[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21734]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF COOPERATIVES AND NATIONAL CO-OP MONTH

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                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 2006

  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the tremendous 
role that our cooperative businesses play in our nation's economy and 
in the state of North Dakota. October is National Co-op Month, so it is 
fitting that we take a few moments today to recognize the value of 
cooperatives.
  Cooperatives are businesses owned and democratically governed by 
their members-- those who buy their products or use their services--
rather than by outside investors. This business structure provides 
valuable benefits to the co-op's member/owners.
  North Dakota alone has over 250 farmer cooperatives and over 300 
cooperatives total (including utilities and credit union cooperatives). 
These cooperatives contribute over $1.6 billion to the state's economy, 
and personal income attributed to cooperatives is over 15 percent of 
North Dakota's total.
  North Dakota's cooperatives directly employ over 9,000 people full-
time and an additional 3,000 people part-time. Add in secondary jobs 
associated with these cooperative businesses, and over 50,000 jobs in 
North Dakota result from cooperatives.
  The effects of cooperatives are not just felt in North Dakota, of 
course. Nationwide, cooperatives operating in every state in the nation 
pump more than $200 billion into the economy and serve an estimated 130 
million Americans. These cooperatives operate in virtually every 
industry, including agriculture, energy, financial services, food 
retailing and distribution, housing, healthcare, and 
telecommunications. They range in size from small storefronts to large 
Fortune 500 companies, employing more than 500,000 Americans with an 
aggregate payroll in excess of $15 billion.
  Cooperatives dedicate substantial resources to serving their 
communities beyond their core business functions. This includes 
charitable giving that assists the underserved and community 
development activities that generate jobs and income.
  The theme for Cooperative Month 2006 is ``Cooperatives, Owned by Our 
Members, Committed to Our Communities.'' I urge my colleagues to join 
with cooperatives in their districts next month in celebrating the role 
of cooperatives in our economy and their value to their communities.

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