[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 19 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 19

   To restore an economic safety net for agricultural producers, to 
 increase market transparency in agricultural markets domestically and 
                    abroad, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 19, 1999

  Mr. Daschle (for himself, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Johnson, Mr. 
     Kerrey, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Edwards, Mr. 
Wellstone, Mr. Conrad, and Mr. Bingaman) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To restore an economic safety net for agricultural producers, to 
 increase market transparency in agricultural markets domestically and 
                    abroad, 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 ``Agricultural Safety Net and Market 
Competitiveness Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) over the past 2 years, family farmers and ranchers have 
        experienced rapid and severe declines in crop and livestock 
        prices;
            (2) these prices are being experienced across all 
        agricultural commodities and are projected to remain at current 
        low levels indefinitely;
            (3) these prices are a product of economic and weather-
        related events over which domestic agricultural producers have 
        no control and that they could not have anticipated;
            (4) in particular, due to increasing concentration 
        throughout the agricultural industry, market signals that are 
        fundamental to fair and free competition and on which 
        agricultural producers necessarily rely in order to know what 
        and when to produce are being severely obscured and distorted; 
        and
            (5) these market conditions are disproportionately 
        affecting smaller operations, which make up the majority of 
        farms and ranches across the United States, and are threatening 
        the economic stability of rural communities in many States.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to restore an economic safety net for agricultural 
        producers so that the producers and the rural communities of 
        which they are a part can endure the conditions described in 
        subsection (a) and remain healthy, strong, and productive;
            (2) to increase price transparency in agricultural markets 
        domestically and abroad in order to revitalize competitive 
        forces in the domestic marketplace for agricultural producers; 
        and
            (3) to ensure that domestic agricultural producers have a 
        fair opportunity to compete in foreign markets.

SEC. 3. COUNTERCYCLICAL AGRICULTURAL INCOME LOSS PROTECTION.

    It is the sense of Congress that strategies should be considered 
for offsetting extreme levels of income loss by agricultural producers 
resulting from economic and weather-related events that cannot be 
controlled or anticipated.

SEC. 4. CROP INSURANCE AVAILABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY.

    It is the sense of Congress that the crop insurance program 
established under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et 
seq.) should be modified to--
            (1) increase the number of agricultural commodities that 
        are eligible for coverage;
            (2) increase access to crop insurance products;
            (3) increase the affordability of crop insurance products;
            (4) protect against multiyear disasters through existing 
        and new crop insurance products; and
            (5) promote new strategies to manage producer risk.

SEC. 5. CROP INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR LIVESTOCK.

    (a) In General.--Section 518 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1518) is amended by striking ``or any other agricultural 
commodity, excluding livestock and'' and inserting ``livestock, or any 
other agricultural commodity, excluding''.
    (b) Revenue Insurance Pilot Program.--Section 508(h)(9)(A) of the 
Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(h)(9)(A)) is amended by 
inserting ``livestock,'' after ``soybeans,''.

SEC. 6. PILOT PROGRAM ON LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORTING.

    (a) In General.--The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 is amended 
by inserting after section 203 (7 U.S.C. 1622) the following:

``SEC. 203A. PILOT PROGRAM ON LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORTING.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Livestock.--The term `livestock' means cattle, sheep, 
        and hogs, whether live or dead.
            ``(2) Livestock product.--The term `livestock product' 
        means boxed beef, boxed lamb, and any value-added product 
        derived from pork.
            ``(3) Packer.--The term `packer' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 201 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 
        U.S.C. 191).
            ``(4) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
    ``(b) Mandatory Reporting Pilot Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (7), the Secretary 
        shall conduct a 3-year pilot program under which the Secretary 
        shall require each packer to report to the Secretary (or a 
        person designated by the Secretary), in such manner as the 
        Secretary shall require, such information relating to prices, 
        volume, and the terms of sale for the procurement of domestic 
        and imported livestock and livestock products as the Secretary 
        determines is appropriate.
            ``(2) Administration.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall require packers to--
                    ``(A) separately report domestic and imported 
                livestock and livestock products; and
                    ``(B) report the information required to be 
                reported under paragraph (1) the next business day or 
                as soon as practicable after the procurement of the 
                livestock or livestock product.
            ``(3) Noncompliance.--It shall be unlawful for any packer 
        to knowingly fail or refuse to provide to the Secretary 
        information required to be reported under paragraph (1).
            ``(4) Verification.--The Secretary may take such actions as 
        are necessary to verify the accuracy of the information 
        required to be reported under paragraph (1), regardless of the 
        source of the information.
            ``(5) Cease and desist and civil penalty.--
                    ``(A) In general.--If the Secretary has reason to 
                believe that a packer is violating paragraph (1) 
                (including regulations promulgated under paragraph 
                (1)), the Secretary, after notice and opportunity for 
                hearing, may issue an order to cease and desist from 
                continuing the violation and assess a civil penalty of 
                not more than $10,000 for each violation.
                    ``(B) Factors.--In determining the amount of a 
                civil penalty to be assessed under subparagraph (A), 
                the Secretary shall consider the gravity of the 
                offense, the size of the business involved, and the 
                effect of the penalty on the ability of the packer to 
                continue in business.
            ``(6) Referral to attorney general.--If, after expiration 
        of the period for appeal or after the affirmance of a civil 
        penalty assessed under paragraph (5), the packer against whom 
        the civil penalty is assessed fails to pay the civil penalty, 
        the Secretary may refer the matter to the Attorney General, who 
        may recover the amount of the civil penalty in a civil action 
        in United States district court.
            ``(7) Application.--This subsection shall apply only to the 
        class of the largest packers (by volume) that are engaged in 
        the business of buying, manufacturing, preparing, or marketing 
        at least 80 percent of the volume of each type of livestock and 
        livestock product that is bought, manufactured, prepared, or 
        marketed in the United States, as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(c) Voluntary Reporting.--The Secretary shall encourage voluntary 
reporting by packers that are not subjected to a mandatory reporting 
requirement under subsection (b).
    ``(d) Availability of Information.--The Secretary shall make 
information received under this section available to the public only in 
a form that ensures that--
            ``(1) the identity of the packer submitting a report is not 
        disclosed; and
            ``(2) the confidentiality of proprietary business 
        information is otherwise protected.
    ``(e) Effect on Other Laws.--Nothing in this section restricts or 
modifies the authority of the Secretary to collect voluntary reports in 
accordance with other provisions of law.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 416 of the Packers and 
Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 229a) (as added by section 1127(a) of 
division A of Public Law 105-277) is repealed.
    (c) Regulations.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
        promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement the 
        amendment made by subsection (a). The promulgation of the 
        regulations shall be made without regard to--
                    (A) the notice and comment provisions of section 
                553 of title 5, United States Code;
                    (B) the Statement of Policy of the Secretary of 
                Agriculture effective July 24, 1971 (36 Fed. Reg. 
                13804), relating to notices of proposed rulemaking and 
                public participation in rulemaking; and
                    (C) chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code 
                (commonly known as the ``Paperwork Reduction Act'').
            (2) Congressional review of agency rulemaking.--In carrying 
        out this subsection, the Secretary shall use the authority 
        provided under section 808(2) of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 7. LABELING OF IMPORTED MEAT AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 1 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 601) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(w) Beef.--The term `beef' means meat produced from 
        cattle (including veal).
            ``(x) Imported beef.--The term `imported beef' means beef 
        that is not United States beef, whether or not the beef is 
        graded with a quality grade issued by the Secretary.
            ``(y) Imported lamb.--The term `imported lamb' means lamb 
        that is not United States lamb, whether or not the lamb is 
        graded with a quality grade issued by the Secretary.
            ``(z) Imported pork.--The term `imported pork' means pork 
        that is not United States pork.
            ``(aa) Lamb.--The term `lamb' means meat, other than 
        mutton, produced from sheep.
            ``(bb) Pork.--The term `pork' means meat produced from 
        hogs.
            ``(cc) United states beef.--The term `United States beef' 
        means beef produced from cattle born, fed, and slaughtered in 
        the United States.
            ``(dd) United states lamb.--The term `United States lamb' 
        means lamb produced from sheep born, fed, and slaughtered in 
        the United States.
            ``(ee) United states pork.--The term `United States pork' 
        means pork produced from hogs born, fed, and slaughtered in the 
        United States.''.
    (b) Misbranding.--Section 1(n) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act 
(21 U.S.C. 601(n)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (11), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (12), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(13)(A) if it is imported beef, imported lamb, or 
        imported pork offered for retail sale as muscle cuts of beef, 
        lamb, or pork and does not bear a label that identifies its 
        country of origin;
            ``(B) if it is United States beef, United States lamb, or 
        United States pork offered for retail sale as muscle cuts of 
        beef, lamb, or pork, and does not bear a label that identifies 
        its country of origin; or
            ``(C) if it is United States or imported ground beef, 
        ground lamb, ground pork, or other processed beef, lamb, or 
        pork product and is not accompanied by labeling that identifies 
        it as United States beef, United States lamb, United States 
        pork, imported beef, imported lamb, imported pork, or other 
        designation that identifies the content of United States beef, 
        imported beef, United States lamb, imported lamb, United States 
        pork, and imported pork contained in the product, as determined 
        by the Secretary; or
            ``(14) if it is imported beef or imported lamb and bears a 
        label that indicates a quality grade issued by the 
        Secretary.''.
    (c) Labeling.--Section 7 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 607) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Mandatory Labeling.--The Secretary shall provide by 
regulation that the following offered for retail sale bear a label that 
identifies its country of origin:
            ``(1) Muscle cuts of United States beef, United States 
        lamb, United States pork, imported beef, imported lamb, and 
        imported pork.
            ``(2) Ground beef, ground lamb, ground pork, and other 
        processed beef, lamb, or pork product made from imported beef, 
        imported lamb, or imported pork.
    ``(h) Audit Verification System for United States and Imported 
Muscle Cuts of Beef, Lamb, and Pork.--The Secretary may require by 
regulation that any person that prepares, stores, handles, or 
distributes muscle cuts of United States beef, imported beef, United 
States lamb, imported lamb, United States pork, or imported pork for 
retail sale maintain a verifiable recordkeeping audit trail that will 
permit the Secretary to ensure compliance with the regulations 
promulgated under subsection (g).''.
    (d) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate final 
regulations to carry out the amendments made by this section.
    (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section take 
effect 60 days after the date on which final regulations are 
promulgated under subsection (d).

SEC. 8. INTERAGENCY CONCENTRATION TASK FORCE.

    (a) In General.--The President shall establish an interagency task 
force to investigate--
            (1) alleged anticompetitive practices in the meat packing 
        industry; and
            (2) the effects on rural communities and the public of 
        increasing concentration in many sectors of--
                    (A) the agricultural industry, including the meat 
                packing and processing, grain distribution and 
                marketing, and biotechnology industries; and
                    (B) industries that have a direct impact on 
                agriculture, including retail sales and transportation.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the task force shall submit a report to Congress that 
describes the results of the investigation.

SEC. 9. STUDY OF LINK BETWEEN CREDIT AND CONCENTRATION AMONG HANDLERS 
              AND PROCESSORS.

    (a) In General.--The President shall conduct a study to determine 
whether public and private lending practices have contributed to, or 
are contributing to, concentration among persons that produce, handle, 
or process agricultural commodities.
    (b) Credit Eligibility Requirements.--In conducting the study, the 
President shall analyze the appropriateness of public and private 
credit eligibility requirements for--
            (1) beginning farmers and ranchers; and
            (2) farmers and ranchers who use, or intend to use, 
        alternative farm and ranch management systems, in contrast to 
        large scale, capital intensive, or subsidized systems.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the President shall submit to Congress a report that--
            (1) describes the results of the study; and
            (2) makes any recommendations that are necessary to improve 
        the availability of credit to meet the diverse needs of farmers 
        and ranchers.

SEC. 10. STUDY OF ENFORCEMENT OF PROHIBITION ON ANTICOMPETITIVE 
              PRACTICES BY PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS.

    (a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study of what kinds of practices or activities described in 
section 202 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 192), 
would warrant intervention by the Secretary of Agriculture to prevent 
anticompetitive practices.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to Congress 
that describes the results of the study.

SEC. 11. REPORTING OF CONTRACTS BY PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS.

    Section 401 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 221), 
is amended--
            (1) by designating the first and second sentences as 
        subsections (a) and (c), respectively;
            (2) by striking ``Sec. 401. (a) Every'' and inserting the 
        following:

``SEC. 401. ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS OF BUSINESS.

    ``(a) In General.--Each'';
            (3) by inserting after subsection (a) (as so designated) 
        the following:
    ``(b) Contracts.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each packer, live poultry dealer, 
        stockyard owner, market agency, and dealer shall submit to the 
        Secretary a copy of each contract involving a transaction 
        described in subsection (a).
            ``(2) Public availability.--The Secretary shall make each 
        contract submitted under paragraph (1) available to the public 
        in a manner that preserves the confidentiality of the parties 
        to the contract.''; and
            (4) in subsection (c) (as so designated)--
                    (A) by striking ``(c) Whenever'' and inserting the 
                following:
    ``(c) Penalty.--If''; and
                    (B) by striking ``and memoranda'' each place it 
                appears and inserting ``memoranda, and contracts''.

SEC. 12. VALUE-ADDED ENTERPRISES AND NEW MARKETS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Agriculture 
should identify and provide opportunities, resources, and economic 
incentives for agricultural producers to expand participation in value-
added processing (including renewable, biobased products), cooperative 
enterprises, and improved marketing and financial management 
techniques.

SEC. 13. MARKET ACCESS IDENTIFICATION FOR CERTAIN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS 
              (SPECIAL 301).

    (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``United States 
Agricultural Products Market Access Act of 1998''.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are--
            (1) to reduce or eliminate foreign unfair trade practices 
        and to remove constraints on fair and open trade in 
        agricultural products;
            (2) to ensure fair and equitable market access for exports 
        of United States agricultural products; and
            (3) to promote free and fair trade in agricultural 
        products.
    (c) Identification of Countries That Deny Market Access.--
            (1) Identification required.--Chapter 8 of title I of the 
        Trade Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:

``SEC. 183. IDENTIFICATION OF COUNTRIES THAT DENY MARKET ACCESS FOR 
              AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.

    ``(a) In General.--Not later than the date that is 30 days after 
the date on which the annual report is required to be submitted to 
Congressional committees under section 181(b), the United States Trade 
Representative (hereafter in this section referred to as the `Trade 
Representative') shall identify--
            ``(1) those foreign countries that--
                    ``(A) deny fair and equitable market access to 
                United States agricultural products, or
                    ``(B) apply unjustified sanitary or phytosanitary 
                standards to agricultural products imported from the 
                United States; and
            ``(2) those foreign countries identified under paragraph 
        (1) that are determined by the Trade Representative to be 
        priority foreign countries.
    ``(b) Special Rules for Identification.--
            ``(1) Criteria.--In identifying priority foreign countries 
        under subsection (a)(2), the Trade Representative shall only 
        identify those foreign countries--
                    ``(A) that engage in or have the most onerous or 
                egregious acts, policies, or practices that deny fair 
                and equitable market access to United States 
                agricultural products,
                    ``(B) whose acts, policies, or practices described 
                in subparagraph (A) have the greatest adverse impact 
                (actual or potential) on the relevant United States 
                products, and
                    ``(C) that are not--
                            ``(i) entering into good faith 
                        negotiations, or
                            ``(ii) making significant progress in 
                        bilateral or multilateral negotiations,
                to provide fair and equitable market access to United 
                States agricultural products.
            ``(2) Consultation and consideration requirements.--In 
        identifying priority foreign countries under subsection (a)(2), 
        the Trade Representative shall--
                    ``(A) consult with the Secretary of Agriculture and 
                other appropriate officers of the Federal Government, 
                and
                    ``(B) take into account information from such 
                sources as may be available to the Trade Representative 
                and such information as may be submitted to the Trade 
                Representative by interested persons, including 
                information contained in reports submitted under 
                section 181(b) and petitions submitted under section 
                302.
            ``(3) Factual basis requirement.--The Trade Representative 
        may identify a foreign country under subsection (a)(1) only if 
        the Trade Representative finds that there is a factual basis 
        for the denial of fair and equitable market access as a result 
        of the violation of international law or agreement, or the 
        existence of barriers, referred to in subsection (d).
            ``(4) Consideration of historical factors.--In identifying 
        foreign countries under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 
        (a), the Trade Representative shall take into account--
                    ``(A) the history of agricultural trade relations 
                with the foreign country, including any previous 
                identification under subsection (a)(2), and
                    ``(B) the history of efforts of the United States, 
                and the response of the foreign country, to achieve 
                fair and equitable market access for United States 
                agricultural products.
    ``(c) Revocations and Additional Identifications.--
            ``(1) Authority to act at any time.--If information 
        available to the Trade Representative indicates that such 
        action is appropriate, the Trade Representative may at any 
        time--
                    ``(A) revoke the identification of any foreign 
                country as a priority foreign country under this 
                section, or
                    ``(B) identify any foreign country as a priority 
                foreign country under this section.
            ``(2) Revocation reports.--The Trade Representative shall 
        include in the semiannual report submitted to the Congress 
        under section 309(3) a detailed explanation of the reasons for 
        the revocation under paragraph (1) of the identification of any 
        foreign country as a priority foreign country under this 
        section.
    ``(d) Definition and Special Rule.--For purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Agricultural products.--The term `agricultural 
        products' includes forest products, fish, and seafood products.
            ``(2) Fair and equitable market access.--A foreign country 
        denies fair and equitable market access if the foreign country 
        effectively denies access to a market for a product through the 
        use of laws, procedures, practices, or regulations which--
                    ``(A) violate provisions of international law or 
                international agreements to which both the United 
                States and the foreign country are parties, or
                    ``(B) constitute discriminatory nontariff trade 
                barriers.
    ``(e) Publication.--The Trade Representative shall publish in the 
Federal Register a list of foreign countries identified under 
subsection (a) and shall make such revisions to the list as may be 
required by reason of the action under subsection (c).
    ``(f) Annual Report.--The Trade Representative shall, not later 
than the date by which countries are identified under subsection (a), 
transmit to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on 
Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Finance and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 
the Senate, a report on the actions taken under this section during the 
12 months preceding such report, and the reasons for such actions, 
including a description of progress made in achieving fair and 
equitable market access for United States agricultural products.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents for the 
        Trade Act of 1974 is amended by inserting after the item 
        relating to section 182 the following:

``Sec. 183. Identification of countries that deny market access for 
                            agricultural products.''.
    (d) Investigations.--
            (1) Investigation required.--Subparagraph (A) of section 
        302(b)(2) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2412(b)(2)) is 
        amended by inserting ``or 183(a)(2)'' after ``section 
        182(a)(2)'' in the matter preceding clause (i).
            (2) Conforming amendments.--
                    (A) Subparagraph (D) of section 302(b)(2) of such 
                Act is amended by inserting ``concerning intellectual 
                property rights that is'' after ``any investigation''.
                    (B) Subparagraph (B) of section 304(a)(3) of such 
                Act is amended--
                            (i) by striking ``or'' at the end of clause 
                        (ii),
                            (ii) by inserting ``or'' at the end of 
                        clause (iii), and
                            (iii) by inserting immediately after clause 
                        (iii) the following new clause:
                            ``(iv) the foreign country involved in the 
                        investigation is making substantial progress in 
                        drafting or implementing legislative or 
                        administrative measures that will provide fair 
                        and equitable market access to United States 
                        agricultural products,''.

SEC. 14. MANDATORY NEGOTIATING GOALS FOR THE 1999 WTO TALKS ON 
              AGRICULTURE AND OTHER AGRICULTURE-RELATED NEGOTIATIONS 
              GOALS.

    (a) Statement of Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to 
achieve through trade agreements economic growth, increased farm 
income, and full employment in the United States agriculture sector.
    (b) Goals of the United States in Agricultural Trade 
Negotiations.--The agricultural trade negotiating objectives of the 
United States with respect to bilateral and multilateral negotiations 
(including World Trade Organization negotiations) include--
            (1) increasing opportunities for United States exports of 
        agricultural products by eliminating tariff and non-tariff 
        barriers to trade, including the elimination of--
                    (A) restrictive or trade-distorting import and 
                export practices that impact perishable or cyclical 
                products;
                    (B) unjustified restrictions or commercial 
                requirements affecting new technologies, including 
                biotechnology;
                    (C) unjustified sanitary or phytosanitary 
                restrictions;
                    (D) other unjustified technical barriers to trade; 
                and
                    (E) restrictive rules in the administration of 
                tariff-rate quotas;
            (2) leveling the playing field for United States producers 
        of agricultural products by limiting per unit domestic 
        production supports to levels that are no greater than those 
        available in the United States;
            (3) ending the practice of export dumping by eliminating 
        all trade distorting export subsidies and disciplining entities 
        that sell agricultural products in foreign markets at prices 
        below domestic market prices or at prices below the full costs 
        of acquiring and delivering the agricultural products to 
        foreign markets; and
            (4) encouraging government policies that avoid price-
        depressing surpluses.

SEC. 15. CONSULTATION WITH CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.

    (a) Consultation Before Initial Negotiations.--Before the United 
States Trade Representative initiates negotiations to reduce United 
States tariffs on agricultural products, the United States Trade 
Representative shall consult with the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture 
of the House of Representatives concerning the tariff reductions. The 
consultations shall include an assessment of--
            (1) the impact of any tariff reduction on the United States 
        industry producing the product for which the tariff reduction 
        is proposed; and
            (2) whether an adjustment period should be provided to the 
        industry.
    (b) Consultation Before Agreement Initialed.--Not less than 48 
hours before initialing an agreement relating to agricultural trade, 
the United States Trade Representative shall consult closely with the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the 
Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives regarding--
            (1) the details of the agreement;
            (2) the potential impact of the agreement on domestic 
        agricultural producers; and
            (3) any changes in United States law necessary to implement 
        the agreement.
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