7 U.S.C. § 228 : Agriculture — Packers And Stockyards — General Provisions — Authority Of Secretary

  • Date:

(a) Rules, regulations, and expenditures; appropriations

The Secretary may make such rules, regulations, and orders as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter and may cooperate with any department or agency of the Government, any State, Territory, District, or possession, or department, agency, or political subdivision thereof, or any person; and shall have the power to appoint, remove, and fix the compensation of such officers and employees, not in conflict with existing law, and make such expenditures for rent outside the District of Columbia, printing, telegrams, telephones, law books, books of reference, periodicals, furniture, stationery, office equipment, travel, and other supplies and expenses as shall be necessary to the administration of this chapter in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, and as may be appropriated for by Congress, and there is authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary for such purpose.


(b) Deductions from proceeds for financing promotional, educational, and research activities

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the authority of the Secretary under this chapter shall not apply to deductions made from sales proceeds for the purpose of financing promotion and research activities, including educational activities relating to livestock, meat, and other products covered by the chapter.


(c) Budget estimate; testimony of Secretary before Congressional committees

On or before February 15 of each calendar year beginning with calendar year 1977, or such other date as may be specified by the appropriate committee, the Secretary of Agriculture shall testify before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture and provide justification in detail of the amount requested in the budget to be appropriated for the next fiscal year for the purposes authorized in this chapter.


(d) Development and promulgation of rules governing hearings
The Secretary shall, not later than sixty days after September 13, 1976, prescribe and implement rules to assure that any hearing from which any order may issue under this chapter or any hearing the expenses of which are paid from funds authorized to be appropriated under this chapter shall—

(1) if such hearing concerns a single unit of local government or the residents thereof, be held within the boundaries of such unit;

(2) if such hearing concerns a single geographic area within a State or the residents thereof, be held within the boundaries of such area; or

(3) if such hearing concerns a single State or the residents thereof, be held within such State.


(e) Definitions
For the purposes of subsection (d)—

(1) the term “unit of local government” means a county, municipality, town, township, village, or other unit of general government below the State level; and

(2) the term “geographic area within a State” means a special purpose district or other region recognized for governmental purposes within such State which is not a unit of local government.

(Aug. 15, 1921, ch. 64, title IV, § 407, 42 Stat. 169; Pub. L. 85–909, § 4, Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1750; Pub. L. 88–61, July 8, 1963, 77 Stat. 79; Pub. L. 94–410, § 11, Sept. 13, 1976, 90 Stat. 1252; Pub. L. 103–354, title II, § 293(b), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3237; Pub. L. 103–437, § 4(a)(2), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4581.)


Amendments

1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–354, § 293(b)(1), (2), redesignated subsec. (c) as (b) and struck out former subsec. (b) which read as follows: “The Secretary shall maintain within the Department of Agriculture a separate enforcement unit to administer and enforce subchapter II of this chapter.”

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–437, which directed the amendment of subsec. (d) by substituting “Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry” for “Committee on Agriculture and Forestry”, was executed by making the amendment to subsec. (c) to reflect the probable intent of Congress and the intervening redesignation of subsec. (d) as (c) by Pub. L. 103–354. See below.

Pub. L. 103–354, § 293(b)(2), redesignated subsec. (d) as (c). Former subsec. (c) redesignated (b).

Subsecs. (d) to (f). Pub. L. 103–354, § 293(b)(2), (3), redesignated subsecs. (d) to (f) as (c) to (e), respectively, and in subsec. (e) substituted “subsection (d)” for “subsection (e)”.

1976—Subsecs. (d) to (f). Pub. L. 94–410 added subsecs. (d) to (f).

1963—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 88–61 added subsec. (c).

1958—Pub. L. 85–909 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).


Regulations

Pub. L. 110–234, title XI, § 11006, May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1358, and Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title XI, § 11006, June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 2120, provided that:

“As soon as practicable, but not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act [June 18, 2008], the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate regulations with respect to the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) to establish criteria that the Secretary will consider in determining—

“(1) whether an undue or unreasonable preference or advantage has occurred in violation of such Act;

“(2) whether a live poultry dealer has provided reasonable notice to poultry growers of any suspension of the delivery of birds under a poultry growing arrangement;

“(3) when a requirement of additional capital investments over the life of a poultry growing arrangement or swine production contract constitutes a violation of such Act; and

“(4) if a live poultry dealer or swine contractor has provided a reasonable period of time for a poultry grower or a swine production contract grower to remedy a breach of contract that could lead to termination of the poultry growing arrangement or swine production contract.”

[Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical provisions. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 8701 of this title.]

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