More than 160 years ago Congress enacted the Morrill Land Grant College Act to provide educational opportunities to benefit students in the “agricultural and mechanical arts.”
 
Today, land grant universities can be found in every state. In Pennsylvania, money from the restricted account established within the Agricultural College Land Scrip Fund, appropriated annually by the General Assembly to the PA Department of Agriculture, supports the College of Agricultural Sciences and Cooperative Extension Service of state’s our only land grant institution. The funds, once appropriated, are then transferred to that university by the state Treasurer.
 
Unfortunately, legislative dynamics can disrupt the valuable agricultural-centered research and consumer-based services provided to the Commonwealth through the Agricultural College Land Scrip Fund. To correct this problem, we plan to reintroduce legislation (HB 1915 from last session) to ensure that during future budget cycles Agricultural College Land Scrip Fund funding for Pennsylvania’s land grant university will not be “coupled” to passage of other non-preferred appropriations and shall be made a continuing appropriation.
 
As such, since the Agricultural College Land Scrip Fund appropriation will ultimately be made to a land grant university not controlled by state government, it constitutionally must become a separate non-preferred appropriations bill and will need to pass each chamber by a two-thirds vote.
 
We believe this legislation will continue our longstanding, primary goal of enhancing Pennsylvania’s top industry — agriculture — including maintaining the science-based operations and services (often provided to the public at no cost) of Extension offices in all 67 PA counties.
 
Please join us in co-sponsoring this legislation.

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 1137: P.L.343, No.176