Sugar Reform Act of 2015
Latest action · Apr 20, 2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 26, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Sugar Reform Act of 2015
This bill revises the Department of Agriculture (USDA) sugar program to decrease price support levels and make other modifications.
The bill amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to decrease the rate for price support loans to processors of domestically grown sugarcane and sugar beets. The loan rate is the price level at which processors can take out loans.
The bill amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to require USDA to set the marketing allotments at a level appropriate to maintain adequate domestic supplies at reasonable prices. The allotments limit the amount of sugar that each processor may sell. The allotments may be suspended or modified based on: (1) the interests of consumers, workers, businesses, and agricultural producers; and (2) the relative competitiveness of domestically produced and imported foods containing sugar.
In setting import quotas necessary to comply with trade agreements, USDA must:
- set the quotas at no less than the minimum level necessary for compliance,
- adjust the quotas to provide adequate domestic supplies at reasonable prices,
- establish and adjust quotas so that the ratio of sugar stocks to total sugar use at the end of the year will be approximately 15.5% or the target necessary to prevent unreasonably high prices or forfeitures, and
- permit the temporary transfer of quotas between countries.
The bill amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to repeal the Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers, which requires USDA to purchase sugar from domestic processors and sell it to bioenergy producers for biofuel production.
Cosponsors 54
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 26, 2015 to Sep 14, 2016; 24 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NH | Ann M. Kuster | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-VA | Bob Goodlatte | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-TN | Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-PA | Charles W. Dent | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-UT | Chris Stewart | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| D-IL | Danny K. Davis | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-TN | David P. Roe | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-TN | Diane Black | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-WI | F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| D-CA | Jackie Speier | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-TX | Jeb Hensarling | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-PA | Lou Barletta | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-NC | Mark Meadows | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-PA | Michael G. Fitzpatrick | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Agriculture Committee | Referred Mar 26, 2015 |
| General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit Subcommittee | Referred Apr 20, 2015 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 20, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.
- Mar 26, 2015Introduced in House
- Mar 26, 2015Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 51, March 26, 2015, page H2114.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 475 | Sugar Reform Act of 2015 | Identical bill | Feb 12, 2015 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To reform the Federal sugar program, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Sugar Reform Act of 2015
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Agriculture and Food.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 26, 2015Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
