Ahead of National FFA Week, February 17-24, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Doug Jones (D-Ala.) introduced legislation to update and modernize the charter for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) to reflect agriculture education in the 21st Century.

The National FFA Organization’s Federal Charter Amendments Act updates the FFA charter to allow for student officer vice presidents to reflect the regional diversity of the United States. Additionally, it provides governing flexibility for national officers in order to reduce operational delays caused by vacant seats. The amendments to the charter will also allow the FFA’s purpose to better match the innovative and hands-on approaches that many agriculture educators are implementing across the country.

According to the FFA, members participate and learn advanced career skills in 47 national proficiency areas based on their hands-on work experiences ranging from agricultural communications and food science and technology to turf grass management and wildlife production and management. Collectively, FFA members earn more than $4 billion annually through their hands-on work experience.