Showcasing Illinois agriculture’s unified, bipartisan voice
A cord of many strands is hard to break. This truth has proven true time and again, and the unity and strength we hold as a bipartisan industry was evident in Springfield this month.
On March 13, leaders from IFB, the state commodity organizations, 4-H, FFA and the National Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) came together with our partners in the governor’s office, the General Assembly and the Illinois Department of Agriculture to recognize Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day.
This annual tradition is a chance to spotlight the tremendous benefits Illinois agriculture brings to our state and our communities. It is also an opportunity to show our elected officials that we are one and that we are an important voice on issues not only important to today’s agriculture, but to future generations.
Kevin Semlow, IFB’s Executive Director of Governmental Affairs and Commodities, and I delivered that message in meetings around the dome with the four caucus leaders: House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch; House Minority Leader Tony McCombie; Senate President Don Harmon and Senate GOP Leader John Curran.
We also talked with other longtime advocates for Illinois ag. This included state Sen. Doris Turner and state Rep. Sonya Harper, who each chair their chamber’s respective agriculture committees, as well as state Sen. Win Stoller, the Senate Ag minority spokesperson, and state Rep. Charlie Meier, the House Ag minority spokesperson.
In each of our conversations with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, we emphasized IFB’s state legislative priorities and explored opportunities to work together on issues. Current priorities include reforming the Illinois estate tax and defeating two bills related to wetland regulations.
First, let’s talk about the estate tax. The Family Farm Preservation Act — Senate Bill 2921 and House Bill 4600 — is gaining traction with legislators and attracting additional sponsors, according to the IFB state team. HB 4600 was assigned to the House Revenue & Finance Committee on March 12, with a subject matter hearing possible in the coming weeks. I am hopeful this vital legislation will be enacted later this year.
On the other hand, we seek to defeat the Wetlands and Small Streams Protection Act — SB 3669 and HB 5386 — proposed legislation that would regulate wetlands and small streams with additional definitions, authority and penalty beyond existing Clean Water Act and USDA wetland compliance obligations.
IFB is avidly opposed to these bills, which seek to extend the reach of the original WOTUS rule and regulate the collection of water of any size on Illinois farms, burdening farmers with a labyrinth of federal and state compliance procedures and costs.
More information on the scope and status of these bills is covered in this RFD Radio interview with Chris Davis, IFB director of state legislation, and Sanjay Sofat, IFB director of environmental policy.
The IFB state and environmental teams continue to engage with the bills’ sponsors and monitor proposed changes to the legislation as we battle these bills. Please stay tuned for ways IFB members and the county Farm Bureaus can help with this effort.