[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 91 (Tuesday, June 9, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H3929-H3931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MANDATORY PRICE REPORTING ACT OF 2015

  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2051) to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to 
extend the livestock mandatory price reporting requirements, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2051

       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 2015''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF LIVESTOCK MANDATORY REPORTING.

       (a) Extension of Authority.--Section 260 of the 
     Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1636i) is 
     amended by striking ``September 30, 2015'' and inserting 
     ``September 30, 2020''.
       (b) Emergency Authority.--Section 212(12)(C) of the 
     Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1635a(12)(C)) is 
     amended by inserting ``, including any day on which any 
     Department employee is on shutdown or emergency furlough as a 
     result of a lapse in appropriations'' after ``conduct 
     business''.
       (c) Conforming Amendment.--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, 2015'' and 
     inserting ``September 30, 2020''.

     SEC. 3. SWINE REPORTING.

       (a) Definitions.--Section 231 of the Agricultural Marketing 
     Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1635i) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraphs (9) through (22) as 
     paragraphs (10) through (23), respectively;
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(9) Negotiated formula purchase.--The term `negotiated 
     formula purchase' means a purchase of swine by a packer from 
     a producer under which--
       ``(A) the pricing mechanism is a formula price for which 
     the formula is determined by negotiation on a lot-by-lot 
     basis; and
       ``(B) the swine are scheduled for delivery to the packer 
     not later than 14 days after the date on which the formula is 
     negotiated and swine are committed to the packer.'';
       (3) in paragraph (12)(A) (as so redesignated), by inserting 
     ``negotiated formula purchase,'' after ``pork market formula 
     purchase,''; and
       (4) in paragraph (23) (as so redesignated)--
       (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;

[[Page H3930]]

       (B) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (E); 
     and
       (C) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new 
     subparagraph:
       ``(D) a negotiated formula purchase; and''.
       (b) Daily Reporting.--Section 232(c) of the Agricultural 
     Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1635j(c)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)(D), by striking clause (ii) and 
     inserting the following new clause:
       ``(ii) Price distributions.--The information published by 
     the Secretary under clause (i) shall include--

       ``(I) a distribution of net prices in the range between and 
     including the lowest net price and the highest net price 
     reported;
       ``(II) a delineation of the number of barrows and gilts at 
     each reported price level or, at the option of the Secretary, 
     the number of barrows and gilts within each of a series of 
     reasonable price bands within the range of prices; and
       ``(III) the total number and weighted average price of 
     barrows and gilts purchased through negotiated purchases and 
     negotiated formula purchases.''; and

       (2) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the following 
     new subparagraph:
       ``(C) Late in the day report information.--The Secretary 
     shall include in the morning report and the afternoon report 
     for the following day any information required to be reported 
     under subparagraph (A) that is obtained after the time of the 
     reporting day specified in such subparagraph.''.

     SEC. 4. LAMB REPORTING.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall revise section 
     59.300 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, so that--
       (1) the definition of the term ``importer''--
       (A) includes only those importers that imported an average 
     of 1,000 metric tons of lamb meat products per year during 
     the immediately preceding 4 calendar years; and
       (B) may include any person that does not meet the 
     requirement referred to in subparagraph (A), if the Secretary 
     determines that the person should be considered an importer 
     based on their volume of lamb imports; and
       (2) the definition of the term ``packer''--
       (A) applies to any entity with 50 percent or more ownership 
     in a facility;
       (B) includes a federally inspected lamb processing plant 
     which slaughtered or processed the equivalent of an average 
     of 35,000 head of lambs per year during the immediately 
     preceding 5 calendar years; and
       (C) may include any other lamb processing plant that did 
     not meet the requirement referred to in subparagraph (B), if 
     the Secretary determines that the processing plant should be 
     considered a packer after considering its capacity.

     SEC. 5. STUDY ON LIVESTOCK MANDATORY REPORTING.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting 
     through the Agricultural Marketing Service in conjunction 
     with the Office of the Chief Economist and in consultation 
     with cattle, swine, and lamb producers, packers, and other 
     market participants, shall conduct a study on the program of 
     information regarding the marketing of cattle, swine, lambs, 
     and products of such livestock under subtitle B of the 
     Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1635 et seq.). 
     Such study shall--
       (1) analyze current marketing practices in the cattle, 
     swine, and lamb markets;
       (2) identify legislative or regulatory recommendations made 
     by cattle, swine, and lamb producers, packers, and other 
     market participants to ensure that information provided under 
     such program--
       (A) can be readily understood by producers, packers, and 
     other market participants;
       (B) reflects current marketing practices; and
       (C) is relevant and useful to producers, packers, and other 
     market participants;
       (3) analyze the price and supply information reporting 
     services of the Department of Agriculture related to cattle, 
     swine, and lamb; and
       (4) address any other issues that the Secretary considers 
     appropriate.
       (b) Report.--Not later than January 1, 2020, the Secretary 
     of Agriculture shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture 
     of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
     Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report 
     containing the findings of the study conducted under 
     subsection (a).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Conaway) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
and I rise in support of H.R. 2051, the Mandatory Price Reporting Act 
of 2015.
  I want to begin by thanking my colleagues on the Agriculture 
Committee, Ranking Member Peterson and Congressman Rouzer, for joining 
me in introducing this legislation. I am especially appreciative of Mr. 
Rouzer's work as subcommittee chairman in holding a hearing to foster 
discussions that led to this important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2051 is a bill to reauthorize the Livestock 
Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999. This bill, like the underlying act and 
each subsequent reauthorization, has been the result of dialogue and 
consensus between livestock producers and other industry participants.
  I would like to extend my gratitude to our Nation's livestock 
producers, capably represented by their trade associations--the 
National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the National Pork Producers 
Council, and the American Sheep Industry Association--for their hard 
work and dedication on this effort.
  We fully understand that government mandates, like price reporting, 
can be onerous, and that not all industry participants may fully 
embrace this program.
  That said, it is apparent that over the preceding 16 years, mandatory 
reporting has become an essential tool that allows for greater 
transparency and price discovery within the livestock industry, 
especially as the industry continues to evolve.
  This reauthorization contains a number of industry-specific 
modifications proposed by the pork producers and sheep producers. We, 
likewise, include a provision that responds generally to industry 
concern regarding USDA's arbitrary decision to shut this mandatory 
program down for several days during the lapse in appropriations that 
occurred in 2013, while other mandatory programs were deemed essential.
  Following extensive negotiations, the cattlemen have opted to support 
a simple reauthorization without any statutory modifications. I 
appreciate their hard work and look forward to continuing to work with 
them on future improvements that they may choose to pursue.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a simple, bipartisan reauthorization that 
represents consensus among industry participants. I urge Members to 
support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of the Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 2015.
  Mr. Speaker, I would say let's hope that what you see is a pattern 
developing here: smart, bipartisan legislation passed in a timely 
fashion to make sure this country's business goes on uninterrupted.
  You heard it from the chairman, these programs are important for 
producers, who rely on access to transparent, accurate, and timely 
market information. The bill makes an important change to mandatory 
price reporting by making it an ``essential'' government program.
  As you also heard, the 2013 government shutdown disrupted price 
reporting. This designation will ensure that, if we ever find ourselves 
in that situation again, price reporting will continue on. This is the 
very least we can do for the hard-working folks who are out there. It 
gives our producers the certainty that it will be there. It is the 
right thing to do. Again, it is smart; it is bipartisan; it is timely. 
And I would urge my colleagues not only to support this, but to make 
this a habit in much of what we do.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer), chairman of the Subcommittee on Livestock 
and Foreign Agriculture.
  Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for his good 
and hard work on this important piece of legislation.
  As chairman of the Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee in 
which the Mandatory Price Reporting Act originated, I too want to thank 
the stakeholders for their hard work in coming together on the 
provisions of this bill.
  Mandatory price reporting was developed in response to changing 
markets, with an increasing number of animals being sold with little 
information publicly accessible. As these structural changes continued, 
livestock producers requested that price reporting be made mandatory.
  Even today, livestock markets are continuing to evolve, and it was 
the

[[Page H3931]]

goal and intent of the committee to bring all parties together to 
strike a balance that promotes fairness, transparency, and stability in 
the market. No one knows how to make this process work better than 
those directly involved, and I appreciate the willingness of these 
stakeholders to work together with the committee to craft this 
legislation.
  I also look forward to working with our Senate colleagues to continue 
the tradition of a healthy dialogue between both Chambers of Congress, 
producers, and packers on this reauthorization so that we can make sure 
that the requested modifications are executed as smoothly as possible.
  In closing, I would like to again thank Chairman Conaway, Ranking 
Member Collin Peterson, and the committee staff for their tremendous 
help and guidance.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend this legislation to my colleagues, and I 
appreciate their support.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of the time.
  Mr. Speaker, I too want to thank my colleagues across the aisle as 
well as colleagues on the committee with me, but I also was remiss 
earlier in not thanking the dedicated staff of the Ag Committee that 
worked on the grain standards bill and the group that has worked on 
this one as well.
  We are blessed. Our country is blessed to have dedicated 
professionals on both sides of the aisle and the committee staff who do 
a great job working together, trying to avoid the kind of partisanship 
that sometimes permeates this body.
  Again, I rise in support of this mandatory price reporting 
reauthorization. I will remind my colleagues that this does not expire 
until September 30 of this year. We are actually ahead of the curve and 
would commend this process to the House on other important issues like 
that. I ask my colleagues to support the bill.
  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. Conaway) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 2051, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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