negrete McLeod, Filemon Vela, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Ann Kuster, Richard Nolan, Pete Gallego, William Eynart, Juan Vargas, Cheri Bustos & Sean Patrick Maloney) are new in the 113th Congress.
- ^ "Lucas Announces New Leadership Team for the Agriculture Committee". Agriculture Committee. December 20, 2012. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
- To be added: H.Res. 42 Mr. Courtney (Which party ?).
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
- Agriculture Committee Homepage, official website
- Committee Rules (PDF), Agriculte Committee, official website
- Past Committee Chairs, Agriculture Committee, official website
