Bill Summary
The Buy American Agriculture Act is a proposed bill that would require the Secretary of Agriculture to only purchase agricultural commodities and seafood from domestically owned enterprises when making purchases under the Food Purchase and Distribution Program. This means that the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Agricultural Marketing Service, must prioritize purchasing from businesses that are owned and operated within the United States. There are exceptions to this requirement if the Secretary determines that it is not in the public interest, if domestically produced commodities are not available in sufficient quantities or satisfactory quality, or if it would result in a significant cost increase. The Secretary must publish any waivers granted in the Federal Register. The bill also requires the publication of awards made to vendors under the Agricultural Marketing Service purchase programs and whether the recipient is a domestically owned enterprise. This legislation must be applied in accordance with international agreements. The bill defines agricultural commodities as defined under the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 and seafood as finfish, shellfish, or aquatic plants that are farm-raised or harvested from the wild.
Possible Impacts
1. It may limit the purchasing options for the Agricultural Marketing Service, potentially leading to higher prices for certain agricultural commodities and seafood. This could affect consumers who rely on these products for their diet or for business purposes. 2. The requirement for domestically owned enterprises could benefit local farmers and businesses, potentially boosting their economic growth and creating job opportunities. However, it could also disadvantage foreign-owned enterprises and limit their access to the US market. 3. By including the determination of awards and whether the entity receiving it is a domestically owned enterprise, this legislation aims to promote transparency and accountability in government spending. This could affect the public's trust in the government and their perception of its decision-making processes.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2712 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2712
To require that purchases of agricultural commodities made by the
Secretary of Agriculture under the Food Purchase and Distribution
Program be from domestically owned enterprises, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 14, 2019
Ms. DeLauro (for herself and Mr. McGovern) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require that purchases of agricultural commodities made by the
Secretary of Agriculture under the Food Purchase and Distribution
Program be from domestically owned enterprises, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Buy American Agriculture Act''.
SEC. 2. AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES PURCHASED FROM DOMESTICALLY OWNED
ENTERPRISES.
(a) Buy America Requirement.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), in
making purchase of agricultural commodities and seafood under
the Food Purchase and Distribution Program, the Secretary of
Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the
Agricultural Marketing Service, may only make such purchases
from domestically owned enterprises.
(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply if the
Secretary of Agriculture determines that applying such
paragraph--
(A) would be inconsistent with the public interest;
(B) is not possible because agricultural
commodities and seafood produced by domestically owned
enterprises, as determined by the Secretary of
Agriculture, are not produced--
(i) in sufficient quantities; or
(ii) in a satisfactory quality; or
(C) would result in a greater than 25 percent
increase between--
(i) the amount necessary to apply such
paragraph in a fiscal year; and
(ii) the amount spent by the Agricultural
Marketing Service in purchasing agricultural
commodities and seafood under the Food Purchase
and Distribution Program in the fiscal year
prior to such fiscal year.
(3) Publication of waivers.--If the Secretary of
Agriculture determines that paragraph (1) should not apply due
to a condition specified in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of
paragraph (2), the Secretary of Agriculture shall publish in
the Federal Register a report that includes such determination.
(b) Publication of Awards.--In publishing the awards made to
vendors under the purchase programs under the Agricultural Marketing
Service, the Secretary of Agriculture shall include the determination
of such award and whether the entity receiving such an award is a
domestically owned enterprise.
(c) Application of Section.--This section shall be applied in a
manner consistent with the United States obligations under
international agreements.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agricultural commodity.--The term ``agricultural
commodity'' has the meaning given the term under section 102(1)
of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602(1)).
(2) Seafood.--The term ``seafood'' means finfish,
shellfish, or aquatic plants that are farm-raised or harvested
from the wild.
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