Rauner
signs HB 470 designating corn as the Official State Grain
SB1991 creates Agriculture Education
Shortage Task Force
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[August 21, 2017]
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday, signed a series
of agriculture bills, including House Bill 470, which designates
corn as the official state grain of Illinois and is supported by the
Illinois Farm Bureau.
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Primary bill sponsor state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer
(R-Jacksonville) said HB 470 is inspired by the Pittsfield High
School agriculture development class, which did extensive
research on the impact corn has on the state.
“Today, we designated corn as the official state grain to show
the great impact it and all of agriculture has on Illinois'
economy,” Rep. Davidsmeyer said. “More importantly, we helped
Pittsfield ag students work to see their bill become law, from
start to finish. What a great way to learn how the process is
supposed to work!”
Gov. Rauner also signed several other bills that were
initiatives of the Department of Agriculture. These bills, many
of which seek to cut red tape, will reduce regulations and
agency costs within the department.
“Agriculture is the backbone of Illinois' economy, and it’s
critical to future prosperity in the state,” Gov. Rauner said.
“We need to continue to support our state’s farmers and the
Department of Agriculture in every way we can.”
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One of the bills is specifically designed to advance agriculture
in Illinois. Senate Bill 1991, which passed unanimously out of
the General Assembly, creates an Agriculture Education Shortage
Task Force to examine the status of agriculture education in the
state. The task force also will make recommendations for how to
expand recruitment and retention of agriculture educators. The
task force will disband once the final report is completed.
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