[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 25 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 25

    To phase out the Federal sugar program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             January 25 (legislative day, January 5), 2011

  Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Kirk, and Mr. Durbin) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To phase out the Federal sugar program, 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 ``Stop Unfair Giveaways and 
Restrictions Act of 2011'' or ``SUGAR Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. SUGAR PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 156 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement 
and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (d), by striking paragraph (1) and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(1) Loans.--The Secretary shall carry out this section 
        through the use of recourse loans.'';
            (2) by redesignating subsection (i) as subsection (j);
            (3) by inserting after subsection (h) the following:
    ``(i) Phased Reduction of Loan Rate.--For each of the 2012, 2013, 
and 2014 crops of sugar beets and sugarcane, the Secretary shall lower 
the loan rate for each succeeding crop in a manner that progressively 
and uniformly lowers the loan rate for sugar beets and sugarcane to $0 
for the 2015 crop.''; and
            (4) in subsection (j) (as redesignated), by striking 
        ``2012'' and inserting ``2014''.
    (b) Prospective Repeal.--Effective beginning with the 2015 crop of 
sugar beets and sugarcane, section 156 of the Federal Agriculture 
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272) is repealed.

SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF SUGAR PRICE SUPPORT AND PRODUCTION ADJUSTMENT 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law--
            (1) a processor of any of the 2015 or subsequent crops of 
        sugarcane or sugar beets shall not be eligible for a loan under 
        any provision of law with respect to the crop; and
            (2) the Secretary of Agriculture may not make price support 
        available, whether in the form of a loan, payment, purchase, or 
        other operation, for any of the 2015 and subsequent crops of 
        sugar beets and sugarcane by using the funds of the Commodity 
        Credit Corporation or other funds available to the Secretary.
    (b) Termination of Marketing Quotas and Allotments.--
            (1) In general.--Part VII of subtitle B of title III of the 
        Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1359aa et seq.) 
        is repealed.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 344(f)(2) of the 
        Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1344(f)(2)) is 
        amended by striking ``sugar cane for sugar, sugar beets for 
        sugar,''.
    (c) General Powers.--
            (1) Section 32 activities.--Section 32 of the Act of August 
        24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c), is amended in the second sentence of 
        the first paragraph--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``(other than 
                sugar beets and sugarcane)'' after ``commodities''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``(other than 
                sugar beets and sugarcane)'' after ``commodity''.
            (2) Powers of commodity credit corporation.--Section 5(a) 
        of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 
        714c(a)) is amended by inserting ``, sugar beets, and 
        sugarcane'' after ``tobacco''.
            (3) Price support for nonbasic agricultural commodities.--
        Section 201(a) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 
        1446(a)) is amended by striking ``milk, sugar beets, and 
        sugarcane'' and inserting ``, and milk''.
            (4) Commodity credit corporation storage payments.--Section 
        167 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 
        1996 (7 U.S.C. 7287) is repealed.
            (5) Suspension and repeal of permanent price support 
        authority.--Section 171(a)(1) of the Federal Agriculture 
        Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7301(a)(1)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) by striking subparagraph (E); and
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) through (I) 
                as subparagraphs (E) through (H), respectively.
            (6) Storage facility loans.--Section 1402(c) of the Farm 
        Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 7971) is 
        repealed.
            (7) Feedstock flexibility program for bioenergy 
        producers.--Effective beginning with the 2013 crop of sugar 
        beets and sugarcane, section 9010 of the Farm Security and 
        Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8110) is repealed.
    (d) Transition Provisions.--This section and the amendments made by 
this section shall not affect the liability of any person under any 
provision of law as in effect before the application of this section 
and the amendments made by this section.

SEC. 4. TARIFF-RATE QUOTAS.

    (a) Establishment.--Except as provided in subsection (c) and 
notwithstanding any other provision of law, not later than October 1, 
2011, the Secretary of Agriculture shall develop and implement a 
program to increase the tariff-rate quotas for raw cane sugar and 
refined sugars for a quota year in a manner that ensures--
            (1) a robust and competitive sugar processing industry in 
        the United States; and
            (2) an adequate supply of sugar at reasonable prices in the 
        United States.
    (b) Factors.--In determining the tariff-rate quotas necessary to 
satisfy the requirements of subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
consider the following:
            (1) The quantity and quality of sugar that will be subject 
        to human consumption in the United States during the quota 
        year.
            (2) The quantity and quality of sugar that will be 
        available from domestic processing of sugarcane, sugar beets, 
        and in-process beet sugar.
            (3) The quantity of sugar that would provide for reasonable 
        carryover stocks.
            (4) The quantity of sugar that will be available from 
        carryover stocks for human consumption in the United States 
        during the quota year.
            (5) Consistency with the obligations of the United States 
        under international agreements.
    (c) Exemption.--Subsection (a) shall not include specialty sugar.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``quota year'' and 
``human consumption'' have the meaning such terms had under section 
359k of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1359kk) (as 
in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act).

SEC. 5. APPLICATION.

    Except as otherwise provided in this Act, this Act and the 
amendments made by this Act shall apply beginning with the 2012 crop of 
sugar beets and sugarcane.
                                 <all>