[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 40 (Thursday, March 21, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H2577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REPEALING TEA IMPORTATION ACT OF 1897

  Mr. KLUG. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2969) to eliminate the Board of Tea 
Experts by repealing the Tea Importation Act of 1897 and ask for its 
immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                               H.R. 2969

       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 ``Federal Tea Tasters Repeal 
     Act of 1996''.

     SEC. 2. REPEAL OF TEA IMPORTATION ACT OF 1897.

       The Tea Importation Act (21 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) is repealed.

     SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       This Act shall take effect on the date of enactment of this 
     Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Klug] is 
recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. KLUG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2969, the Federal Tea Tasters 
Repeal Act of 1996. This bipartisan legislation repeals the Tea 
Importation Act of 1897 by eliminating the Federal Board of Tea 
Experts. It was favorably reported by the Committee on Ways and Means 
on February 29.
  This bill ends the antiquated and outdated requirement that each lot 
of imported tea meet taste standards recommended to the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services by the Federal Board of Tea Experts.
  The bill also ends the imposition of a Customs Service fee on tea 
imports that partly finances tea quality inspections. The cost to the 
taxpayer for matching teas to the quality standards of the Tea Board is 
over $170,000 each year. Tea is the only food or beverage for which the 
Food and Drug Administration samples every lot upon entry for 
comparison to a quality standard recommended by a Federal board.
  I believe there is no justification for tea being held to a higher 
Federal standard on behalf of the tea industry, which should assume 
responsibility for the competitive quality of its products. The Board 
of Tea Experts is outdated and the taxpayer's money could be more 
efficiently used elsewhere.

  Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, the FDA will 
continue to examine and sample imported tea for compliance with health 
and safety standards. The FDA will ensure that tea is held to the same 
high level of safety and quality as every other food and beverage 
entering the United States.
  I applaud the sponsors of this bill for introducing a measure which 
strikes a blow for good government by reducing an unnecessary 
regulatory burden on American industry and the lives of American 
citizens.
  I urge my colleagues to support passage of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third 
reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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