[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 27, 1995)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 49749-49751]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-23898]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
7 CFR Part 993
[Docket No. FV95-993-1FIR]
Dried Prunes Produced in California; Expenses and Assessment Rate
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture (Department) is adopting as
[[Page 49750]]
a final rule, without change, the provisions of an interim final rule
that authorized expenses and established an assessment rate that
generated funds to pay those expenses under Marketing Order No. 993 for
the 1995-96 crop year. Authorization of this budget enables the Prune
Marketing 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.
EFFECTIVE DATE: August 1, 1995, through July 31, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martha Sue Clark, Marketing Order
Administration Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS, USDA, P.O.
Box 96456, room 2523-S, Washington, DC 20090-6456, telephone 202-720-
9918; or Richard P. Van Diest, California Marketing Field Office, Fruit
and Vegetable Division, AMS, USDA, suite 102B, 2202 Monterey Street,
Fresno, California 93721, telephone 209-487-5901.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This rule is issued under Marketing
Agreement and Order No. 993, both as amended (7 CFR part 993),
regulating the handling of dried prunes produced in California. The
marketing agreement and order are 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 is issuing this rule in conformance with Executive
Order 12866.
This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12778, Civil
Justice Reform. Under the provisions of the marketing order now in
effect, California prunes are subject to assessments. It is intended
that the assessment rate as issued herein will be applicable to all
assessable prunes handled during the 1995-96 crop year, which began
August 1, 1995, and ends July 31, 1996. This final 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 608c(15)(A) of the
Act, any handler subject to an order may file with the Secretary a
petition stating that the order, any provisions 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 the date of the entry of the ruling.
Pursuant to the 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 the 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 1,360 producers of California dried prunes
under this marketing order, and approximately 20 handlers. 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. The majority of
California dried prune producers and handlers may be classified as
small entities.
The budget of expenses for the 1995-96 crop year was prepared by
the Prune Marketing Committee, the agency responsible for local
administration of the marketing order, and submitted to the Department
of Agriculture for approval. The members of the Committee are producers
and handlers of California dried prunes. They are familiar with the
Committee's needs and with the costs of goods and services in their
local area and are thus in a position to formulate an appropriate
budget. The budget was formulated and discussed in a public meeting.
Thus, all directly affected persons have had an opportunity to
participate and provide input.
The assessment rate recommended by the Committee was derived by
dividing anticipated expenses by expected shipments of dried California
prunes. Because that rate will be applied to actual shipments, it must
be established at a rate that will provide sufficient income to pay the
Committee's expenses.
The Committee met June 22, 1995, and unanimously recommended a
1995-96 budget of $275,280, $5,080 more than the previous year. Budget
items for 1995-96 which have increased compared to those budgeted for
1994-95 (in parentheses) are: Executive salaries, $87,980 ($83,850),
clerical salaries, $19,440 ($18,650), office rent, $22,000 ($21,500),
postage and messenger, $5,500 ($5,000), rental of equipment, $3,000
($500), purchase of equipment, $5,000 ($4,500), acreage survey, $10,500
($10,000), and reserve for contingencies, $19,310 ($19,250). Items
which have decreased compared to the amount budgeted for 1994-95 (in
parentheses) are: Employee benefits, $15,400 ($15,800), repairs and
maintenance, $3,000 ($4,000), stationery and printing, $4,000 ($6,500),
and Committee travel, $9,000 ($9,500). All other items are budgeted at
last year's amounts.
The Committee also unanimously recommended an assessment rate of
$1.55 per salable ton, $0.05 less than the previous year. This rate,
when applied to anticipated shipments of 177,600 salable tons, will
yield $275,280 in assessment income, which will be adequate to cover
budgeted expenses. Any funds not expended by the Committee during a
crop year may be used, pursuant to Sec. 993.81(c), for a period of five
months subsequent to that crop year. At the end of such period, the
excess funds are returned or credited to handlers.
An interim final rule was published in the Federal Register on
August 1, 1995 (60 FR 19107). That interim final rule added
Sec. 993.346 to authorize expenses and establish an assessment rate for
the Committee. That rule provided that interested persons could file
comments through August 31, 1995. No comments were received.
While this action will impose some additional costs on handlers,
the costs are in the form of uniform assessments on handlers. Some of
the additional costs may be passed on to producers. However, these
costs will be offset by the benefits derived by 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 matter presented, including the
information and recommendations submitted by the Committee and other
available information, it is hereby found that this rule, as
hereinafter set forth, will tend to effectuate the declared policy of
the Act.
It is further found that good cause exists for not postponing the
effective
[[Page 49751]]
date of this rule until 30 days after publication in the Federal
Register (5 U.S.C. 553) because the Committee needs to have sufficient
funds to pay its expenses which are incurred on a continuous basis. The
1995-96 crop year began on August 1, 1995. The marketing order requires
that the rate of assessment for the crop year apply to all assessable
California prunes handled during the crop year. In addition, handlers
are aware of this rule which was recommended by the Committee at a
public meeting and published in the Federal Register as an interim
final rule.
List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 993
Marketing agreements, Plums, Prunes, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, 7 CFR part 993 is
amended as follows:
PART 993--DRIED PRUNES PRODUCED IN CALIFORNIA
Accordingly, the interim final rule adding Sec. 993.346 which was
published at 60 FR 39107 on August 1, 1995, is adopted as a final rule
without change.
Dated: September 20, 1995.
Sharon Bomer Lauritsen,
Deputy Director, Fruit and Vegetable Division.
[FR Doc. 95-23898 Filed 9-26-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P