[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 40255-40257]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19705]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

7 CFR Part 1208

[FV-97-703]


Fresh Cut Flowers and Fresh Cut Greens Promotion and Information 
Order

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This document removes the requirement of the Fresh Cut Flowers 
and Fresh Cut Greens Promotion and Information Order (Order) that each 
qualified handler pays to the National PromoFlor Council (Council) an 
assessment in the amount of 0.5 percent on wholesale sales of fresh cut 
flowers and greens as specified in the Order. The remaining provisions 
of the Order and regulations issued thereunder will be terminated at a 
later date. This action is necessary because termination of the Order 
was favored by a majority of the qualified handlers voting in a 
referendum conducted from June 2 through 20, 1997.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 29, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Sonia N. Jimenez, Research and Promotion 
Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS, USDA, P.O. Box 96456, Room 
2535-S, Washington, DC 20090-6456, telephone (202) 720-9915 or (888) 
720-9917.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is issued under the Fresh Cut 
Flowers and Fresh Cut Greens Promotion and Information Act of 1993 [7 
U.S.C. 6801-6814] (Act).
    Prior documents in this proceeding: Fresh Cut Flowers and Fresh Cut 
Greens Promotion and Information Order, December 29, 1994 [59 FR 
67139]; Referendum Procedures, April 14, 1997 [62 FR 18033]; and 
Referendum Order, April 21, 1997 [62 FR 19301].
    This action has been determined to be non-significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866 and therefore has not been reviewed by OMB.
    This action has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil 
Justice Reform. It is not intended to have retroactive effect. This 
action will not preempt any State or local laws, regulations, or 
policies, unless they present an irreconcilable conflict with this 
termination order.

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    In accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act [5 U.S.C. 601 et 
seq.] (RFA), the Agricultural Marketing Service has considered the 
economic impact of this action on small entities.
    The Act, which authorizes the creation of a generic program of 
promotion and information for fresh cut flowers and greens, became 
effective on December 14, 1993.
    Section 7(a) of the Act provides that the Secretary of Agriculture 
(Secretary) shall conduct a referendum not later than 3 years after the 
issuance of an order to ascertain whether the order then in effect 
shall be continued. The Order was issued on December 29, 1994. 
Paragraph (a)(2) of Sec. 7 of the Act requires that the Order be 
approved by a simple majority of all votes cast in the referendum. In 
addition, paragraph (b) of Sec. 7 of the Act specifies that each 
qualified handler eligible to vote in the referendum shall be entitled 
to cast one vote for each separate facility of the person that is an 
eligible separate facility. The voting period for the referendum was 
June 2 through 20, 1997.
    Only those wholesale handlers (including, but not limited to, 
wholesale jobbers, bouquet and floral article manufacturers, auction 
houses that clear the sale of cut flowers and greens, and retail 
distribution centers), producers, and importers who have annual sales 
of $750,000 or more of fresh cut flowers and greens and who sell those 
products to exempt handlers, retailers, or consumers are considered 
qualified handlers and assessed under the Order.
    There are approximately 643 qualified handlers who are covered by 
the program. Small agricultural service firms, which include the 
qualified handlers covered under the Order, have been defined by the 
Small Business Administration [13 CFR 121.601] as those whose annual 
receipts are less than $5 million. Only 127 qualified handlers have 
been identified to have $5 million in annual sales.
    It is concluded that the majority of qualified handlers may be 
classified as small entities.

[[Page 40256]]

    This action terminates the requirements of the Order for qualified 
handlers to remit assessments.
    Currently, an estimated 643 qualified handlers pay about $10 
million annually. When the Order was published in the Federal Register 
on December 29, 1994, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated 
that, with regard to the RFA, although the maximum assessment 
collection was expected to total about $10 million annually, the 
economic impact of a 1.0 percent or less assessment on each qualified 
handler would not be significant. This holds true today with the 
current 0.5 percent assessment rate. Under this termination order, 
qualified handlers would no longer be required to pay assessments.
    Statistics reported by the National Agricultural Statistics Service 
show that in 1995 sales of domestic cut flowers and cut greens totaled 
approximately $521.3 million at the wholesale level. The leading 
producing states by wholesale value are California, with about 49 
percent of the total of flower and cut green production, followed by 
Florida, Colorado and Hawaii. Sales information for 1996 will not be 
available until after publication of this rule.
    The value of imports of cut flowers in 1996 was $557.7 million. 
Major countries exporting cut flowers to the United States, by value, 
are Colombia which accounts for about 66 percent of the value, followed 
by the Netherlands (10 percent), Ecuador (12 percent), Costa Rica (3 
percent), and Mexico (3 percent).
    The Act and Order also provide for refunds of assessments, under 
certain conditions, for those handlers who requested the refund before 
the initial referendum was held, and if the Order is rejected by voters 
in the referendum.
    Therefore, the exact impact of this action will vary according to 
the amount of assessments handlers have been remitting and would remit 
under the Order and whether such handlers requested a refund.
    This action will not impose any additional reporting or 
recordkeeping requirements on either large or small qualified handlers 
of cut flowers and greens.
    The Department has not identified any relevant Federal rules that 
duplicate, overlap, or conflict with this rule.

Background

    This action terminates Order requirements to pay assessments and is 
governed by Sec. 7(d) of the Act. The Act authorizes a national fresh 
cut flowers and greens promotion, research, and information program, 
also known as PromoFlor. In accordance with the Act, USDA developed and 
implemented the Order [7 CFR 1208.1-1208.85], which became effective on 
December 29, 1994.
    Section 7(a) of the Act requires that the Secretary conduct a 
referendum not later than 3 years after issuance of an order to 
determine whether qualified handlers favor continuation of the order. 
The order directing that a referendum be conducted was published in the 
Federal Register on April 21, 1997 [62 FR 19301]. The representative 
period for establishing voter eligibility for the referendum was the 
period from January 1, 1996, through December 31, 1996. A referendum 
was conducted by mail ballot from July 2 through 20, 1997. Termination 
of the Order was favored by 58 percent of the qualified handlers 
casting valid ballots in the referendum.
    Therefore, pursuant to Sec. 7(d) of the Act and Sec. 1208.60 of the 
Order, it is hereby found and determined that termination of the Order 
is favored by a majority of the qualified handlers voting in the 
referendum and that the Order should therefore be terminated.
    Section 7(d) of the Act provides that, if the Secretary determines 
that termination of the Order is favored by a majority of all votes 
cast in the referendum, the Secretary shall terminate, as appropriate 
the collection of assessments under the Order not later than 180 days 
after the referendum results are announced. Further, the Secretary is 
required to terminate, as appropriate, activities under the Order as 
soon as practicable and in an orderly manner. A separate order will be 
published in the Federal Register terminating the remaining Order 
requirements and provisions.
    In accordance with Sec. 1208.61, the Council will recommend not 
more than five of its members to the Secretary to serve as trustees for 
purposes of liquidating the assets of the Council.
    Termination of the Order and any of its provisions, including the 
requirements to remit assessments, shall not:
    (a) Affect or waive any right, duty, obligation, or liability which 
shall have arisen or which may thereafter arise in connection with any 
provision of the Order; or
    (b) Release or extinguish any violation of this Order; or
    (c) Affect or impair any rights or remedies of the United States, 
or of the Secretary, or of any other person with respect to any such 
violation.
    Section 5(h)(4) of the Act [7 U.S.C. 6804(h)(4)] provides that 
refunds of assessments shall be made out of the escrow account to those 
qualified handlers who applied for such refunds prior to the conduct of 
the referendum and submitted satisfactory proof that they paid the 
assessment for which refund is requested. If the amount in the escrow 
account is not sufficient to refund the total amount of assessments 
demanded, the amount of all such refunds shall be prorated among all 
eligible qualified handlers that demand the refunds. Section 1208.61 of 
the Order provides that refunds are to be made within 30 days of the 
date the results of the referendum are released by the Secretary.

Order

    It is therefore ordered, That the terms and provisions of Subpart A 
of the Order requiring fresh cut flowers and greens qualified handlers 
to pay an assessment used to finance the national program for fresh cut 
flowers and fresh cut greens promotion and information [7 CFR Part 
1208] are hereby terminated.
    It is also found and determined upon good cause that it is 
impracticable, unnecessary, and contrary to the public interest to give 
preliminary notice or to engage in further public procedure prior to 
putting this action 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) This action terminates 
the requirements of the Order that each qualified handler remit 
assessments; (2) termination of the Order was favored by a majority of 
qualified handlers voting in the referendum; and (3) the Act requires 
that, upon such a determination by referendum, collection of 
assessments should terminate no later than 180 days after the 
referendum.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1208

    Administrative practice and procedure, Advertising, Consumer 
information, Marketing agreements, Plants, Promotion, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements.

PART 1208--FRESH CUT FLOWERS AND FRESH CUT GREENS PROMOTION AND 
INFORMATION ORDER

Subpart A--Fresh Cut Flowers and Fresh Cut Greens Promotion and 
Information Order

    1. The authority citation for 7 CFR Part 1208 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6801 et seq.

    2. A note is added to Sec. 1208.50 to read as follows:

[[Page 40257]]

Sec. 1208.50  Assessments.

* * * * *
    Note to Sec. 1208.50: The requirement to pay assessments is 
terminated as of July 29, 1997.

    Dated: July 22, 1997.
Lon Hatamiya,
Administrator Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 97-19705 Filed 7-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P