[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 15, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6706-H6707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1220
MANDATORY PRICE REPORTING ACT OF 2010
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (S. 3656) to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946
to improve the reporting on sales of livestock and dairy products, and
for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 3656
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 ``Mandatory Price Reporting
Act of 2010''.
SEC. 2. LIVESTOCK MANDATORY REPORTING.
(a) Extension of Authority.--
(1) In general.--Section 260 of the Agricultural Marketing
Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1636i) is amended by striking
``September 30, 2010'' and inserting ``September 30, 2015''.
(2) Conforming amendment and extension.--Section 942 of the
Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 (7 U.S.C. 1635
note; Public Law 106-78) is amended by striking ``September
30, 2010'' and inserting ``September 30, 2015''.
(b) Wholesale Pork Cuts.--
(1) Reporting.--Chapter 3 of subtitle B of the Agricultural
Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1635i et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 233. MANDATORY REPORTING OF WHOLESALE PORK CUTS.
``(a) Reporting.--The corporate officers or officially
designated representatives of each packer shall report to the
Secretary information concerning the price and volume of
wholesale pork cuts, as the Secretary determines is necessary
and appropriate.
``(b) Publication.--The Secretary shall publish information
reported under subsection (a) as the Secretary determines
necessary and appropriate.''.
(2) Negotiated rulemaking.--The Secretary of Agriculture
shall establish a negotiated rulemaking process pursuant to
subchapter III of chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code,
to negotiate and develop a proposed rule to implement the
amendment made by paragraph (1).
(3) Negotiated rulemaking committee.--
(A) Representation.--Any negotiated rulemaking committee
established by the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to
paragraph (2) shall include representatives from--
(i) organizations representing swine producers;
(ii) organizations representing packers of pork, processors
of pork, retailers of pork, and buyers of wholesale pork;
(iii) the Department of Agriculture; and
(iv) among interested parties that participate in swine or
pork production.
(B) Inapplicability of federal advisory committee act.--Any
negotiated rulemaking committee established by the Secretary
of Agriculture pursuant to paragraph (2) shall not be subject
to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
(4) Timing of proposed and final rules.--In carrying out
the negotiated rulemaking process under paragraph (2), the
Secretary of Agriculture shall ensure that--
(A) any recommendation for a proposed rule or report is
provided to the Secretary of Agriculture not later than 180
days after the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(B) a final rule is promulgated not later than one and a
half years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) Pork Export Reporting.--Section 602(a)(1) of the
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5712(a)(1)) is
amended by striking ``cotton,'' and inserting ``cotton,
pork,''.
[[Page H6707]]
SEC. 3. DAIRY MANDATORY REPORTING.
(a) Electronic Reporting Required.--Subsection (d) of
section 273 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7
U.S.C. 1637b) is amended to read as follows:
``(d) Electronic Reporting.--
``(1) Electronic reporting system required.--The Secretary
shall establish an electronic reporting system to carry out
this section.
``(2) Publication.--Not later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
on the Wednesday of each week, the Secretary shall publish a
report containing the information obtained under this section
for the preceding week.''.
(b) Implementation.--Not later than one year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall
implement the electronic reporting system required by
subsection (d) of section 273 of the Agricultural Marketing
Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1637b), as amended by subsection (a).
Until the electronic reporting system is implemented, the
Secretary shall continue to conduct mandatory dairy product
information reporting under the authority of such section, as
in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this
Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Scott) and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
General Leave
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks on the bill, S. 3656.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
The Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 2010 will authorize for 5 years
the mandatory price reporting programs run by the United States
Department of Agriculture. This act requires sales information to be
reported and published in a timely fashion, allowing livestock buyers
and sellers to make more informed decisions.
The Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 2010 adds mandatory reporting
for wholesale pork cuts and pork exports. It also requires USDA to
establish an electronic reporting system for dairy products so that
price information is made available more quickly.
Madam Speaker, reauthorizing mandatory price reporting programs
provides producers with the transparent, accurate and timely market
information they need. I urge passage of the Mandatory Price Reporting
Act of 2010.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LUCAS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, S. 3656, the Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 2010, is
a straightforward, 5-year reauthorization of a program that began with
passage of the original legislation in 1999. The original act came as a
result of many months of negotiations between a broad array of industry
participants and required packers to report livestock purchase prices
to USDA's Agriculture Marketing Service. Both producers and packers
agree that mandatory price reporting plays an important role in
transparent, accurate and timely decision-making for participants in
today's livestock markets.
This program was last reauthorized during the 109th Congress. As with
that original legislation and subsequent reauthorizations or
amendments, S. 3656 represents a consensus view of many producer and
packer interests with a direct stake in the reporting program. Anyone
familiar with animal agriculture knows how challenging it can be to
have this many competing interests--from producers to processors--
achieve an agreement.
S. 3656 will make some small changes to the existing reporting
program. First, reporting of wholesale pork cuts will be required for
the first time. The details of this new rule will be worked out in the
rulemaking process. Second, there will now be reporting on a weekly
basis of pork exports. Finally, the legislation directs the Secretary
to implement an electronic system of dairy price reporting in the
absence of an appropriation for this purpose.
Companion legislation, H.R. 5852, passed the House Agriculture
Committee on July 28. Since mandatory price reporting expires on
September 30, it is timely that we are acting today. I advocate passage
of the legislation.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass
this very timely and needed bill to modernize our marketing system and
to bring transparency to our buyers and purchasers within our livestock
industry and within the animal agriculture industry. It is important
for our Nation.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, S. 3656.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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