Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 107 Part 3.djvu/319

 PUBLIC LAW 103-188—DEC. 14, 1993 107 STAT. 2257 "(2)(A) If the Egg Board requests the Secretary to conduct a referendum under paragraph (1) or (3), the Secretary shall conduct a referendum among egg producers not exempt from this Act who, during a representative period determined by the Secretary, have been engaged in the production of commercial eggs, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the producers approve the change in the assessment rate proposed by the Egg Board. "(B) The change in the assessment rate shall become effective if the change is approved or favored by— "(i) not less than two-thirds of the producers voting in the referendum; or "(ii) a majority of the producers voting in the referendum, if the majority produced not less than two-thirds of all the commercial eggs produced by the producers voting during a representative period defined by the Secretary. "(3)(A) In the case of the order in effect on the date of enactment of this subsection, the Egg Board shall determine under paragraph (1), as soon as practicable after such date of enactment, whether to request that the Secretary conduct a referendum under paragraph (2). "(B) If the Egg Board makes such a request on the basis of competent evidence, as provided in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall conduct the referendum as soon as practicable, but not later than— "(i) 120 days after receipt of the request from the Egg Board; or "(ii) if the Director of the Office of Management and Budget determines that the change in the assessment rate is a significant action that requires review by the Director, 170 days after receipt of the request from the Egg Board. "(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, if an increase in the assessment rate and the authority for additional increases is approved by producers in a referendum conducted under this subsection, the Secretary shall amend the order to reflect the vote of the producers. The amendment to the order shall become Effective date. effective on the date of issuance of the amendment.". SEC. 3. RESEARCH. Section 8(d) of the Egg Research and Consumer Information " Act (7 U.S.C. 2707(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: "In preparing a budget for each of the 1994 and subsequent fiscal years, the Egg Board shall, to the maximum extent practicable, allocate a proportion of funds for research projects under this Act that is comparable to the proportion of funds that were allocated for research projects under this Act in the budget of the Egg Board for fiscal year 1993.". SEC. 4. EXEMPTED PRODUCERS. Section 12(a)(1) of the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act (7 U.S.C. 2711(a)(1)) is amended by striking "30,000 laying hens" and inserting "75,000 laying hens". SEC. 5. AMENDMENT TO ORDER. 7 USC 2703 note. Notwithstanding any other provision of law: (1) IN GENERAL. —The Secretary of Agriculture shall issue amendments to the egg promotion and research order issued under the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act (7 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) to implement the amendments made by

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