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Legislation
The Illinois Soybean Association's (ISA) pursuit of favorable state and national legislation begins with its membership. Soybean policy positions are based on grassroots grower input, which is set at the annual state meeting and taken to the annual national voting delegate session for discussion. Once national positions are established, American Soybean Association (ASA) leaders, including Illinois growers, use those platforms to testify before and lobby Congress and the Administration and contact specific lawmakers.
The process is an effective one, as soybean growers have traditionally notched many legislative successes.
During the annual American Soybean Association (ASA) board meeting and Capitol Hill visits in March 2010, members of the Illinois Soybean Association addressed important issues facing Illinois soybean farmers. While there, they had the opportunity to meet with many of our Illinois congressional delegates. Key legislative priorities discussed included a retroactive extension of the biodiesel tax incentive for 2010, a multi-year extension of the tax credit beyond this year, full funding of the president's budget request for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of $429 million, and enactment of Agriculture Chairman Collin C. Peterson's bill to normalize financial and travel relations with Cuba.
The latest farm bill also contained a number of victories, including raising the soybean target price to $6.00 per bushel and authorizing a new Quality Incentive Program to promote high-stability soybean oil production, which will enable U.S. food companies to eliminate trans fats from foods.
Also, soybean growers recently convinced Congress to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). After five years of lobbying with other farm organizations, Congress authorized more than $2.2 billion for lock and dam construction and upgrades on the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Since nearly three-quarters of soybean exports move through waterways to the Gulf, modernizing the infrastructure is critical.
Other recent victories include successful lobbying to create a biodiesel tax incentive as part of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, and to extend the biodiesel tax incentive through December 31, 2008, through the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Illinois soybean growers have also worked to convince Congress to approve Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with Mexico, Canada, Chile and Morocco, representing cumulative increased sales to those markets of $16.26 billion worth of soybeans, meal and oil.
At the state level, ISA has been instrumental in obtaining legislation on several fronts, including passing precedent-setting legislation to provide a state sales tax incentive for biodiesel production and utilization, helping establish the National Soybean Research Center at the University of Illinois, supporting Illinois livestock production and obtaining funding for the Illinois Council for Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR).
For more information, browse through our press releases on current legislation or listen to interviews with key soybean officials.
