[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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