Farm Bills: Major Legislative Actions, 1965-2024 (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised May 29, 2024 |
| Report Number |
R45210 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Jim Monke |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The farm bill provides an opportunity for Congress to address agricultural and food issues
comprehensively about every five years. Over time, farm bills have tended to become more
complicated and politically sensitive. As a result, the timeline for reauthorization has become less
certain, and in general recent farm bills have taken longer to enact than in previous decades.
Recent farm bills, beginning with the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246), have been subject to various
developments that have delayed enactment, such as insufficient votes to pass the House floor,
presidential vetoes, and short-term extensions.
The 2014 farm bill took more than 21 months from introduction to enactment and spanned the
112th and 113th Congresses. The House rejected a bill in 2013 and then passed separate farm and
nutrition assistance components before procedurally recombining them for conference with the
Senate. Somewhat similarly, the 2008 farm bill took more than a year to enact and was
complicated by revenue provisions from another committee of jurisdiction, temporary extensions,
and vetoes.
Whether the House or Senate proceeds first in committee or on the floor is also not always
predictable. Both the 2008 farm bill and the 2002 farm bill were extended before their successors
were enacted.
In 2018, a farm bill reauthorization was reported from the House Agriculture Committee on April
18 (H.R. 2). An initial floor vote on passage on May 18 failed in the House 198-213, but floor
procedures allowed that vote to be reconsidered (H.Res. 905). The House passed H.R. 2 in a
second vote of 213-211 on June 21, 2018. The Senate Agriculture Committee reported its bill (S.
3042) on June 13 by a vote of 20-1.
This report examines the major legislative milestones for the last 11 farm bills covering 53 years
and illustrates trends that may provide useful background and context as the current farm bill
debate proceeds.
