Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 96 Part 1.djvu/806

 96 STAT. 764

Based period.

Refunds.

Net price support purchases.

Overpayment.

PUBLIC LAW 97-253—SEPT. 8, 1982 deduction of 50 cents per hundredweight, in addition to the deduction referred to in paragraph (2), from the proceeds of sale of all milk marketed commercially by producers to be remitted to the Corporation. The deduction authorized by this subparagraph shall be implemented only if the Secretary establishes a program whereby the funds resulting from such deductions would be refunded in the manner provided in this paragraph to producers who reduce their commercial marketings from such marketings during the base period. For the purpose of this paragraph, the based period shall be the fiscal year beginning October 1, 1981, or at the option of the Secretary, the average of the two fiscal years beginning October 1, 1980. The Secretary may make such adjustments in individual bases under this subparagraph as the Secretary determines necessary to correct for abnormal factors affecting production and to reflect such other factors as the Secretary determines should be considered in determining a fair and equitable base. "(B) Refunds under this paragraph shall be based on reductions in commercial marketings as specified by the Secretary, but the Secretary may not require as a condition for making a refund of the entire amount collected from a producer that the producer reduce marketings in excess of a reduction equivalent to the ratio that the total amount of surplus milk production, as estimated by the Secretary for the fiscal year, bears to the total milk production estimated for such period. The Secretary may provide for refunds to be made of amounts collected from producers on a pro rata basis taking into consideration the reduction in commercial marketings by the producer from the commercial marketings during the base period. "(C) The funds remitted to the Corporation as a result of the deductions provided for under this paragraph that are not used in making refunds to producers shall be used to offset the cost of the milk price support program. Authority for making deductions under this paragraph shall not apply for any fiscal year for which the Secretary estimates that net price support purchases of milk or the products of milk would be less than 7.5 billion pounds milk equivalent. If at any time during a fiscal year the Secretary should establish that such net price support purchases during that fiscal year would be less than 7.5 billion pounds, the authority for requiring such deductions shall not apply for the balance of the year. "(D) The Secretary may provide for refunds to producers on a periodic basis during the year. If, based on total marketings for the year, the Secretary should determine that an overpayment has been made to the producer for the year, the producer shall repay the amount of the overpayment. "(E) Prior to approving any application for a refund, the Secretary shall require evidence that such reduction in marketings has taken place and that such reduction is a net decrease in marketings of milk and has not been offset by expansion of production in other production facilities in which the person has an interest or by transfer of partial interest in the production facility or by the taking of any other action which is a scheme or device to qualify for payment. "(4) The funds represented by the deductions referred to in paragraphs (2) and (3) shall be remitted to the Commodity Credit Corporation at such time and such manner as prescribed

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