[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 525 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 525

 Expressing support for the designation of October 2023 as ``National 
  Co-Op Month'' and commending the cooperative business model and the 
     member-owners, businesses, employees, farmers, ranchers, and 
  practitioners who use the cooperative business model to positively 
                    impact the economy and society.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 17, 2024

    Ms. Smith (for herself and Mr. Hoeven) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing support for the designation of October 2023 as ``National 
  Co-Op Month'' and commending the cooperative business model and the 
     member-owners, businesses, employees, farmers, ranchers, and 
  practitioners who use the cooperative business model to positively 
                    impact the economy and society.

Whereas a cooperative--

    (1) is a business that is owned and governed by its members, who are 
the individuals who use the business, create the products of the business, 
or manage the operation of the business; and

    (2) operates under the 7 principles of--

    G    (A) voluntary open membership;

    G    (B) democratic control;

    G    (C) owner economic participation;

    G    (D) autonomy and independence;

    G    (E) education, training, and information;

    G    (F) cooperation among cooperatives; and

    G    (G) concern for community;

Whereas cooperative entrepreneurs can be found in almost every economic sector 
        in the United States, throughout all 50 States and the territories of 
        the United States, and in every congressional district in the United 
        States;
Whereas cooperatives help farmers increase incomes and become more resilient to 
        economic business cycles by working together to plan and prepare for the 
        future, while contributing significantly to the economic activity in the 
        agriculture and food markets of the United States;
Whereas the roughly 1,700 agricultural cooperatives in the United States operate 
        more than 9,500 facilities, employ a record $111,000,000,000 in assets, 
        and generate more than $231,400,000,000 in business;
Whereas the majority of the 2,000,000 farmers in the United States belong to an 
        agricultural cooperative;
Whereas agricultural cooperatives offer members the opportunity to access 
        commodity value-added profits throughout the handling, processing, and 
        distribution chains;
Whereas member-owners in agricultural cooperatives are dedicated to providing 
        the highest quality product for consumers;
Whereas agricultural cooperatives add significant benefits to the economic well-
        being of rural areas of the United States by providing more than 250,000 
        jobs with annual wages totaling more than $11,000,000,000;
Whereas agricultural cooperatives provide resources to their member-owners, such 
        as low-cost supplies, effective marketing, and services;
Whereas farmer members in agricultural cooperatives have the opportunity to pool 
        resources and reinvest profits into the communities of the farmer 
        members;
Whereas the principles of cooperation and the cooperative business model help 
        smallholder farmers organize themselves and gain access to local and 
        global markets, training, improved inputs, conservation programs, and 
        aggregated sales and marketing;
Whereas the cooperative business model provides farmers ownership over their 
        economic decisions, a focus on learning, and a broader understanding of 
        environmental and social concerns;
Whereas the cooperative business model has been used throughout the history of 
        the United States to advance civil rights and to help ensure that all 
        people have equal access to economic opportunity;
Whereas cooperative values promote self-determination and democratic rights for 
        all people;
Whereas the comprehensive global food security strategy established under 
        section 5 of the Global Food Security Act of 2016 (22 U.S.C. 9304) 
        (commonly known as ``Feed the Future'') and the Cooperative Development 
        Program of the United States Agency for International Development use 
        cooperative principles and the cooperative business model to advance 
        international development, nutrition, resilience, and economic security;
Whereas the Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development--

    (1) is an interagency group that is coordinated and chaired by the 
Secretary of Agriculture to foster cooperative development and ensure 
coordination with Federal agencies and national and local cooperative 
organizations that have cooperative programs and interests; and

    (2) as of the date of introduction of this resolution, has organized 11 
meetings;

Whereas the bipartisan Congressional Cooperative Business Caucus unites Members 
        of Congress to--

    (1) create a better-informed electorate and a more educated public on 
the important role that cooperatives play in the economy of the United 
States and the world;

    (2) promote the cooperative business model because that model ensures 
that consumers have access to high-quality goods and services at 
competitive prices and costs that improve the lives of individuals, 
families, and their communities; and

    (3) address and correct awareness challenges among the public and 
within the Federal Government relating to what cooperatives look like, who 
participates in cooperatives, where cooperatives are located, and why 
individuals choose cooperatives;

Whereas the Bureau of the Census, as part of the 2017 and 2022 Economic 
        Censuses, asked each business if the business was organized as a 
        cooperative, and the responses of businesses yielded both quantitative 
        and qualitative data on the effects and importance of cooperatives 
        across the economy of the United States;
Whereas, throughout the rural United States, many utility service providers 
        operate as cooperatives and are tasked with the delivery of public 
        services, such as electricity, water, telecommunications, and broadband, 
        in areas where investor-owned utility companies typically do not 
        operate;
Whereas utility cooperatives have innovated to meet the evolving needs of their 
        member-owners, create more resilient communities, and help rural 
        individuals in the United States prosper;
Whereas electric cooperatives serve 56 percent of the landmass of the United 
        States, including 92 percent of persistent poverty counties, and energy 
        cooperatives power more than 21,500,000 homes, businesses, and schools;
Whereas there are approximately 260 telephone cooperatives in the United States 
        with total annual revenues of $3,900,000,000;
Whereas, in the financial services sector, cooperatives, including credit 
        unions, farm credit banks, and other financing organizations that lend 
        to cooperatives, provide numerous benefits to the member-owners of those 
        cooperatives;
Whereas, nationally, approximately 4,800 credit unions serve 138,000,000 
        members;
Whereas member-owners of cooperatives vote in board elections, and earned 
        profits cycle back into cost-saving programs or return as dividend 
        payments;
Whereas purchasing and shared service cooperatives allow independent and 
        franchise businesses to thrive;
Whereas food cooperatives range in size from small, local institutions to multi-
        store regional giants that compete with chain stores with locations 
        across the United States;
Whereas food cooperatives support local producers in all 50 States and reduce 
        food insecurity;
Whereas, in the housing sector, housing cooperatives and resident-owned 
        communities in which members own the building or land--

    (1) are an alternative to conventional rental apartments, manufactured 
home parks, and condominiums; and

    (2) empower each resident with ownership and responsibility;

Whereas housing cooperatives have roots dating to the late 1800s and are 
        increasingly becoming a housing alternative for students at colleges 
        throughout the United States;
Whereas shared equity housing cooperatives are a strategy for preserving long-
        term, affordable housing;
Whereas cooperatives allow residents of manufactured home communities to 
        collectively purchase the land on which they live, providing stability 
        and the opportunity to self-govern;
Whereas, as of 2023, 309 manufactured home communities are cooperatively owned;
Whereas the growth of worker cooperatives in the United States is allowing more 
        workers to own and have greater control over their businesses;
Whereas many small businesses convert to cooperatives when faced with closure or 
        a buyout, ensuring that such a business can continue to serve its 
        community; and
Whereas the cooperative business model allows business owners to retire and 
        transfer business ownership to employees or consumers, protecting local 
        ownership and supporting local communities: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses support for the designation of ``National Co-
        Op Month'';
            (2) commends the cooperative business model for--
                    (A) its contributions to the economy of the United 
                States;
                    (B) the jobs it creates; and
                    (C) its positive impacts on local communities;
            (3) expresses confidence in, and support for, cooperatives 
        to continue their successes; and
            (4) will be mindful in crafting legislation that affects 
        business models that are not the cooperative business model so 
        that the legislation does not adversely affect the cooperative 
        business model.
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