I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3242
To ensure an abundant and affordable supply of highly nutritious fruits, 
vegetables, and other specialty crops for American consumers and inter-
national markets by enhancing the competitiveness of United States-
grown specialty crops, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 2, 2003
Mr. OSE (for himself, Mr. DOOLEY of California, Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA´, Mr. 
ENGLISH, Mr. FILNER, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. KOLBE, Mr. LARSEN of Wash-
ington, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. NUNES, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr. SCOTT of 
Georgia, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. CARDOZA, 
Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. WU, Mr. HINOJOSA, and Mr. FARR) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ag-
riculture, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a 
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To ensure an abundant and affordable supply of highly nutri-
tious fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops for 
American consumers and international markets by en-
hancing the competitiveness of United States-grown spe-
cialty crops, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2003’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings and purpose. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
TITLE I—SPECIALTY CROP GRANTS AND LOANS 
Sec. 101. Grants to States to enhance competitiveness of specialty crops. 
Sec. 102. Department of Agriculture operating loans. 
TITLE II—MARKETING 
Sec. 201. Implementation of food safety programs under marketing orders. 
Sec. 202. School garden grant pilot program. 
Sec. 203. Increase in maximum amount of assistance authorized under tree as-
sistance program. 
Sec. 204. Hunts Point Terminal Market, Bronx, New York. 
Sec. 205. Maintenance of Fredericksburg Inspection Training Center. 
TITLE III—INTERNATIONAL TRADE 
Sec. 301. Position in Office of the United States Trade Representative for spe-
cialty crops. 
Sec. 302. Foreign market access study and strategy plan. 
Sec. 303. Technical assistance for specialty crops. 
Sec. 304. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. 
Sec. 305. Supplier credit guarantee program. 
Sec. 306. Foreign development assistance. 
Sec. 307. Protection of intellectual property rights in plants and plant-derived 
material. 
TITLE IV—SPECIALTY CROP RESEARCH 
Sec. 401. Transfer of administration and funding of Office of Pest Manage-
ment Policy. 
Sec. 402. Additional research initiatives. 
Sec. 403. National specialty crops development initiative grant program. 
TITLE V—INVASIVE PEST AND DISEASE RESPONSE 
Sec. 501. Emergency response fund. 
Sec. 502. Independent scientific advice for Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service. 
Sec. 503. Food safety initiatives. 
TITLE VI—CONSERVATION
Sec. 601. Elimination of limitation on adjusted gross income from eligibility re-
quirements for environmental quality incentives program. 
Sec. 602. Sustainability practices.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) A secure domestic food supply is a national 
security imperative for the United States. 
(2) A competitive specialty crop industry in the 
United States is necessary for the production of an 
abundant, affordable supply of highly nutritious 
fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops, which 
are vital to the health and well-being of all Ameri-
cans. 
(3) Increased consumption of specialty crops 
will provide tremendous health and economic bene-
fits to both consumers and specialty crop growers. 
(4) Specialty crop growers believe that there are 
numerous areas of Federal agriculture policy that 
could be improved to promote increased consumption 
of specialty crops and increase the competitiveness 
of producers in the efficient production of affordable 
specialty crops in the United States. 
(5) As the globalization of markets continues, it 
is becoming increasingly difficult for United States 
producers to compete against heavily subsidized for-
eign producers in both the domestic and foreign 
markets.
(6) United States specialty crop producers also 
continue to face serious tariff and non-tariff trade 
barriers in many export markets. 
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to make 
necessary changes in Federal agriculture policy to accom-
plish the goals of increasing fruit, vegetable, and nut con-
sumption and improving the competitiveness of United 
States specialty crop producers.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘specialty crop’’ means all agri-
cultural crops, except wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, 
cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, and tobacco. 
(2) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Agriculture. 
(3) The term ‘‘State’’ means the several States, 
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Vir-
gin Islands, and any other territory or possession of 
the United States. 
(4) The term ‘‘State department of agriculture’’ 
means the agency, commission, or department of a 
State government responsible for protecting and pro-
moting agriculture within the State.