[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 2, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H845-H846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            EXPORT APPLE ACT

  Mr. COMBEST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 609) to amend the Export Apple and Pear Act to limit the 
applicability of the Act to apples.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 609

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

     SECTION 1. SCOPE OF EXPORT APPLE AND PEAR ACT.

       (a) Short Title.--The Act of June 10, 1933 (7 U.S.C. 581 et 
     seq.; commonly known as the Export Apple and Pear Act), is 
     amended by adding at the end the following new section:
       ``Sec. 11. This Act may be cited as the `Export Apple 
     Act'.''.
       (b) Definition of Apples.--Section 9 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 
     589) is amended by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 
     following new paragraph:
       ``(4) The term `apples' means fresh whole apples, whether 
     or not the apples have been in storage.''.
       (c) Elimination of References to Pears.--Such Act is 
     further amended--
       (1) by striking ``and/or pears'' each place it appears in 
     the first section and sections 5 and 6; and
       (2) by striking ``or pears'' each place it appears in the 
     first section and sections 2, 3, and 4.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Combest) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest).
  Mr. COMBEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the Export Apple Act replaces the Export Apple and Pear 
Act, which was enacted on June 10, 1933. Currently, this 66-year-old 
legislation requires that apples and pears meet certain standards prior 
to export in order to ensure only high-quality U.S. fruit moves into 
foreign commerce.
  H.R. 609 amends the 1933 act by removing pears from the language, and 
it will be permitting the means to increase the export of pears.
  H.R. 609, which is sponsored by the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. 
Walden) removes pears from the act, thereby allowing U.S. exporters 
greater flexibility in the changing international marketplace and the 
opportunity to increase exports by gaining a foothold in emerging 
markets.
  The USDA has advised the committee that mandatory Federal quality

[[Page H846]]

standards for pears are no longer needed to assure the high quality of 
exporting pears. The USDA supports enactment of H.R. 609. As world 
economies improve and areas of trade continue to decrease, new market 
opportunities for fresh pears arise. In order to provide the 
flexibility to meet the requirements of these new opportunities, H.R. 
609 should be passed, and I would urge that my colleagues support this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 609, which updates the Apple 
and Pear Export Act. For many years, the Apple and Pear Export Act 
served pear growers well by ensuring a quality product to consumers 
overseas. The pear industry is now seeking greater flexibility to sell 
its product in emerging markets around the world.

                              {time}  1330

  Recently, the sale of 200,000 cartons of pears to Russia was made 
possible by a January, 1997, amendment to the act that allowed for the 
shipment of a more competitive grade of pears to that country. Our 
farmers are increasingly dependent on foreign markets. It is therefore 
essential that regulations governing the agricultural industry be 
designed to help producers compete in those markets.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this regulatory 
improvement that will give pear growers greater flexibility to market 
their product.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COMBEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), the gentleman who sponsored this 
bill and has done a great job in just a few weeks of getting this bill 
moved forward. We appreciate and commend his work.
  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas 
(Chairman Combest) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) for 
their support of this legislation, and I appreciate the opportunity to 
speak on this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 609 will help expand export markets for our 
Nation's pear growers. The Export Apple and Pear Act passed in 1933 
required that apples and pears meet certain standards prior to export 
to ensure that only the top quality pears and apples were exported.
  The United States Department of Agriculture has stated that, because 
of private contractual arrangements between buyers and sellers, 
increasingly those arrangements are controlling the quality of U.S. 
pear exports. The USDA believes that mandatory Federal quality 
standards, as currently established under the act, are no longer needed 
to assure the high quality of exported pears.
  As new markets have opened up in the last decade, opportunities for 
sale of lower grade and less expensive pears have arisen. Because of 
the 1933 act, U.S. producers and exporters of pears have been unable to 
meet the demand for lower grade pears in other countries without 
receiving a waiver of the act from USDA.
  The pear industry has on two occasions over the past decade 
petitioned and received a waiver from the USDA to sell non-U.S. Grade 
Number One and Fancy Grade winter pears in the emerging markets of 
Central and South America and Russia. The waiver for Russia allowed the 
industry to sell 200,000 cartons of pears to that Nation in 1997. Past 
experience indicates that when these markets can afford it, they will 
move on to purchase our higher grade fruit.
  As world economies improve and barriers to trade continue to 
decrease, new market opportunities for fresh pears arise. This 
legislation will allow our pear growers to get a foothold in emerging 
foreign markets. In order to provide the flexibility to meet the 
requirements of these two opportunities without having to seek new 
exemptions, the fresh pear industry is seeking to be removed from the 
1933 Export Apple and Pear Act.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation, as I mentioned, has the support of the 
USDA, pear industry and is not opposed by the apple industry. 
Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office has determined that this 
legislation would not impose any costs on the Federal Government. H.R. 
609 is sound policy that allows U.S. pear growers and exporters the 
flexibility to compete in emerging foreign markets.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important 
legislation to our pear growers, especially those of the Northwest, and 
I commend and thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest) and the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) of the House Committee on 
Agriculture for passage of this measure to the floor.
  Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COMBEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 609.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. COMBEST. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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