Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 99 Part 2.djvu/517

 PUBLIC LAW 99-198—DEC. 23, 1985

99 STAT. 1627

or necessary to the effectuation, administration, or enforcement of this subtitle or of any plan or regulation issued under this subtitle. (c) All information obtained under subsections (a) and (b) shall be Prohibition, kept confidential by all officers and employees of the Department of Agriculture and of the Board, and only such information so furnished or acquired as the Secretary deems relevant shall be disclosed by them, and then only in a suit or administrative hearing brought at the direction, or on the request, of the Secretary, or to which the Secretary or any officer of the United States is a party, and involving the plan with reference to which the information to be disclosed was furnished or acquired. Nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to prohibit— (1) the issuance of general statements based on the reports of a number of handlers subject to a plan if such statements do not identify the information furnished by any person; or (2) the publication by direction of the Secretary of the name of any person violating any plan together with a statement of the particular provisions of the plan violated by such person. Any such officer or employee violating the provisions of this subsection shall be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, and shall be removed from office. PETITION AND REVIEW

SEC. 1650. (a) Any person subject to a plan may file a written Regulations. petition with the Secretary, stating that the plan or any provision of 7 USC 4909. the plan, or any obligation imposed in connection therewith, is not in accordance with law and praying for a modification thereof or to be exempted therefrom. The person shall be given an opportunity for a hearing on the petition, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary. After the hearing, the Secretary shall make a ruling on the petition, which shall be final if in accordance with the law. (b) The district courts of the United States in any district in which the person is an inhabitant, or in which the person's principal place of business is located, are hereby vested with jurisdiction to review such ruling, provided that a complaint for that purpose is filed within twenty days from the date of the entry of the ruling. Service of process in such proceedings may be had on the Secretary by delivering to the Secretary a copy of the complaint. If the court determines that the ruling is not in accordance with law, it shall remand the proceedings to the Secretary with directions either to (1) make such ruling as the court shall determine to be in accordance with law, or (2) take such further proceedings as, in its opinion, the law requires. The pendency of proceedings instituted under subsection (a) shall not impede or delay the United States or the Secretary from obtaining relief under section 1851(a). ENFORCEMENT

SEC. 1651. (a) The several district courts of the United States are Regulations. vested with jurisdiction specifically to enforce, and to prevent and Prohibition. restrain any person from violating, any plan or regulation made or 7 USC 4910. issued under this subtitle. The facts relating to any civil action that may be brought under this subsection shall be referred to the Attorney General for appropriate action, except that nothing in this subtitle shall be construed as requiring the Secretary to refer to the

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