Sponsors (20)
The bill expands scholarship access and predictable funding for agricultural students at a modest federal cost, but does so by reallocating $15 million annually from CCC resources—creating potential uncertainty for recipients and reduced funding for other agricultural supports and taxpayer obligations.
Students in agricultural education programs (undergraduate and graduate) gain new scholarship access that lowers tuition costs and encourages advanced training and retention in agricultural careers.
Students and state program administrators benefit from a dedicated $15 million annual appropriation from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), which creates more predictable scholarship availability and helps program planning; tying award duration to available funds also aims to manage expectations and avoid abrupt overcommitments.
Farmers, agricultural workers, and rural communities may face reduced support because directing $15 million per year from the CCC to scholarships can shrink resources available for other agricultural programs or commodity support.
Students' scholarship continuity could be uncertain because eligibility and award duration are explicitly contingent on available funding, making long-term support less reliable for some recipients.
Taxpayers indirectly bear the $15 million annual cost, which reduces funds available for other federal priorities or programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Expands agricultural scholarship eligibility to bachelor’s and graduate degrees and mandates $15 million per year in permanent CCC funding beginning FY2025.
Expands an existing agricultural scholarship program to allow students in bachelor’s and graduate degree programs to qualify and requires a permanent $15,000,000 annual appropriation from Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds starting in fiscal year 2025, with those funds remaining available until expended. It also adjusts an earlier discretionary funding reference to apply from fiscal year 2020 onward and clarifies that eligibility applies to each academic year for which funding is available. The change gives the scholarship program steady, mandatory funding and broader eligibility for higher education, affecting students, colleges, and agricultural employers while creating a predictable annual obligation from CCC resources beginning FY2025.
Introduced February 12, 2025 by David Scott · Last progress February 12, 2025