State Legislative Priorities Approved
The Illinois Farm Bureau® Board of Directors established the 2022 State Legislative Priorities at it’s the December Board Meeting.
The approved State Legislative Priorities for 2022 are as follows:
- Seek to maintain Illinois’ current tax policies that provide economic stability for the agricultural industry including the agricultural sales tax exemptions for seed, feed, fertilizer/chemicals, and equipment.
- Work to maintain adequate State funding for key Illinois Department of Agriculture programs like meat/poultry/egg inspectors, environmental programs, warehouse oversight, and veterinarian programs. This includes advocating for a viable and independent Illinois Department of Agriculture.
- Seek $750,000 in additional appropriations to the Illinois Department of Agriculture to better prepare for Foreign Animal Disease Prevention.
- Maintain a balanced process for siting livestock farms through the Livestock Management Facilities Act (LMFA) that protects both the environment and farmers’ ability to raise livestock.
- Support legislation limiting liability on agritourism for inherent risks.
- Support protecting the private property rights of farmers during the installation, maintenance, and upgrading of current utilities.
- Seek to create the use of E-15 and B-20 in the general marketplace. • Support the creation of Illinois Industrial Biotech Partnership Act.
- Support a requirement for the development of a comprehensive agricultural drainage plan for farmland where surface or subsurface agricultural drainage will be impacted from the construction, maintenance, or deconstruction of a renewable energy project or other utilities.
A link to the 2022 legislative priorities briefing is available at https://cookcfb.org/ccfb/policy-and-action/legislative-priorities. The legislative priorities will guide Farm Bureau’s engagement in the upcoming year.