IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 86 

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

which established the nationwide Cooperative Extension System. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 25, 2014 

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia (for himself, Mr. SCHRADER, Mr. LUCAS, and 

Mr. PETERSON) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

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 Act of May 8, 1914 (commonly referred to as the 

Smith-Lever Act; 7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.), which established the Cooperative Extension System, the nationwide 

transformative education system operating through landgrant 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 auVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:58 Feb 26, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC86.IH HC86

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•HCON 86 IH 

thored the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.) to 

bring the research-based knowledge of land-grant colleges 

and universities to individuals where they live and work; 

Whereas section 1 of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et 

seq.) 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, including part B 

institutions (as defined in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061)), 1994 Institutions 

(as defined in section 532 of the Equity in Educational 

Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note)), 

and 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)), in 

each State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and each territory or possession of the United 

States; 

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 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), 

help to break the cycle of poverty, and 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 

such research to improve economic and social conditions; 

Whereas cooperative extension activities engage with rural 

and urban learners through practical, community-based, 

and online approaches resulting in the acquisition of the 

knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary to strengthen 


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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 House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes the significance of the Act of 

4 May 8, 1914 (commonly referred to as the Smith5 Lever Act; 7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.), to the establish6 ment of the Cooperative Extension System; 

7 (2) encourages the people of the United States 

8 to observe and celebrate the centennial with a focus 

9 on launching an innovative and sustainable future 

10 for the Cooperative Extension System; 

11 (3) honors the university faculty and local edu12 cators who dedicate careers to providing trusted edu13 cational programs to help people, families, youth, 

14 businesses, and communities solve problems, develop 

15 skills, and build a better future; 

16 (4) thanks the volunteers who provide thou17 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 assure 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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