I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2051 
To amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to provide for the applica-
tion of mandatory minimum maturity standards applicable to all domestic 
and imported Hass avocados. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2007 
Mrs. CAPPS (for herself, Mr. ISSA, Mr. FARR, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. CARDOZA, 
Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. FILNER, Mr. MCCARTHY of California, Ms. LORET-
TA SANCHEZ of California, and Mr. HUNTER) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to provide 
for the application of mandatory minimum maturity 
standards applicable to all domestic and imported Hass 
avocados. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hass Avocado Quality 
Assurance Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Hass avocados are an integral food source 
in the United States that are a valuable and healthy 
part of the human diet and are enjoyed by millions 
of persons every year for a multitude of everyday 
and special occasions. 
(2) Hass avocados are a significant tree fruit 
crop grown by many individual producers both do-
mestically and abroad. 
(3) Hass avocados move in interstate and for-
eign commerce and Hass avocados that do not move 
in interstate or foreign channels of commerce but 
only in intrastate commerce directly affect interstate 
commerce of Hass avocados. 
(4) The maintenance and expansion of markets 
in existence on the date of enactment of this Act, 
and the development of new or improved markets or 
uses for Hass avocados, are needed to preserve and 
strengthen the economic viability of the domestic 
Hass avocado industry for the benefit of producers, 
importers, and other persons associated with the 
producing, importing, marketing, processing, and 
consuming of Hass avocados. 
(5) The marketing of immature Hass avocados 
adversely affects demand for all Hass avocados be-
cause immature avocados are unpalatable and unfit 
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for human consumption and, when marketed, result 
in dissatisfied customers who will cease purchasing 
Hass avocados. 
(6) There is no better method of ensuring the 
maturity of Hass avocados than through requiring 
that Hass avocados meet an established mandatory 
minimum maturity standard, as measured by per-
centage of dry matter. 
(7) The application of consistent and manda-
tory minimum maturity standards for all Hass avo-
cados is necessary for the maintenance, expansion, 
and development of markets for Hass avocados. 
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to set 
forth certain mandatory quality standards in the form of 
mandatory minimum maturity requirements for all Hass 
avocados, and to provide the Secretary with the authority 
necessary to ensure that such standards are met, with the 
intention of— 
(1) strengthening the position of the Hass avo-
cado industry in the domestic marketplace; and 
(2) maintaining, developing and expanding mar-
kets and uses for Hass avocados. 
SEC. 3. MATURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR HASS AVOCADOS. 
Subtitle A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 
is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
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‘‘SEC. 209. MATURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR HASS AVOCA-
DOS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of the Hass Avocado Quality 
Assurance Act of 2007, the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
issue final regulations to ensure that all Hass avocados 
sold to consumers in the United States meet the minimum 
maturity standards (as measured by percentage of dry 
matter) for sale to a consumer of the State of California, 
as required by regulations issued pursuant to chapter 9 
of division 17 of the California Food and Agricultural 
Code or any succeeding provision of California law gov-
erning the minimum maturity standards of Hass avocados 
for sale to a consumer. 
‘‘(b) EXCEPTIONS.—Subsection (a) and the regula-
tions issued pursuant to subsection (a) shall not apply to 
Hass avocados— 
‘‘(1) intended for consumption by charitable in-
stitutions; 
‘‘(2) intended for distribution by relief agencies; 
‘‘(3) intended for commercial processing into 
products; or 
‘‘(4) that the Secretary determines should not 
be subject to such subsection or such regulations. 
‘‘(c) USE OF EXISTING INSPECTORS.—The Secretary 
shall, to the greatest extent practicable, use inspectors 
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that inspect avocados for compliance with section 8e of 
the Agricultural Adjustment Act (7 U.S.C. 608e-1), reen-
acted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing 
Agreement Act of 1937, to conduct inspections under this 
section. 
‘‘(d) PENALTIES.— 
‘‘(1) DIVERSION.—The Secretary may divert, 
export, or repack and reinspect any Hass avocados 
that do not meet the requirements of this section or 
the regulations issued pursuant to this section. 
‘‘(2) CIVIL PENALTIES.—The Secretary may re-
quire any person who violates this section or the reg-
ulations issued pursuant to this section to— 
‘‘(A) forfeit to the United States a sum 
equal to the value of the commodity at the time 
of violation, which forfeiture shall be recover-
able in a civil suit bought in the name of the 
United States; or 
‘‘(B) on conviction, be fined not less than 
$50 or more than $5,000 for each violation. 
‘‘(e) FEES.—The Secretary may prescribe and collect 
fees to cover the costs of providing for the inspection of 
Hass avocados under this section. All fees and penalties 
collected shall be credited to the accounts that incur such 
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costs and shall remain available until expended without 
fiscal year limitation. 
‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this section.’’. 
SEC. 4. SEVERABILITY. 
If any provision of this Act or the amendment made 
by this Act, or the application of such provision to any 
person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of 
this Act and the amendment made by this Act, and the 
application of such provision to other persons not similarly 
situated or to other circumstances, shall not be affected 
by such invalidation. 
Æ 
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