[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 193 (Thursday, November 12, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6677-S6678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 771--DESIGNATING OCTOBER 2020, 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

  Ms. SMITH (for herself, Mr. Hoeven, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Grassley, Ms. 
Ernst, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 771

       Whereas, during the global COVID-19 pandemic, cooperatives 
     have taken extraordinary steps to serve their member-owners 
     and communities;
       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--
          (A) voluntary open membership;
          (B) democratic control;
          (C) owner economic participation;
          (D) autonomy and independence;
          (E) education, training, and information;
          (F) cooperation among cooperatives; and
          (G) concern for community;
       Whereas cooperative entrepreneurs can be found in almost 
     every economic sector of the United States, throughout all 50 
     States and territories, and in every congressional district 
     of 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 1,800 agricultural cooperatives in the 
     United States operate more than 8,000 facilities, employ 
     $96,000,000,000 worth of assets, and generate nearly 
     $204,000,000,000 in business annually;
       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 of 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 $8,000,000,000;
       Whereas agricultural cooperatives provide resources to 
     their member-owners, such as low-cost supplies, effective 
     marketing, and services;
       Whereas farmer members of 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, 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 individuals have equal 
     access to economic opportunity;
       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

[[Page S6678]]

     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, had 
     organized 4 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 
     Economic Census, 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 rural areas of the 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 and help rural 
     individuals in the United States prosper;
       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 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 
     buying clubs to multi-store regional giants that compete with 
     chain stores with locations across the United States;
       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 critical 
     option 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 2019, not less than 1,000 manufactured home 
     communities were resident-owned, accounting for approximately 
     2 percent of all manufactured home communities;
       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 the 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) designates October 2020 as ``National Co-op Month'';
       (2) commends the cooperative business model for--
       (A) its contributions to the economy;
       (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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