[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2606 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2606

To amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to require the President to 
      report to Congress on any selective embargo on agricultural 
commodities, to provide a termination date for the embargo, to provide 
   greater assurances for contract sanctity, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

              October 9 (legislative day, October 2), 1998

 Mr. Ashcroft introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to require the President to 
      report to Congress on any selective embargo on agricultural 
commodities, to provide a termination date for the embargo, to provide 
   greater assurances for contract sanctity, 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 ``Selective Agricultural Embargoes Act 
of 1998''.

SEC. 2. REPORTING ON SELECTIVE EMBARGOES.

    The Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5711 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end of title VI:

``SEC. 604. REPORTING ON SELECTIVE EMBARGOES.

    ``(a) Report.--If the President takes any action, pursuant to 
statutory authority, to embargo the export under an export sales 
contract (as defined in subsection (e)) of an agricultural commodity to 
a country that is not part of an embargo on all exports to the country, 
not later than 5 days after imposing the embargo, the President shall 
submit a report to Congress that sets forth in detail the reasons for 
the embargo and specifies the proposed period during which the embargo 
will be effective.
    ``(b) Approval of Embargo.--If a joint resolution approving the 
embargo becomes law during the 100-day period beginning on the date of 
receipt of the report provided for in subsection (a), the embargo shall 
terminate on the earlier of--
            ``(1) a date determined by the President; or
            ``(2) the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment 
        of the joint resolution approving the embargo.
    ``(c) Disapproval of Embargo.--If a joint resolution disapproving 
the embargo becomes law during the 100-day period referred to in 
subsection (b), the embargo shall terminate on the expiration of the 
100-day period.
    ``(d) Exception.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
section, an embargo may take effect 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.
    ``(e) Definitions.--As used in this section--
            ``(1) the term `agricultural commodity' includes plant 
        nutrient materials;
            ``(2) the term `under an export sales contract' means under 
        an export sales contract entered into before the President has 
        transmitted to Congress notice of the proposed embargo; and
            ``(3) the term `embargo' includes any prohibition or 
        curtailment.''.

SEC. 3. ADDITION OF PLANT NUTRIENT MATERIALS TO PROTECTION OF CONTRACT 
              SANCTITY.

    Section 602(c) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 
5712(c)) is amended by inserting ``(including plant nutrient 
materials)'' after ``agricultural commodity'' each place it appears.
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