7 U.S.C. § 341
Section 341 · Cooperative extension work by colleges
This is the Smith-Lever Act
Amended 4 times on record
Applied in 21 court decisions — leading case Bazemore v. Friday (1986)
Most recently applied in United States v. Holdman (July 2023)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
In order to aid in diffusing among the people of the United States useful and practical information on subjects relating to agriculture, uses of solar energy with respect to agriculture, home economics, and rural energy, and to encourage the application of the same, there may be continued or inaugurated in connection with the college or colleges in each State, Territory, or possession, now receiving, or which may hereafter receive, the benefits of subchapters I and II of this chapter, agricultural extension work which shall be carried on in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture: Provided, That in any State, Territory, or possession in which two or more such colleges have been or hereafter may be established, the appropriations hereinafter made to such State, Territory, or possession shall be administered by such college or colleges as the legislature of such State, Territory, or possession may direct. For the purposes of this subchapter, the term “solar energy” means energy derived from sources (other than fossil fuels) and technologies included in the Federal Non-Nuclear 1 Energy Research and Development Act of 1974, as amended [42 U.S.C. 5901 et seq.].
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
References in Text
The Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974, as amended, referred to in text, is Pub. L. 93–577, Dec. 31, 1974, 88 Stat. 1878, as amended, which is classified generally to chapter 74 (§5901 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 5901 of Title 42 and Tables.
Codification
Another section 1447 of Pub. L. 95–113 is classified to section 3222b of this title.
Amendments
1980—Pub. L. 96–294 inserted reference to rural energy.
1977—Pub. L. 95–113 inserted reference to the uses of solar energy with respect to agriculture and inserted definition of “solar energy”.
1953—Act June 26, 1953, inserted “continued or” before “inaugurated” near beginning of section, inserted references to “territory, or possession” after “State,” wherever the latter term appeared, and struck out a second proviso which continued farm management work and farmers’ cooperative demonstration work as conducted May 8, 1914, pending inauguration and development of cooperative extension work under sections 341–343 and 344–348 of this title.
Effective Date of 1977 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 95–113 effective Oct. 1, 1977, see section 1901 of Pub. L. 95–113, set out as a note under section 1307 of this title.
Short Title
Act May 8, 1914, as amended, which is classified to this subchapter, is popularly known as the “Smith-Lever Act” and the “Agricultural Extension Work Act”.
Transfer of Functions
Functions of all officers, agencies, and employees of Department of Agriculture transferred, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of Agriculture by 1953 Reorg. Plan No. 2, §1, eff. June 4, 1953, 18 F.R. 3219, 67 Stat. 633, set out as a note under section 2201 of this title.
Donation of Surplus Property to State Agricultural Extension Agencies
Transfer of office equipment, materials, books and other supplies to State or county agencies engaged in cooperative agricultural extension work, see note set out under section 484 of Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works.
Cross References
Agricultural experiment stations, see section 361a et seq. of this title.
Penalty mail, authorization to use, see section 3202 of Title 39, Postal Service.