III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 771 

Designating October 2020 as ‘‘National Co-op Month’’ and commending the 

cooperative business model and the member-owners, businesses, employees, farmers, ranchers, and practitioners who use the cooperative business 

model to positively impact the economy and society. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 12, 2020 

Ms. SMITH (for herself, Mr. HOEVEN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. 

ERNST, and Mr. WYDEN) submitted the following resolution; which was 

considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating October 2020 as ‘‘National Co-op Month’’ and 

commending the cooperative business model and the 

member-owners, businesses, employees, farmers, ranchers, and practitioners who use the cooperative business 

model to positively impact the economy and society. 

Whereas, during the global COVID–19 pandemic, cooperatives have taken extraordinary steps to serve their member-owners and communities; 

Whereas a cooperative— 

(1) is a business that is owned and governed by its 

members, who are the individuals who use the business, 

create the products of the business, or manage the operation of the business; and 


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(2) operates under the 7 principles of— 

(A) voluntary open membership; 

(B) democratic control; 

(C) owner economic participation; 

(D) autonomy and independence; 

(E) education, training, and information; 

(F) cooperation among cooperatives; and 

(G) concern for community; 

Whereas cooperative entrepreneurs can be found in almost 

every economic sector of the United States, throughout 

all 50 States and territories, and in every congressional 

district of the United States; 

Whereas cooperatives help farmers increase incomes and become more resilient to economic business cycles by working together to plan and prepare for the future, while 

contributing significantly to the economic activity in the 

agriculture and food markets of the United States; 

Whereas the roughly 1,800 agricultural cooperatives in the 

United States operate more than 8,000 facilities, employ 

$96,000,000,000 worth of assets, and generate nearly 

$204,000,000,000 in business annually; 

Whereas the majority of the 2,000,000 farmers in the United 

States belong to an agricultural cooperative; 

Whereas agricultural cooperatives offer members the opportunity to access commodity value-added profits throughout the handling, processing, and distribution chains; 

Whereas member-owners of agricultural cooperatives are 

dedicated to providing the highest quality product for 

consumers; 

Whereas agricultural cooperatives add significant benefits to 

the economic well-being of rural areas of the United 


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States by providing more than 250,000 jobs with annual 

wages totaling more than $8,000,000,000; 

Whereas agricultural cooperatives provide resources to their 

member-owners, such as low-cost supplies, effective marketing, and services; 

Whereas farmer members of agricultural cooperatives have 

the opportunity to pool resources and reinvest profits into 

the communities of the farmer members; 

Whereas the principles of cooperation and the cooperative 

business model help smallholder farmers organize themselves and gain access to local and global markets, training, improved inputs, and aggregated sales and marketing; 

Whereas the cooperative business model provides farmers 

ownership over their economic decisions, a focus on learning, and a broader understanding of environmental and 

social concerns; 

Whereas the cooperative business model has been used 

throughout the history of the United States to advance 

civil rights and to help ensure that all individuals have 

equal access to economic opportunity; 

Whereas the comprehensive global food security strategy established under section 5 of the Global Food Security Act 

of 2016 (22 U.S.C. 9304) (commonly known as ‘‘Feed 

the Future’’) and the Cooperative Development Program 

of the United States Agency for International Development use cooperative principles and the cooperative business model to advance international development, nutrition, resilience, and economic security; 

Whereas the Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development— 


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(1) is an interagency group that is coordinated and 

chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture to foster cooperative development and ensure coordination with Federal 

agencies and national and local cooperative organizations 

that have cooperative programs and interests; and 

(2) as of the date of introduction of this resolution, 

had organized 4 meetings; 

Whereas the bipartisan Congressional Cooperative Business 

Caucus unites Members of Congress to— 

(1) create a better-informed electorate and a more 

educated public on the important role that cooperatives 

play in the economy of the United States and the world; 

(2) promote the cooperative business model, because 

that model ensures that consumers have access to highquality goods and services at competitive prices and costs 

that improve the lives of individuals, families, and their 

communities; and 

(3) address and correct awareness challenges among 

the public and within the Federal Government relating to 

what cooperatives look like, who participates in cooperatives, where cooperatives are located, and why individuals 

choose cooperatives; 

Whereas the Bureau of the Census, as part of the 2017 Economic Census, asked each business if the business was 

organized as a cooperative, and the responses of businesses yielded both quantitative and qualitative data on 

the effects and importance of cooperatives across the 

economy of the United States; 

Whereas, throughout rural areas of the United States, many 

utility service providers operate as cooperatives and are 

tasked with the delivery of public services, such as electricity, water, telecommunications, and broadband, in 


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areas where investor-owned utility companies typically do 

not operate; 

Whereas utility cooperatives have innovated to meet the 

evolving needs of their member-owners and help rural individuals in the United States prosper; 

Whereas, in the financial services sector, cooperatives, including credit unions, farm credit banks, and other financing 

organizations that lend to cooperatives, provide numerous 

benefits to the member-owners of those cooperatives; 

Whereas member-owners of cooperatives vote in board elections, and earned profits cycle back into cost-saving programs or return as dividend payments; 

Whereas purchasing and shared service cooperatives allow 

independent and franchise businesses to thrive; 

Whereas food cooperatives range in size from small, local 

buying clubs to multi-store regional giants that compete 

with chain stores with locations across the United States; 

Whereas, in the housing sector, housing cooperatives and 

resident-owned communities in which members own the 

building or land— 

(1) are an alternative to conventional rental apartments, manufactured home parks, and condominiums; 

and 

(2) empower each resident with ownership and responsibility; 

Whereas housing cooperatives have roots dating to the late 

1800s and are increasingly becoming a housing alternative for students at colleges throughout the United 

States; 

Whereas shared equity housing cooperatives are a critical option for preserving long-term, affordable housing; 


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Whereas cooperatives allow residents of manufactured home 

communities to collectively purchase the land on which 

they live, providing stability and the opportunity to selfgovern; 

Whereas, as of 2019, not less than 1,000 manufactured home 

communities were resident-owned, accounting for approximately 2 percent of all manufactured home communities; 

Whereas the growth of worker cooperatives in the United 

States is allowing more workers to own and have greater 

control over their businesses; 

Whereas many small businesses convert to cooperatives when 

faced with closure or a buyout, ensuring the business can 

continue to serve its community; and 

Whereas the cooperative business model allows business owners to retire and transfer business ownership to employees or consumers, protecting local ownership and supporting local communities: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates October 2020 as ‘‘National Co3 op Month’’; 

4 (2) commends the cooperative business model 

5 for— 

6 (A) its contributions to the economy; 

7 (B) the jobs it creates; and 

8 (C) its positive impacts on local commu9 nities; 


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1 (3) expresses confidence in, and support for, co2 operatives to continue their successes; and 

3 (4) will be mindful in crafting legislation that 

4 affects business models that are not the cooperative 

5 business model so that the legislation does not ad6 versely affect the cooperative business model. 

Æ 


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