I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7379 

To prioritize the purchase of agricultural commodities from domestically 

owned enterprises, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 20, 2018 

Mr. MEADOWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To prioritize the purchase of agricultural commodities from 

domestically owned enterprises, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Agriculture 

5 First Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES PURCHASED FROM 

7 DOMESTICALLY OWNED ENTERPRISES. 

8 (a) PRIORITIZATION.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para10 graph (2), if the Secretary of Agriculture determines 


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1 that response to trade damage from retaliation by 

2 foreign nations with respect to agricultural commod3 ities is necessary, the Secretary shall, acting through 

4 the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing 

5 Service, purchase at least 75 percent of the agricul6 tural commodities of the Food Purchase and Dis7 tribution Program from domestically owned enter8 prises. 

9 (2) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) shall not 

10 apply to the purchases of agricultural commodities 

11 made 30 days after the date on which the Secretary 

12 of Agriculture submits to the Committee on Agri13 culture of the House of Representatives and the 

14 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

15 of the Senate a report that explains why meeting the 

16 requirements under paragraph (1)— 

17 (A) is not possible because agricultural 

18 commodities available from domestically owned 

19 enterprises cannot meet the supply needs of the 

20 Agricultural Marketing Service; or 

21 (B) would result in a greater than 150 

22 percent increase between— 

23 (i) the amount necessary to purchase 

24 such agricultural commodities; and 


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1 (ii) the average cost of such agricul2 tural commodities purchased by the Agri3 cultural Marketing Service in the prior 3 

4 years. 

5 (3) PUBLICATION OF AWARDS.—In publishing 

6 the awards made to vendors under the purchase pro7 grams under the Agricultural Marketing Service, the 

8 Secretary of Agriculture shall include whether the 

9 entity receiving such an award is a domestically 

10 owned enterprise. 

11 (4) WTO OBLIGATIONS.—The Secretary of Ag12 riculture shall carry out this section consistent with 

13 World Trade Organization obligations of the United 

14 States. 

15 (b) REPORT REQUIRED.—For each 90-day period in 

16 which the Secretary of Agriculture purchases agricultural 

17 commodities pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary of 

18 Agriculture shall submit to the appropriate committees a 

19 report that includes the amount of each such agricultural 

20 commodity purchased. 

21 (c) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 

22 expire on September 30, 2023. 

23 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY.—The term 

25 ‘‘agricultural commodity’’ has the meaning given the 


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1 term under section 102(1) of the Agricultural Trade 

2 Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602(1)). 

3 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES.—The term 

4 ‘‘appropriate committees’’ means the Committee on 

5 Agriculture of the House of Representatives, the 

6 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep7 resentatives, the Committee on Ways and Means of 

8 the House of Representatives, the Committee on Ag9 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, the 

10 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, and 

11 the Committee on Finance of the Senate. 

12 (3) DOMESTICALLY OWNED ENTERPRISE.—The 

13 term ‘‘domestically owned enterprise’’ shall have the 

14 meaning given the term under section 773.2 of title 

15 7, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act). 

Æ 


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