Dairy Promotion Program Improvement Act of 1993

Summary: Dairy Promotion Program Improvement Act of 1993 - Amends the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 to increase the membership of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (the Board) by two members who shall be representatives of dairy product importers. 
Requires dairy product importers to pay an assessment to the Board. 
Prescribes guidelines under which the Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a referendum in connection with this Act. 
Sets a termination date for the assessment orders for dairy product importers. 
Prohibits the Secretary, when required to determine the approval or disapproval of individual producers, from considering the bloc-voted approval or disapproval of any cooperative association of producers.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Dairy Promotion Program Improvement 
Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. FUNDING OF DAIRY PROMOTION AND RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) Declaration of Policy.--The first sentence of section 110(b) of 
the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 4501(b)) is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting after ``commercial use'' the following: 
        ``and on imported dairy products''; and
            (2) by striking ``products produced in'' and inserting 
        ``products produced in or imported into''.
    (b) Definitions.--Section 111 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 4502) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subsection (k);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of subsection (l) and 
        inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subsections:
            ``(m) the term `imported dairy product' means--
                    ``(1) any dairy product, including milk and cream 
                and fresh and dried dairy products;
                    ``(2) butter and butterfat mixtures;
                    ``(3) cheese;
                    ``(4) casein and mixtures; and
                    ``(5) other dairy products,
        that are imported into the United States; and
            ``(n) the term `importer' means a person that imports an 
        imported dairy product into the United States.''.
    (c) Funding.--
            (1) Representation on board.--Section 113(b) of such Act (7 
        U.S.C. 4504(b)) is amended--
                    (A) by designating the first through ninth 
                sentences as paragraphs (1) through (5) and paragraphs 
                (7) through (10), respectively;
                    (B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 
                striking ``thirty-six'' and inserting ``38'';
                    (C) in paragraph (2) (as so designated), by 
                striking ``Members'' and inserting ``Of the members of 
                the Board, 36 members''; and
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (5) (as so 
                designated) the following new paragraph:
    ``(6) Of the members of the Board, 2 members shall be 
representatives of importers of imported dairy products. The importer 
representatives shall be appointed by the Secretary from nominations 
submitted by importers under such procedures as the Secretary 
determines to be appropriate.''.
            (2) Assessment.--Section 113(g) of such Act is amended--
                    (A) by designating the first through fifth 
                sentences as paragraphs (1) through (5), respectively; 
                and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
    ``(6)(A) The order shall provide that each importer of imported 
dairy products shall pay an assessment to the Board in the manner 
prescribed by the order.
    ``(B) The rate of assessment on imported dairy products shall be 
determined in the same manner as the rate of assessment per 
hundredweight or the equivalent of milk.
    ``(C) For the purpose of determining the assessment on imports 
under subparagraph (B), the value to be placed on imported dairy 
products shall be established by the Secretary in a fair and equitable 
manner.''.
            (3) Records.--The first sentence of section 113(k) of such 
        Act is amended by striking ``person receiving'' and inserting 
        ``importer of imported dairy products, each person''.
            (4) Referendum.--Section 116 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 4507) is 
        amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d)(1) On the request of a representative group comprising 10 
percent or more of the number of producers subject to the order, the 
Secretary shall--
            ``(A) conduct a referendum to determine whether the 
        producers favor suspension of the application of the amendments 
        made by section 2 of the Dairy Promotion Program Improvement 
        Act of 1993; and
            ``(B) suspend the application of the amendments until the 
        results of the referendum are known.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall continue the suspension of the 
application of the amendments made by section 2 only if the Secretary 
determines that suspension of the application of the amendments is 
favored by a majority of the producers voting in the referendum who, 
during a representative period (as determined by the Secretary), have 
been engaged in the production of milk for commercial use.''.

SEC. 3. TERMINATION OF DAIRY PROMOTION AND RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    Section 116 of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (7 
U.S.C. 4507) (as amended by section 2(c)(4)) is further amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e)(1) On December 31, 1996, the Secretary shall terminate the 
order issued under this Act (including the collection of assessments 
under the order).
    ``(2) As soon as practicable after the date referred to in 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall terminate activities under the order 
in an orderly manner.''.

SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON BLOC VOTING.

    Section 117 of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (7 
U.S.C. 4508) is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence, by striking ``Secretary shall'' 
        and inserting ``Secretary shall not''; and
            (2) by striking the second through fifth sentences.