[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 43 Introduced in Senate (IS)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 43

   To allow modified bloc voting by cooperative associations of milk 
  producers in connection with a referendum on Federal Milk Marketing 
                             Order reform.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 7, 2003

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To allow modified bloc voting by cooperative associations of milk 
  producers in connection with a referendum on Federal Milk Marketing 
                             Order reform.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    The Act may be cited as the ``Democracy for Dairy Producers Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. MODIFIED BLOC VOTING.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding paragraph (12) of section 8c of 
the Agricultural Adjustment Act (7 U.S.C. 608c), reenacted with 
amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, in the 
case of the referendum conducted as part of the consolidation of 
Federal milk marketing orders and related reforms under section 143 of 
the Agricultural Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7253), if a 
cooperative association of milk producers elects to hold a vote on 
behalf of its members as authorized by that paragraph, the cooperative 
association shall provide to each producer, on behalf of which the 
cooperative association is expressing approval or disapproval, written 
notice containing--
            (1) a description of the questions presented in the 
        referendum;
            (2) a statement of the manner in which the cooperative 
        association intends to cast its vote on behalf of the 
        membership; and
            (3) information regarding the procedures by which a 
        producer may cast an individual ballot.
    (b) Tabulation of Ballots.--At the time at which ballots from a 
vote under subsection (a) are tabulated by the Secretary of 
Agriculture, the Secretary shall adjust the vote of a cooperative 
association to reflect individual votes submitted by producers that are 
members of, stockholders in, or under contract with, the cooperative 
association.
                                 <all>