[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2557 Introduced in House (IH)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 2557

    To amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to provide greater 
                   assurances for contract sanctity.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 30, 1995

 Mr. Ewing (for himself and Mr. Peterson of Minnesota) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and 
in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to provide greater 
                   assurances for contract sanctity.

    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 ``Agricultural Contract Sanctity Act 
of 1995''.

SEC. 2. CONTRACT SANCTITY.

    (a) In General.--Section 602 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 
(7 U.S.C. 5712) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 602. CONTRACT SANCTITY.

    ``(a) Contract Sanctity for Embargoes Targeting Agricultural 
Commodities.--
            ``(1) Generally.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law and except as provided in subsection (b), the President 
        shall not take any action to prohibit or curtail the export of 
        articles that--
                    ``(A) is substantially limited to agricultural 
                commodities; and
                    ``(B) applies to agricultural commodities under an 
                export sales contract;
        without approval by a majority vote of the Senate and of the 
        House of Representatives. Further, following such majority 
        approval by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the 
        President shall not put into effect the prohibition or 
        curtailment until 180 days after the President transmits to 
        Congress notice of the proposed prohibition or curtailment.
            ``(2) Fast track for certain bills.--
                    ``(A) Referral of bills.--Any bill introduced in 
                the House of Representatives or the Senate to 
                disapprove or modify a proposed export prohibition or 
                curtailment described in paragraph (1) shall be 
                referred to the Committee on Agriculture of the House 
                of Representatives or Senate, as the case may be.
                    ``(B) Fast track for certain bills.--The procedures 
                set forth in section 151 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 
                U.S.C. 2191) that apply with respect to certain 
                implementing bills (as defined in such section) shall 
                also apply with respect to any bill described in 
                subparagraph (A) that is introduced by the Speaker of 
                the House (or his designee) in the House of 
                Representatives or by the Senate Majority Leader (or 
                his designee) in the Senate, during the 180 day period 
                specified in paragraph (1).
    ``(b) Contract Sanctity for General Embargoes.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, the President shall not prohibit or curtail 
(under a prohibition or curtailment other than one described in 
subsection (a)) the export of any agricultural commodity under an 
export sales contract--
            ``(1) that is entered into before the President announces 
        an action that would otherwise prohibit or curtail the export 
        of the commodity; and
            ``(2) the terms of which require delivery of the commodity 
        within 270 days after the date of the suspension of trade is 
        imposed.
    ``(c) Exception.--A prohibition or curtailment may take effect 
before the end of the period specified in subsection (a) or (b) and 
continue in effect during any period in which the United States is in a 
state of war declared by Congress or national emergency, requiring such 
action, declared by the President.
    ``(d) Definitions.--As used in this section--
            ``(1) the term `agricultural commodity' includes plant 
        nutrient fertilizer materials and any raw materials used to 
        produce plant nutrient fertilizer materials, as classified in 
        the Harmonized Trade Schedule of the United States (19 U.S.C. 
        1202, 19 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.); and
            ``(2) the term `under an export sales contract' means under 
        an export sales contract--
                    ``(A) entered into before the President has 
                transmitted to Congress notice of the proposed 
                prohibition or curtailment; and
                    ``(B) the terms of which require delivery of the 
                commodity within 270 days after the date on which the 
                President makes such transmission.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The heading for title VI of the 
Agricultural Trade Act of 1979 is amended by striking

                              ``REPORTS''

and inserting

                           ``MISCELLANEOUS''.

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