7 U.S.C. § 2904 (AGRICULTURE)
§ 2904. Required terms in orders
An order issued under section 2903(b) of this title shall contain the following terms and conditions:
(1) The order shall provide for the establishment and selection of a Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board. Members of the Board shall be cattle producers and importers appointed by the Secretary from (A) nominations submitted by eligible State organizations certified under section 2905 of this title (or, if the Secretary determines that there is no eligible State organization in a State, the Secretary may provide for nominations from such State to be made in a different manner), and (B) nominations submitted by importers under such procedures as the Secretary determines appropriate. In determining geographic representation for cattle producers on the Board, whole States shall be considered as a unit. Each State that has a total cattle inventory greater than five hundred thousand head shall be entitled to at least one representative on the Board. A State that has a total inventory of fewer than 500,000 cattle shall be grouped, as far as practicable, with other States each of which has a combined total inventory of not less than 500,000 cattle, into geographically contiguous units in a manner prescribed in the order. A unit may be represented on the Board by more than one member. For each additional million head of cattle within a unit, such unit shall be entitled to an additional member on the Board. The Board may recommend a change in the level of inventory per unit necessary for representation on the Board and, on such recommendation, the Secretary may change the level necessary for representation on the Board. The number of members on the Board that represent importers shall be determined by the Secretary on a proportional basis, by converting the volume of imported beef and beef products into live animal equivalencies.
(2) The order shall define the powers and duties of the Board, which shall be exercised at an annual meeting, and shall include only the following powers:
(A) To administer the order in accordance with its terms and provisions.
(B) To make rules and regulations to effectuate the terms and provisions of the order.
(C) To elect members of the Board to serve on the Committee.
(D) To approve or disapprove budgets submitted by the Committee.
(E) To receive, investigate, and report to the Secretary complaints of violations of the order.
(F) To recommend to the Secretary amendments to the order.
In addition, the order shall determine the circumstances under which special meetings of the Board may be held.
(3) The order shall provide that the term of appointment to the Board shall be three years with no member serving more than two consecutive terms, except that initial appointments shall be proportionately for one-year, two-year, and three-year terms; and that Board members shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses incurred in performing their duties as members of the Board.
(4)
(A) The order shall provide that the Board shall elect from its membership ten members to serve on the Beef Promotion Operating Committee, which shall be composed of ten members of the Board and ten producers elected by a federation that includes as members the qualified State beef councils. The producers elected by the federation shall be certified by the Secretary as producers that are directors of a qualified State beef council. The Secretary also shall certify that such directors are duly elected by the federation as representatives to the Committee.
(B) The Committee shall develop plans or projects of promotion and advertising, research, consumer information, and industry information, which shall be paid for with assessments collected by the Board. In developing plans or projects, the Committee shall—
(i) to the extent practicable, take into account similarities and differences between certain beef, beef products, and veal; and
(ii) ensure that segments of the beef industry that enjoy a unique consumer identity receive equitable and fair treatment under this chapter.
(C) The Committee shall be responsible for developing and submitting to the Board, for its approval, budgets on a fiscal year basis of its anticipated expenses and disbursements, including probable costs of advertising and promotion, research, consumer information, and industry information projects. The Board shall approve or disapprove such budgets and, if approved, shall submit such budget to the Secretary for the Secretary’s approval.
(D) The total costs of collection of assessments and administrative staff incurred by the Board during any fiscal year shall not exceed 5 per centum of the projected total assessments to be collected by the Board for such fiscal year. The Board shall use, to the extent possible, the resources, staffs, and facilities of existing organizations.
(5) The order shall provide that terms of appointment to the Committee shall be one year, and that no person may serve on the Committee for more than six consecutive terms. Committee members shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses incurred in performing their duties as members of the Committee. The Committee may utilize the resources, staffs, and facilities of the Board and industry organizations. An employee of an industry organization may not receive compensation for work performed for the Committee, but shall be reimbursed from assessments collected by the Board for reasonable expenses incurred in performing such work.
(6) The order shall provide that, to ensure coordination and efficient use of funds, the Committee shall enter into contracts or agreements for implementing and carrying out the activities authorized by this chapter with established national nonprofit industry-governed organizations, including the federation referred to in paragraph (4), to implement programs of promotion, research, consumer information, and industry information. Any such contract or agreement shall provide that—
(A) the person entering the contract or agreement shall develop and submit to the Committee a plan or project together with a budget or budgets that shows estimated costs to be incurred for the plan or project;
(B) the plan or project shall become effective on the approval of the Secretary; and
(C) the person entering the contract or agreement shall keep accurate records of all of its transactions, account for funds received and expended, and make periodic reports to the Committee of activities conducted, and such other reports as the Secretary, the Board, or the Committee may require.
(7) The order shall require the Board and the Committee to—
(A) maintain such books and records, which shall be available to the Secretary for inspection and audit, as the Secretary may prescribe;
(B) prepare and submit to the Secretary, from time to time, such reports as the Secretary may prescribe; and
(C) account for the receipt and disbursement of all funds entrusted to them.
(8)
(A) The order shall provide that each person making payment to a producer for cattle purchased from the producer shall, in the manner prescribed by the order, collect an assessment and remit the assessment to the Board. The Board shall use qualified State beef councils to collect such assessments.
(B) If an appropriate qualified State beef council does not exist to collect an assessment in accordance with paragraph (1), such assessment shall be collected by the Board.
(C) The order also shall provide that each importer of cattle, beef, or beef products shall pay an assessment, in the manner prescribed by the order, to the Board. The assessments shall be used for payment of the costs of plans and projects, as provided for in paragraph (4), and expenses in administering the order, including more administrative costs incurred by the Secretary after the order has been promulgated under this chapter, and to establish a reasonable reserve. The rate of assessment prescribed by the order shall be one dollar per head of cattle, or the equivalent thereof in the case of imported beef and beef products. A producer who can establish that the producer is participating in a program of an established qualified State beef council shall receive credit, in determining the assessment due from such producer, for contributions to such program of up to 50 cents per head of cattle or the equivalent thereof. There shall be only one qualified State beef council in each State. Any person marketing from 1 beef from cattle of the person’s own production shall remit the assessment to the Board in the manner prescribed by the order.
(9) The order shall provide that the Board, with the approval of the Secretary, may invest, pending disbursement, funds collected through assessments only in obligations of the United States or any agency thereof, in general obligations of any State or any political subdivision thereof, in any interest-bearing account or certificate of deposit of a bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System, or in obligations fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States.
(10) The order shall prohibit any funds collected by the Board under the order from being used in any manner for the purpose of influencing governmental action or policy, with the exception of recommending amendments to the order.
(11) The order shall require that each person making payment to a producer, any person marketing beef from cattle of the person’s own production directly to consumers, and any importer of cattle, beef, or beef products maintain and make available for inspection such books and records as may be required by the order and file reports at the time, in the manner, and having the content prescribed by the order. Such information shall be made available to the Secretary as is appropriate to the administration or enforcement of this chapter, the order, or any regulation issued under this chapter. In addition, the Secretary shall authorize the use of information regarding persons paying producers that is accumulated under a law or regulation other than this chapter or regulations under this chapter.
All information so obtained shall be kept confidential by all officers and employees of the Department, and only such information so obtained as the Secretary deems relevant may be disclosed by them and then only in a suit or administrative hearing brought at the request of the Secretary, or to which the Secretary or any officer of the United States is a party, and involving the order. Nothing in this paragraph may be deemed to prohibit—
(A) the issuance of general statements, based on the reports, of the number of persons subject to the order or statistical data collected therefrom, which statements do not identify the information furnished by any person; or
(B) the publication, by direction of the Secretary, of the name of any person violating the order, together with a statement of the particular provisions of the order violated by the person.
No information obtained under the authority of this chapter may be made available to any agency or officer of the United States for any purpose other than the implementation of this chapter and any investigatory or enforcement act necessary for the implementation of this chapter. Any person violating the provisions of this paragraph shall be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000, or to imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, and if an officer or employee of the Board or the Department, shall be removed from office.
(12) The order shall contain terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, as necessary to effectuate the provisions of the order.
(Pub. L. 94–294, § 5, May 28, 1976, 90 Stat. 530; Pub. L. 99–198, title XVI, § 1601(b), Dec. 23, 1985, 99 Stat. 1599.)
heading: Amendments
text: 1985—Pub. L. 99–198 amended section generally, substituting provisions relating to required terms in orders for provisions relating to notice and hearing upon proposed orders.
heading: Effective Date of 1985 Amendment
text: Amendment by Pub. L. 99–198 effective Jan. 1, 1986, see section 1601(c) of Pub. L. 99–198, set out as a note under section 2901 of this title.