Securing our Agriculture and Food Act
Public Law 115-43 · H.R. 1238 · 115th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jun 30, 2017 · Emergency Management
Sponsor: Rep. David Young (R-IA-3)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. Donald Payne, Rep. Daniel Donovan
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- 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.
Securing our Agriculture and Food Act
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out a program to coordinate DHS efforts related to defending the food, agriculture, and veterinary systems of the United States against terrorism and other high-consequence events that pose a high risk to homeland security.
Such program shall:
• provide oversight and management of DHS's responsibilities pursuant to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9 - Defense of United States Agriculture and Food;
• provide oversight and integration of DHS activities related to veterinary public health, food defense, and agricultural security;
• lead DHS policy initiatives related to food, animal, and agricultural incidents and to overall domestic preparedness for, and collective response to, agricultural terrorism;
• coordinate with other DHS components on activities related to food and agriculture security and screening procedures for domestic and imported products; and
• coordinate with appropriate federal departments and agencies.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
- Energy and Commerce Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Health 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.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 500Related bill
Securing our Agriculture and Food Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 27 actions.
- Jun 30, 2017Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jun 27, 2017FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jun 20, 2017Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendments Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Katko asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and agree to the Senate amendments.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendments Agreed to without objection.
- May 25, 2017FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- May 24, 2017FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Mar 23, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Mar 22, 2017FloorFloor · 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 the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 406 - 6 (Roll no. 187).House roll call 187
- FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
- FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1238.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Donovan moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Mar 16, 2017CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 22.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Agriculture discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 115-42, Part I.
- Mar 8, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Mar 3, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Feb 28, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committe…
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 217SenateSen. Pat RobertsR-KS· offered May 24, 2017Agreed to
To preserve the authority of the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services and make a technical correction.
May 24, 2017: Amendment SA 217 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.