Census of Agriculture Act of 1997
Public Law 105-113 · H.R. 2366 · 105th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Nov 21, 1997 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Rep. Charlie Stenholm (D-TX-17)
Cosponsors (16): Rep. Joseph Skeen, Rep. Robert Wise,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Census of Agriculture Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to transfer authority to conduct the census of agriculture from the Secretary of Commerce to the Secretary (Secretary) of Agriculture. Requires the Secretary to take a census every five years beginning in 1998.
Sets forth enforcement and confidentiality provisions.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Agriculture Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Department Operations, Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee- Oversight and Accountability Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- Nov 21, 1997Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-113.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 13, 1997PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Nov 10, 1997FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 7, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Nov 5, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Oct 22, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Oct 21, 1997FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Goodlatte moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Oct 2, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Agriculture Committee
- Sep 24, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Department Operations, Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Aug 15, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Department Operations, Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Aug 11, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Jul 31, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.