103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1766

AN ACT

To amend the Lime Research, Promotion, and

and for other purposes.and to alter the composition of the Lime Board,tion level, to delay the initial referendum date,less and not seeded limes, to increase the exempConsumer Information Act of 1990 to cover seed-
103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1766

AN ACT

To amend the Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer

Information Act of 1990 to cover seedless and not seeded

limes, to increase the exemption level, to delay the initial

referendum date, and to alter the composition of the

Lime Board, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lime Research, Pro3 motion, and Consumer Information Improvement Act’’.

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:

6 (1) The Lime Research, Promotion, and

7 Consumer Information Act of 1990 was enacted on

8 November 28, 1990, for the purpose of establishing

9 an orderly procedure for the development and fi10 nancing of an effective and coordinated program of

11 research, promotion, and consumer information to

12 strengthen the domestic and foreign markets for

13 limes.

14 (2) The lime research, promotion, and

15 consumer information order required by such Act be16 came effective on January 27, 1992.

17 (3) Although the intent of such Act was to

18 cover seedless limes, the definition of the term

19 ‘‘lime’’ in section 1953(6) of such Act applies to

20 seeded limes. Therefore, the Act and the order need

21 to be revised before a research, promotion, and

22 consumer information program on seedless limes can

23 go into effect.

24 (4) Since the enactment of the Lime Research,

25 Promotion, and Consumer Information Act of 1990,

26 the United States production of fresh market limes
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1 has plummeted and the volume of imports has risen

2 dramatically. The drop in United States production

3 is primarily due to damage to lime orchards in the

4 State of Florida by Hurricane Andrew in August

5 1992. United States production is not expected to

6 reach pre-Hurricane Andrew levels for possibly two

7 to three years because a majority of the United

8 States production of limes is in Florida.

9 (b) PURPOSES.—The purpose of this Act is—

10 (1) to revise the definition of the term ‘‘lime’’

11 in order to cover seedless and not seeded limes;

12 (2) to increase the exemption level;

13 (3) to delay the initial referendum date; and

14 (4) to alter the composition of the Lime Board.

15 SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF LIME.

16 Section 1953(6) of the Lime Research, Promotion,

17 and Consumer Information Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.

18 6202(6)) is amended by striking ‘‘citrus aurantifolia’’ and

19 inserting ‘‘citrus latifolia’’.

20 SEC. 4. REQUIRED TERMS IN ORDERS.

21 (a) COMPOSITION OF LIME BOARD.—Subsection (b)

22 of section 1955 of the Lime Research, Promotion, and

23 Consumer Information Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6204) is

24 amended—
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1 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘7’’ and

2 inserting ‘‘3’’;

3 (2) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘7’’ and

4 inserting ‘‘3’’;

5 (3) in paragraph (2)(F), by adding at the end

6 the following new sentence: ‘‘The Secretary shall ter7 minate the initial Board established under this sub8 section as soon as practicable after the date of the

9 enactment of the Lime Research, Promotion, and

10 Consumer Information Improvement Act.’’; and

11 (4) by inserting after paragraph (2)(F) the fol12 lowing new paragraph:

13 ‘‘(G) BOARD ALLOCATION.—The producer

14 and importer representation on the Board shall

15 be allocated on the basis of 2 producer mem16 bers and 1 importer member from the district

17 east of the Mississippi River and 1 producer

18 member and 2 importer members from the dis19 trict west of the Mississippi River.’’.

20 (b) TERMS OF MEMBERS.—Subsection (b)(4) of such

21 section is amended—

22 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and all that

23 follows through ‘‘shall—’’ and inserting ‘‘The initial

24 members of the Board appointed under the amended

25 order shall serve a term of 30 months. Subsequent
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1 appointments to the Board shall be for a term of 3

2 years, except that—’’;

3 (2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘3’’ and

4 inserting ‘‘2’’;

5 (3) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘4’’ and

6 inserting ‘‘2’’; and

7 (4) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘4’’ and

8 inserting ‘‘3’’.

9 (c) DE MINIMIS EXCEPTION.—Subsection (d)(5) of

10 such section is amended by striking ‘‘35,000’’ each place

11 it appears and inserting ‘‘200,000’’.

12 SEC. 5. INITIAL REFERENDUM.

13 Section 1960(a) of the Lime Research, Promotion,

14 and Consumer Information Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.

15 6209(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Not later than 2 years

16 after the date on which the Secretary first issues an order

17 under section 1954(a),’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later than 30

18 months after the date on which the collection of assess19 ments begins under the order pursuant to section

20 1955(d),’’.

Passed the Senate November 20 (legislative day, November 2), 1993.

Attest:

Secretary.
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