Sangamon Sun

In an Aug. 31 Facebook post, Rep. Randy Frese announced support for future farmers. That support comes in the singing of House Bill 3814, which allows FFA and 4H members excused absences for club-related activities.

"Good news for future farmers...a new law backs our state's #1 industry!" Frese said.

In his Facebook post, Rep. Frese shared a link to a Center Square article talking about the passage and signing of House Bill 3814. The publication noted: “House Bill 3814 amends the Illinois School Code by removing a conflict that students in 4-H and Future Farmers of America faced when it came to attending career-related events during school hours. By allowing these students to miss class without penalty for sanctioned events, the bill is a major win for both students and the agriculture industry, Pritzker said upon signing HB3814 into law.”

House Bill 3814 “provides that a student absent from a school in which the student is regularly enrolled shall be considered as being in attendance if the reason for such absence is to participate in scheduled Future Farmers of America Organization and 4-H programs as part of organized competitions or exhibitions.” It does put the responsibility on the student and parent to obtain assignments that they missed during their participation in FFA or 4H activities. Rep. Sonya M. Harper filed the bill on Feb. 17, 2023, and it passed the House on March 22. It moved to the Senate on March 23 and passed both houses on May 19. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law on Aug. 14, 2023. The bill will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture noted that marketing Illinois’ agricultural commodities brings in more than $51.1 billion each year, and crops are 40% of that total. Other activities tied to agriculture bring in even more, with the production and sale of value-added food products, manufacturing of farm machinery, and even agricultural real estate. Also, there are 75,087 farmers in the state, with nearly 1 million employed in the food and fiber industries.