[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1766 Considered and Passed Senate (CPS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1766

To amend the Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Act of 
1990 to cover seedless and not seeded limes, to increase the exemption 
     level, to delay the initial referendum date, and to alter the 
         composition of the Lime Board, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            November 20 (legislative day, November 2), 1993

 Mr. Graham (for himself and Mr. Mack) introduced the following bill; 
         which was considered, read the third time, and passed

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Act of 
1990 to cover seedless and not seeded limes, to increase the exemption 
     level, to delay the initial referendum date, and to alter the 
         composition of the Lime Board, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lime Research, Promotion, and 
Consumer Information Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information 
        Act of 1990 was enacted on November 28, 1990, for the purpose 
        of establishing an orderly procedure for the development and 
        financing of an effective and coordinated program of research, 
        promotion, and consumer information to strengthen the domestic 
        and foreign markets for limes.
            (2) The lime research, promotion, and consumer information 
        order required by such Act became effective on January 27, 
        1992.
            (3) Although the intent of such Act was to cover seedless 
        limes, the definition of the term ``lime'' in section 1953(6) 
        of such Act applies to seeded limes. Therefore, the Act and the 
        order need to be revised before a research, promotion, and 
        consumer information program on seedless limes can go into 
        effect.
            (4) Since the enactment of the Lime Research, Promotion, 
        and Consumer Information Act of 1990, the United States 
        production of fresh market limes has plummeted and the volume 
        of imports has risen dramatically. The drop in United States 
        production is primarily due to damage to lime orchards in the 
        State of Florida by Hurricane Andrew in August 1992. United 
        States production is not expected to reach pre-Hurricane Andrew 
        levels for possibly two to three years because a majority of 
        the United States production of limes is in Florida.
    (b) Purposes.--The purpose of this Act is--
            (1) to revise the definition of the term ``lime'' in order 
        to cover seedless and not seeded limes;
            (2) to increase the exemption level;
            (3) to delay the initial referendum date; and
            (4) to alter the composition of the Lime Board.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF LIME.

    Section 1953(6) of the Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer 
Information Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6202(6)) is amended by striking 
``citrus aurantifolia'' and inserting ``citrus latifolia''.

SEC. 4. REQUIRED TERMS IN ORDERS.

    (a) Composition of Lime Board.--Subsection (b) of section 1955 of 
the Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Act of 1990 (7 
U.S.C. 6204) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``7'' and inserting 
        ``3'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``7'' and inserting 
        ``3'';
            (3) in paragraph (2)(F), by adding at the end the following 
        new sentence: ``The Secretary shall terminate the initial Board 
        established under this subsection as soon as practicable after 
        the date of the enactment of the Lime Research, Promotion, and 
        Consumer Information Improvement Act.''; and
            (4) by inserting after paragraph (2)(F) the following new 
        paragraph:
                    ``(G) Board allocation.--The producer and importer 
                representation on the Board shall be allocated on the 
                basis of 2 producer members and 1 importer member from 
                the district east of the Mississippi River and 1 
                producer member and 2 importer members from the 
                district west of the Mississippi River.''.
    (b) Terms of Members.--Subsection (b)(4) of such section is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Secretary'' and all that follows 
        through ``shall--'' and inserting ``The initial members of the 
        Board appointed under the amended order shall serve a term of 
        30 months. Subsequent appointments to the Board shall be for a 
        term of 3 years, except that--'';
            (2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``3'' and inserting 
        ``2'';
            (3) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``4'' and inserting 
        ``2''; and
            (4) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``4'' and inserting 
        ``3''.
    (c) De Minimis Exception.--Subsection (d)(5) of such section is 
amended by striking ``35,000'' each place it appears and inserting 
``200,000''.

SEC. 5. INITIAL REFERENDUM.

    Section 1960(a) of the Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer 
Information Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6209(a)) is amended by striking ``Not 
later than 2 years after the date on which the Secretary first issues 
an order under section 1954(a),'' and inserting ``Not later than 30 
months after the date on which the collection of assessments begins 
under the order pursuant to section 1955(d),''.

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