Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 2023

Senate Bill

S. 557

119th Congress

Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 2023

In Committee

Introduced:Feb 12, 2025

Primary Sponsor

John Kennedy

R - LA

Cosponsors

15

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Finance and Financial Sector

Summary

This bill addresses fairness issues in agricultural commodity checkoff programs, requiring greater transparency and accountability for how mandatory fees collected from farmers are spent on research, promotion, and marketing.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill addresses fairness issues in agricultural commodity checkoff programs, requiring greater transparency and accountability for how mandatory fees collected from farmers are spent on research, promotion, and marketing.

Last updated: 1/5/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

1071 Repeal to Protect Small Business Lending ActThis bill repeals the statute that requires financial institutions to collect data regarding applications for women-owned, minority-owned, or small business loans. Currently, financial institutions must collect and report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau information on (1) how many applications were received; (2) the disposition of each application; (3) the type of loan; (4) the amount applied for; (5) the amount approved; and (6) each applicant’s census tract, revenue, race, sex, and ethnicity.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Addresses agricultural checkoff program fairness
Requires transparency in commodity promotion spending
Applies to mandatory farmer fee programs
Ensures accountability in checkoff organizations
Reforms beef, pork, dairy, and other checkoffs

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Farmers paying mandatory checkoff fees would have more transparency about how their money is spent on commodity promotion and research. Critics argue current programs lack accountability and may benefit large processors over family farms.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Finance and Financial Sector

Related Subjects

Banking and financial institutions regulation

Consumer credit

Small business

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

557, 119th Congress (2025). "Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 2023". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-557