(b) Any handler who willfully violates any provision of any order issued by the Secretary under this Act, or who willfully fails or refuses to collect or remit any assessment or fee duly required of him thereunder, shall be liable to a penalty of not more than $1,000 for each such offense which shall accrue to the United States and may be recovered in a civil suit brought by the United States.

CERTIFICATION OF COTTON PRODUCER ORGANIZATION

SEC. 14. The eligibility of each cotton producer organization to represent cotton producers of a cotton-producing State to request the issuance of an order under section 4, and to participate in the making of nominations under section 7(b) shall be certified by the Secretary and shall be based in addition to other available information upon a factual report submitted by the organiaztion which shall contain information deemed relevant and specified by the Secretary for the making of such determination, including the following:

(a) Geographic territory within the State covered by the organization's active membership;

(b) Nature and size of the organization's active membership in the State, proportion of total of such active membership accounted for by farmers, a map showing the cotton-producing counties in such State in which the organization has members, the volume of cotton produced in each such county, the number of cotton producers in each such county, and the size of the organization's active cotton producer membership in each such county; (c) The extent to which the cotton producer membership of such organization is represented in setting the organization's policies;

(d) Evidence of stability and permanency of the organization; (e) Sources from which the organization's operating funds are derived;

(f) Functions of the organization; and

(g) The organization's ability and willingness to further the aims and objectives of this Act:

Provided, however, That the primary consideration in determining the eligibility of an organization shall be whether its cotton farmer membership consists of a sufficiently large number of the cotton producers who produce a relatively significant volume of cotton to reasonably warrant its participation in the nomination of members for the Cotton Board. The Secretary shall certify any cotton producer organization which he finds to be eligible under this section, and his determination as to eligibility shall be final.

REGULATIONS

SEC. 15.15 The Secretary is authorized to make such regulations with the force and effect of law, as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act and the powers vested in him by this Act.

147 U.S.C. 2113. 157 U.S.C. 2114.

INVESTIGATIONS: POWER TO SUBPENA AND TAKE OATHS AND AFFIRMATIONS: AID OF COURTS

SEC. 16.16 The Secretary may make such investigations as he deems necessary for the effective carrying out of his responsibilities under this Act or to determine whether a handler or any other person has engaged or is about to engage in any acts or practices which constitute or will constitute a violation of any provision of this Act, or of any order, or rule or regulation issued under this Act. For the purpose of any such investigation, the Secretary is empowered to administer oaths and affirmations, subpena witnesses, compel their attendance, take evidence, and require the production of any books, papers, and documents which are relevant to the inquiry. Such attendance of witnesses and the production of any such records may be required from any place in the United States. In case of contumacy by, or refusal to obey a subpena issued to, any person, including a handler, the Secretary may invoke the aid of any court of the United States within the jurisdiction of which such investigation or proceeding is carried on, or where such person resides or carries on business, in requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books, papers, and documents; and such court may issue an order requiring such person to appear before the Secretary, there to produce records, if so ordered, or to give testimony touching the matter under investigation. Any failure to obey such order of the court may be punished by such court as a contempt thereof. All process in any such case may be served in the judicial district whereof such person is an inhabitant or wherever he may be found.

DEFINITIONS

SEC. 17.1 As used in this Act:

(a) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture. (b) The term "person" means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or any other entity.

(c) The term "cotton" means all upland cotton harvested in the United States, and, except as used in section 7(e), includes cottonseed of such cotton and the products derived from such cotton and its seed.

(d) The term "handler" means any person who handles cotton or cottonseed in the manner specified in the order or in the rules and regulations issued thereunder.

(e) The term "United States" means the 50 States of the United States of America.

(f) The term "cotton-producing State" means any State in which the average annual production of cotton during the five years 19601964 was twenty thousand bales or more, except that any State producing cotton whose production during such period was less than such amount shall under regulations prescribed by the Secretary be com

17 U.S.C. 2115. Amended by section 206 of the Act of October 15, 1970, Public Law 91-452, 84 Stat. 929, which struck subsection (b) dealing with the privilege against selfincrimination.

27 7 U.S.C. 2116.

bined with another State or States producing cotton in such manner that such average annual production of such combination of States totaled twenty thousand bales or more, and the term "cotton-producing State" shall include any such combination of States.

(g) The term "marketing" includes the sale of cotton or the pledging of cotton to the Commodity Credit Corporation as collateral for a price support loan.

SEPARABILITY

SEC. 18.18 If any provision of this Act or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of the Act and of the application of such provision to other persons and circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

AUTHORIZATION

SEC. 19.19 There is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated such funds as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. The funds so appropriated shall not be available for the payment of the expenses or expenditures of the Cotton Board in administering any provisions of any order issued pursuant to the terms of this Act.

EFFECTIVE DATE

SEC. 20. This Act shall take effect upon enactment.

18 7 U.S.C. 2117. 197 U.S.C. 2118.

EGG RESEARCH AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ACT

Act of October 1, 1974, Public Law 93-428, 88 Stat. 1171, 7 U.S.C.

2701 et seq.

AN ACT To enable egg producers to establish, finance, and carry out a coordinated program of research, producer and consumer education, and promotion to improve, maintain, and develop markets for eggs, egg products, spent fowl, and products of spent fowl

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. That this Act shall be known as the "Egg Research and Consumer Information Act."

LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY

SEC. 2.1 Eggs constitute one of the basic, natural foods in the diet. They are produced by many individual egg producers throughout the United States. Egg products, spent fowl, and products of spent fowl are derivatives of egg production. These products move in interstate and foreign commerce and those which do not move in such channels of commerce directly burden or affect interstate commerce of these products. The maintenance and expansion of existing markets and the development of new or improved markets and uses are vital to the welfare of egg producers and those concerned with marketing, using, and processing eggs as well as the general economy of the Nation. The production and marketing of these products by numerous individual egg producers have prevented the development and carrying out of adequate and coordinated programs of research and promotion necessary for the maintenance of markets and the development of new products of, and markets for, eggs, egg products, spent fowl, and products of spent fowl. Without an effective and coordinated method for assuring cooperative and collective action in providing for and financing such programs, individual egg producers are unable to provide, obtain, or carry out the research, consumer and producer information, and promotion necessary to maintain and improve markets for any or all of these products.

It has long been recognized that it is in the public interest to provide an adequate, steady supply of fresh eggs readily available to the consumers of the Nation. Maintenance of markets and the development of new markets, both domestic and foreign, are essential to the egg industry if the consumers of eggs, egg products, spent fowl, or products of spent fowl are to be assured of an adequate, steady supply of such products.

It is therefore declared to be the policy of the Congress and the purpose of this Act that it is essential and in the public interest, through the exercise of the powers provided herein, to authorize and

17 U.S.C. 2701.

enable the establishment of an orderly procedure for the development and the financing through an adequate assessment, an effective and continuous coordinated program of research, consumer and producer education, and promotion designed to strengthen the egg industry's position in the marketplace, and maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets and uses for eggs, egg products, spent fowl, and products of spent fowl of the United States. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to mean, or provide for, control of production or otherwise limit the right of individual egg producers to produce commercial

eggs.

DEFINITIONS

SEC. 3.2 As used in this Act

(a) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture or any other officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to whom there has heretofore been delegated, or to whom there may hereafter be delegated, the authority to act in his stead.

(b) The term "person" means any individual, group of individuals, partnership, corporation, association, cooperative, or any other entity. (c) The term "commercial eggs" or "eggs" means eggs from domesticated chickens which are sold for human consumption either in shell egg form or for further processing into egg products.

(d) The term "hen" or "laying hen" means a domesticated female chicken twenty weeks of age or over, raised primarily for the production of commercial eggs.

(e) The term "egg producer" means the person owning laying hens engaged in the production of commercial eggs.

(f) The term "case" means a standard shipping package containing thirty dozen eggs.

(g) The term "hatching eggs" means eggs intended for use by hatcheries for the production of baby chicks.

(h) The term "United States" means the forty-eight contiguous States of the United States of America and the District of Columbia. (i) The term "promotion" means any action, including paid advertising, to advance the image or desirability of eggs, egg products, spent fowl, or products of spent fowl.

(j) The term "research" means any type of research to advance the image, desirability, marketability, production, or quality of eggs, egg products, spent fowl, or products of spent fowl.

(k) The term "consumer education" means any action to advance the image or desirability of eggs, egg products, spent fowl, or products of spent fowl.

pent

(1) The term "marketing" means the sale or other disposition of commercial eggs, egg products, spent fowl, or products of spent fowl, in any channel of commerce.

(m) The term "commerce" means interstate, foreign, or intrastate

commerce.

(n) The term "egg products" means products produced, in whole or in part, from eggs.

(o) The term "spent fowl" means hens which have been in production of commercial eggs and have been removed from such production for slaughter.

$7 U.S.C. 2702.