Young’s Bill to Boost Agriculture Education Heads to President

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) today announced that the Senate has unanimously passed his legislation, the National FFA Organization’s Federal Charter Amendments Act. This bill will update and modernize the charter for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) to better reflect agriculture education in the 21st Century. The legislation now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“The entire Senate agreed – it’s time to update agriculture education so our students are better prepared for careers in this vital industry,” said Senator Young. “Our bipartisan bill is now inches away from becoming law and helping our young leaders succeed in the booming agriculture sector.”

The National FFA Organization’s Federal Charter Amendments Act updates the FFA’s charter to allow for regional diversity among student officer vice presidents. Additionally, the legislation provides governing flexibility for national officers in order to reduce operational delays caused by vacant seats.

The amendments to the charter will better align FFA’s purpose with the innovative and hands-on approaches that over 13,000 agriculture educators are implementing across the country. The FFA has more than 669,000 members in all 50 states with over 11,000 members in Indiana. Collectively, FFA members earn more than $4 billion annually through their hands-on work experience.

Senator Young touted the re-introduction of the bill with Doug Jones (D-Ala.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) last month. The bill passed the House on January 22, 2019 and passed the Senate on February 5, 2019.

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