III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 33 

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the enactment of the Smith-Lever Act, 

which established the nationwide Cooperative Extension System. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2014 

Ms. STABENOW (for herself and Mr. COCHRAN) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 

Nutrition, and Forestry 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the enactment of the 

Smith-Lever Act, which established the nationwide Cooperative Extension System. 

Whereas May 8, 2014, marks the centennial of the enactment 

of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.), which established the Cooperative Extension System, the nationwide transformative education system operating through 

land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 

1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 

and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) in 

partnership with Federal, State, and local governments; 

Whereas Senator Michael Hoke Smith of Georgia and Representative Asbury Francis Lever of South Carolina authored the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.) to 

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bring the research-based knowledge of land-grant colleges 

and universities to individuals where the individuals live 

and work; 

Whereas the first section of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 

341) states that the purpose of the Act is ‘‘to aid in diffusing among the people of the United States useful and 

practical information on subjects relating to agriculture, 

uses of solar energy with respect to agriculture, home economics, and rural energy, and to encourage the application of the same’’ through extension work carried out by 

the land-grant colleges and universities; 

Whereas cooperative extension work is a critical component 

of the three-part mission of the land-grant colleges and 

universities to work collaboratively with research institutions, in particular the State agriculture experiment stations and 106 colleges and universities, in each State of 

the United States, the District of Columbia, and each 

territory or possession of the United States, including— 

(1) part B institutions (as defined in section 322 of 

the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061)); 

(2) 1994 Institutions (as defined in section 532 of 

the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 

1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103–382); and 

(3) Hispanic-serving institutions (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)); 

Whereas research-based education provided through the Cooperative Extension System to farmers and ranchers 

helped establish the United States as a leading agricultural-producing nation in the world; 

Whereas, in 1924, the clover emblem was adopted by the Department of Agriculture to represent the 4–H Clubs 

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through which the nationwide youth development program of the Cooperative Extension System is carried out; 

Whereas, since 1924, 4–H Clubs have prepared millions of 

youth for responsible adulthood; 

Whereas cooperative extension activities— 

(1) prepare individuals for healthy, productive lives 

via sustained education, such as the nutrition education 

program established under section 1425 of the National 

Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3175); 

(2) help to break the cycle of poverty; and 

(3) reduce the expenditures of Federal and State assistance programs; 

Whereas educational activities carried out under the SmithLever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.) provide rapid response 

to disasters and emergencies, such as through the Extension Disaster Education Network and other similar efforts, by providing real-time alerts and resources so that 

educators can respond to urgent needs resulting from 

hurricanes, floods, oil spills, fire, drought, pest outbreaks, 

and infectious diseases affecting humans, livestock, and 

crops; 

Whereas cooperative extension activities translate sciencebased research for practical application through local and 

online learning networks in which educators are uniquely 

available to identify emerging research questions, connect 

with land-grant college or university faculty to find answers, and encourage the application of the findings of 

that research to improve economic and social conditions; 

Whereas cooperative extension activities engage with rural 

and urban learners through practical, community-based, 

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and online approaches resulting in the acquisition of the 

knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary to strengthen 

the profitability of animal and plant production systems, 

protect natural resources, help individuals make healthy 

lifestyle choices, ensure a safe and abundant food supply, 

encourage community vitality, and grow the next generation of leaders; and 

Whereas many States are celebrating the centennial of the 

enactment of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.) 

with resolutions and proclamations, and many land-grant 

colleges and universities are also commemorating the enactment of that historic Act: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes the significance of the Smith4 Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.) to the establish5 ment of the Cooperative Extension System; 

6 (2) encourages the people of the United States 

7 to observe and celebrate the centennial with a focus 

8 on launching an innovative and sustainable future 

9 for the Cooperative Extension System; 

10 (3) honors the university faculty and local edu11 cators who dedicate careers to providing trusted edu12 cational programs to help people, families, youth, 

13 businesses, and communities solve problems, develop 

14 skills, and build a better future; 

15 (4) thanks the volunteers who provide thou16 sands of hours to promote excellence for 4–H Clubs, 

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1 the Master Gardeners program, the Family and 

2 Consumer Sciences program, and other programs of 

3 the Cooperative Extension System in their commu4 nities; 

5 (5) encourages continued collaboration and co6 operation among Federal, State, and local govern7 ments to ensure the sustainability of the Cooperative 

8 Extension System as the premiere nonformal edu9 cational network in the United States; and 

10 (6) celebrates millions of youth, adults, families, 

11 farmers, ranchers, community leaders, and others 

12 who engage in cooperative extension learning oppor13 tunities designed to extend knowledge and change 

14 lives. 

Æ 

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