[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 124 (Wednesday, June 28, 1995)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 33329-33330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-15859]



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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service

7 CFR Part 905

[Docket No. FV95-905-2IFR]


Oranges, Grapefruit, Tangerines, and Tangelos Grown in Florida; 
Expenses and Assessment Rate for 1995-96 Fiscal Year

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Interim final rule with request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This interim final rule authorizes expenses and establishes an 
assessment rate for the 1995-96 fiscal year under Marketing Order No. 
905. Authorization of this budget enables the Citrus Administrative 
Committee (Committee) to incur expenses that are reasonable and 
necessary to administer the program. Funds to administer this program 
are derived from assessments on handlers.

DATES: Effective August 1, 1995, through July 31, 1996. Comments 
received by July 28, 1995, will be considered prior to any finalization 
on this interim final rule.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning this rule to: Docket Clerk, Fruit and Vegetable Division, 
AMS, USDA, P.O. Box 96456, room 2523-S, Washington, DC 20090-6456 or by 
Fax: (202) 720-5698. Three copies of all written material shall be 
submitted, and they will be made available for public inspection in the 
office of the Docket Clerk during regular business hours. All comments 
should reference the docket number, date, and page number of this issue 
of the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Caroline C. Thorpe, Marketing Order 
Administration Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS, USDA, P.O. 
Box 96456, room 2525-S, Washington, DC 20090-6456; telephone: (202) 
720-5127; or William Pimenthal, Southeast Marketing Field Office, Fruit 
& Vegetable Division, AMS, USDA, P.O. Box 2276, Winter Haven, Florida 
33883-2276; telephone: (813) 299-4770.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This interim final rule is issued under 
Marketing Agreement and Marketing Order No. 905 (7 CFR part 905), as 
amended, regulating the handling of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, 
and tangelos grown in Florida, hereinafter referred to as the order. 
The order is effective under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act 
of 1937, as amended [7 U.S.C. 601-674], hereinafter referred to as the 
Act.
    The Department of Agriculture (Department) is issuing this rule in 
conformance with Executive Order 12866.
    This interim final rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 
12778, Civil Justice Reform. Under the marketing order provisions now 
in effect, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos grown in 
Florida are subject to assessments. It is intended that the assessment 
rate as issued herein will be applicable to all assessable citrus fruit 
during the 1995-96 fiscal year, beginning August 1, 1995, through July 
31, 1996. This rule will not preempt any State or local laws, 
regulations, or policies, unless they present an irreconcilable 
conflict with this rule.
    The Act provides that administrative proceedings must be exhausted 
before parties may file suit in court. Under section 8c(15)(A) of the 
Act, any handler subject to an order may file with the Secretary a 
petition stating that the order, any provision of the order, or any 
obligation imposed in connection with the order is not in accordance 
with law and requesting a modification of the order or to be exempted 
therefrom. Such handler is afforded the opportunity for a hearing on 
the petition. After the hearing the Secretary would rule on the 
petition. The Act provides that the district court of the United States 
in any district in which the handler is an inhabitant, or has his or 
her principal place of business, has jurisdiction in equity to review 
the Secretary's ruling on the petition, provided a bill in equity is 
filed not later than 20 days after date of the entry of the ruling.
    Pursuant to requirements set forth in the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act (RFA), the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service 
(AMS) has considered the economic impact of this rule on small 
entities.
    The purpose of the RFA is to fit regulatory actions to the scale of 
business subject to such actions in order that small businesses will 
not be unduly or disproportionately burdened. Marketing orders issued 
pursuant to the Act, and rules issued thereunder, are unique in that 
they are brought about through group action of essentially small 
entities acting on their own behalf. Thus, both statutes have small 
entity orientation and compatibility.
    There are approximately 100 citrus handlers subject to regulation 
under the marketing order covering fresh oranges, grapefruit, 
tangerines, and tangelos grown in Florida, and approximately 10,200 
producers of these fruits in Florida. Small agricultural producers have 
been defined by the Small Business Administration (13 CFR 121.601) as 
those having annual receipts of less than $500,000, and small 
agricultural service firms are defined as those whose annual receipts 
are less than $5,000,000. A minority of these handlers and a majority 
of these producers may be classified as small entities.
    This marketing order, administered by the Department, requires that 
the assessment rate for a particular fiscal period shall apply to all 
assessable citrus fruit handled from the beginning of such period. An 
annual budget of expenses and assessment rate is prepared by the 
Committee and submitted to the Department for [[Page 33330]] approval. 
The Committee members are handlers and producers of Florida citrus. 
They are familiar with the Committee's needs and with the costs for 
goods, services, and personnel in their local area and are thus in a 
position to formulate appropriate budgets. The budget is formulated and 
discussed in public meetings. Thus, all directly affected persons have 
an opportunity to participate and provide input.
    The assessment rate recommended by the Committee is derived by 
dividing anticipated expenses by the expected cartons (\4/5\ bushels) 
of fruit shipped. Because that rate is applied to actual shipments, it 
must be established at a rate which will produce sufficient income to 
pay the Committee's expected expenses. The annual budget and assessment 
rate are usually recommended by the Committee shortly before a season 
starts, and expenses are incurred on a continuous basis. Therefore, 
budget and assessment rate approvals must be expedited so that the 
Committee will have funds to pay its expenses.
    The Committee met May 23, 1995, and unanimously recommended 
expenses of $215,000 for the 1995-96 fiscal year, with an assessment 
rate of $0.00325 per \4/5\ bushel carton of fresh fruit shipped.
    In comparison, 1994-95 budget expenses were $210,000 with an 
approved assessment of $0.003. Thus, for the 1995-96 fiscal year, 
expenses are being increased $5,000 and the assessment rate is being 
increased $0.00025 from the levels established in 1994-95.
    The assessment rate, when applied to anticipated shipments of 
66,000,000 cartons of assessable fruit, will yield a total of $214,500 
in assessment income. Interest income for 1995-96 is estimated at 
$3,500. Income will be adequate to cover budgeted expenses. Funds in 
the reserve at the end of the 1995-96 fiscal year, estimated at 
$100,000, will be within the maximum permitted by the order of 
approximately one-half of one fiscal year's expenses.
    Major expense categories for the 1995-96 fiscal year include 
$101,740 for salaries, $36,000 for the Manifest Department, and $13,350 
for insurance and bonds.
    While this action will impose some additional costs on handlers, 
the costs are in the form of uniform assessments on all handlers. Some 
of the additional costs may be passed on to producers. However, these 
costs will be offset by the benefits derived from the operation of the 
marketing order. Therefore, the Administrator of the AMS has determined 
that this action will not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities.
    After consideration of all relevant material presented, including 
the information and recommendation submitted by the Committee and other 
available information, it is hereby found that this interim final rule, 
as hereinafter set forth, will tend to effectuate the declared policy 
of the Act.
    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553, it is also found and determined upon good 
cause that it is impracticable, unnecessary, and contrary to the public 
interest to give preliminary notice prior to putting this rule into 
effect, and that good cause exists for not postponing the effective 
date of this action until 30 days after publication in the Federal 
Register because: (1) The Committee needs to have sufficient funds to 
pay its expenses which are incurred on a continuous basis; (2) the 
1995-96 fiscal year begins on August 1, 1995, and the marketing order 
requires that the rate of assessment for the fiscal year apply to all 
assessable oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos handled during 
the fiscal year; (3) handlers are aware of this action which was 
unanimously recommended by the Committee at a public meeting and is 
similar to other budget actions issued in past years; and (4) this 
interim final rule provides a 30-day comment period, and all comments 
timely received will be considered prior to finalization of this 
action.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 905

    Grapefruit, Marketing agreements, Oranges, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Tangelos, Tangerines.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, 7 CFR part 905 is 
amended as follows:

PART 905--ORANGES, GRAPEFRUIT, TANGERINES, AND TANGELOS GROWN IN 
FLORIDA

    1. The authority citation for 7 CFR part 905 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 601-674.

    Note: This section will not appear in the Code of Federal 
Regulations.

    2. A new Sec. 905.234 is added to read as follows:


Sec. 905.234  Expenses and assessment rate.

    Expenses of $215,000 by the Citrus Administrative Committee are 
authorized and an assessment rate of $0.00325 per \4/5\ bushel carton 
of assessable fruit is established for the fiscal year ending July 31, 
1996. Any unexpended funds may be carried over as a reserve.

    Dated: June 22, 1995.
Sharon Bomer Lauritsen,
Deputy Director, Fruit and Vegetable Division.
[FR Doc. 95-15859 Filed 6-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P