Sugar Reform Act of 2015
Latest action · Feb 12, 2015 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
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.
- IntroducedFeb 12, 2015
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot 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 16
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Feb 12, 2015.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TN | Bob Corker | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-IN | Daniel Coats | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-NV | Dean Heller | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-AZ | John McCain | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-NH | Kelly Ayotte | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-TN | Lamar Alexander | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-IL | Mark Kirk | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| D-VA | Mark R. Warner | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-PA | Patrick J. Toomey | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-OH | Rob Portman | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-WI | Ron Johnson | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
| D-VA | Tim Kaine | Original | Feb 12, 2015 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee | Referred Feb 12, 2015 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 12, 2015Introduced in Senate
- Feb 12, 2015Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H6087 | Jackie Speier D-CA | Sep 17, 2015 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4567 | Daniel Coats R-IN | Jun 24, 2015 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1714 | Sugar Reform Act of 2015 | Identical bill | Apr 20, 2015 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill 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.
- Feb 12, 2015Introduced in Senate
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.
