[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 603 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  1st Session
                                 S. 603

  To require the Secretary of Agriculture to collect and disseminate 
 statistically reliable information from milk manufacturing plants on 
 prices received for bulk cheese and to provide the Secretary with the 
authority to require reporting by such manufacturing plants throughout 
the United States on prices received for cheese, butter, and nonfat dry 
                                 milk.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 17, 1997

 Mr. Specter (for himself, Mr. Feingold, and Mr. Kohl) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Agriculture to collect and disseminate 
 statistically reliable information from milk manufacturing plants on 
 prices received for bulk cheese and to provide the Secretary with the 
authority to require reporting by such manufacturing plants throughout 
the United States on prices received for cheese, butter, and nonfat dry 
                                 milk.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
    (a) Not later than 30 days after the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall collect and disseminate, on a weekly basis, 
statistically reliable information, obtained from cheese manufacturing 
areas in the United States on prices received and terms of trade 
involving bulk cheese, including information on the national average 
price for bulk cheese sold through spot and forward contract 
transactions. To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall report the 
prices and terms of trade for spot and forward contract transactions 
separately.
    (b) The Secretary may require dairy product manufacturing plants in 
the United States to report to the Secretary on a weekly basis the 
price they receive for cheese, butter and nonfat dry milk sold through 
spot sales arrangements, forward contracts or other sales arrangements.
    (c) All information provided to, or acquired by, the Secretary 
under subsections (1) and (2) shall be kept confidential by each 
officer and employee of the Department of Agriculture except that 
general weekly statements may be issued that are based on the 
information and that do not identify the information provided by any 
person.
                                 <all>