[ Back ] [ Bottom ]
91_HJ0047
LRB9110377SMdvB
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Agriculture is the most important industry in
3 Illinois; and
4 WHEREAS, Over the past few years Illinois' agriculture
5 industry has experienced major financial difficulties; and
6 WHEREAS, Sixty-one percent of the farms studied are
7 projected to have annual net farm incomes between $0.00 and
8 $50,000.00 while average family living expenditures are
9 approximately $45,000.00 per year not including income tax or
10 social security; and
11 WHEREAS, Of the farms studied, most of the farms do not
12 have farm and off-farm income above family and living
13 expenses in 1999; and
14 WHEREAS, Eighteen percent of the farms studied will have
15 negative net incomes during 1999; and
16 WHEREAS, Around 93% of the farms studied are projected to
17 have net worth declines between 1998 and 1999 with the
18 average net worth decline of 15.5%; therefore, be it
19 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
21 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Farm
22 Crisis Task Force to address the viability of the Chicago
23 Board of Trade to act as a sincere means of marketing
24 Illinois' agricultural commodities, to look into
25 consolidations and monopolies of companies selling inputs
26 into the agricultural economy, and to look into
27 consolidations and monopolies in the marketing of
28 agricultural outputs; and be it further
29 RESOLVED, That the Farm Crisis Task Force shall be
30 comprised of 12 voting members, with 6 voting members from
-2- LRB9110377SMdvB
1 the House of Representatives, 3 members appointed by the
2 Speaker of the House of Representatives and 3 members
3 appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
4 Representatives, and with 6 voting members from the Senate, 3
5 members appointed by the President of the Senate and 3
6 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; and
7 be it further
8 RESOLVED, That the Farm Crisis Task Force shall be
9 comprised of the following advisory non-voting members: the
10 Governor or his or her designee; the Director of Agriculture
11 or his or her designee; and the Attorney General or his or
12 her designee; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the Farm Crisis Task Force shall be
14 comprised of the following non-voting members: one
15 representative from the Illinois Farm Bureau, appointed by
16 the Governor; one representative from the Illinois Corn
17 Growers Association, appointed by the Governor; one
18 representative from the Illinois Soybean Growers Association,
19 appointed by the Governor; one representative from the
20 Illinois Pork Producers Association, appointed by the
21 Governor; one representative from the Illinois Beef
22 Association, appointed by the Governor; and up to 5
23 additional members from pertinent agricultural fields such as
24 academia, business, and local government to be appointed by
25 the Governor; and be it further
26 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall meet as soon as
27 possible after at least 9 legislative members have been
28 appointed, a majority of the voting members shall select a
29 voting member to serve as chairperson of the Task Force at
30 its initial meeting, the members of the Task Force shall
31 serve without compensation but be reimbursed for their
32 reasonable and necessary expenses from funds appropriated for
33 that purpose, the Task Force shall receive the assistance of
-3- LRB9110377SMdvB
1 legislative staff, legislative agencies, and, upon request,
2 private and public organizations, the Task Force shall hold
3 public hearings and compile a report, the Task Force shall
4 submit the report to the House and Senate by filing copies of
5 its report with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of
6 the Senate on or before the first day scheduled for the House
7 of Representatives to convene for the fall veto session in
8 2000, and the Task Force shall submit copies of the report to
9 the United States House of Representatives, the United States
10 Senate Agriculture Committees, and the United States Attorney
11 General; and that upon submitting its report the Task Force
12 is dissolved; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the
14 Governor, the Attorney General, and the Director of
15 Agriculture.
[ Top ]