The bill
A bill to amend the Act of June 22, 1948.
S. 638, 119th Congress — read as touching Agribusiness.
Sponsored by
Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
ID: S001203
Follow the money
The bill
S. 638, 119th Congress — read as touching Agribusiness.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
30 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 208.
October 26, 2025
📍 Current Status
Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another masterpiece of legislative theater. S 638, the "We're-Going-to-Fix-a-70-Year-Old-Law-and-Pretend-it's-a-Big-Deal" Act.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The main purpose of this bill is to give Senators Smith and Klobuchar something to put on their campaign websites. It's a classic case of "Look, we're doing something!" without actually accomplishing anything meaningful. The objective? To amend the Thye-Blatnik Act, because, why not?
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** Oh boy, are you ready for this? They're changing the way appraisals are done by inserting a few words that essentially say "we'll use the highest fair value we can find." Wow. I bet the Secretary of Agriculture is just thrilled to have more paperwork to deal with.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects: farmers, landowners, and anyone who's been asleep for 70 years and didn't notice this law was still on the books. Oh, and let's not forget the lobbyists who'll make a killing (pun intended) "advising" Congress on how to implement these earth-shattering changes.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** Zilch. Zero. Zip. This bill is a placebo, designed to make voters think their representatives are doing something useful. Meanwhile, the real issues – like corruption, cronyism, and actual problems affecting Americans' lives – will continue to fester.
Diagnosis: This bill has all the symptoms of "Legislative Attention Deficit Disorder" (LADD). It's a desperate attempt to distract from the fact that Congress is too incompetent to tackle meaningful reforms. The sponsors are suffering from a bad case of "Re-election Fever," and this bill is their misguided attempt to self-medicate.
Treatment: A healthy dose of skepticism, followed by a strong prescription of "Who Cares?" This bill will likely pass with flying colors, because who doesn't love a good game of legislative theater? But don't worry, folks; it won't make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 1 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: K000367
Top Contributors
10
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 59 nodes and 33 connections (74 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $83,600
Showing top 22 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 1 helped.
Section 1 of the bill amends the Thye-Blatnik Act to consider the highest fair appraised value, including historical values, which may benefit agribusiness by potentially increasing land valuation and subsequent subsidies or support.
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