To prohibit the operation during a calendar year of the final rule issued by the Secretary of Agriculture to establish standards for the designation of minimal-risk regions for the introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy into the United States, including designation of Canada as a minimal-risk region, unless United States access to major markets for United States exports of cattle and beef products is equivalent or better than the access status accorded such exports as of January 1, 2003.

Prohibits the operation during a calendar year of the January 4, 2005, final rule issued by the Secretary of Agriculture to establish standards for the designation of minimal-risk regions for the introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy into the United States, including designation of Canada as a minimal-risk region, unless major market access for U.S. exports of ruminant and ruminant products is at least equivalent to such exports' access as of January 1, 2003.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to identify the ten historical major markets for U.S. exports of ruminants and ruminant products.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 187 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 187

  To prohibit the operation during a calendar year of the final rule 
 issued by the Secretary of Agriculture to establish standards for the 
  designation of minimal-risk regions for the introduction of bovine 
spongiform encephalopathy into the United States, including designation 
  of Canada as a minimal-risk region, unless United States access to 
major markets for United States exports of cattle and beef products is 
equivalent or better than the access status accorded such exports as of 
                            January 1, 2003.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2005

 Mr. Pomeroy introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To prohibit the operation during a calendar year of the final rule 
 issued by the Secretary of Agriculture to establish standards for the 
  designation of minimal-risk regions for the introduction of bovine 
spongiform encephalopathy into the United States, including designation 
  of Canada as a minimal-risk region, unless United States access to 
major markets for United States exports of cattle and beef products is 
equivalent or better than the access status accorded such exports as of 
                            January 1, 2003.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ANNUAL CONDITION ON APPLICATION OF FINAL RULE REGARDING 
              ESTABLISHMENT OF MINIMAL-RISK REGIONS, INCLUDING CANADA, 
              FOR BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY.

    (a) Imposition of Condition.--The final rule issued by the 
Secretary of Agriculture on January 4, 2005, amending parts 93, 94, 95, 
and 96 of title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations to establish 
standards for the designation of minimal-risk regions for the 
introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy into the United 
States, to provide for the importation of certain ruminants, ruminant 
products, and ruminant byproducts from such minimal-risk regions, and 
to designate Canada as a minimal-risk region shall not apply during a 
calendar year unless the United States Trade Representative certifies 
to Congress and the Secretary of Agriculture that the status of United 
States access during that calendar year to the 10 historical major 
markets for United States exports of ruminants, ruminant products, and 
ruminant byproducts is equivalent or better than the access status 
accorded to United States exports of ruminants, ruminant products, and 
ruminant byproducts to those markets as of January 1, 2003.
    (b) Identification of Major Export Markets.--To assist the United 
States Trade Representative in making the certification required by 
subsection (a), the Secretary of Commerce shall identify the 10 
historical major markets for United States exports of ruminants, 
ruminant products, and ruminant byproducts using statistics regarding 
the quantity of United States exports of ruminants, ruminant products, 
and ruminant byproducts to foreign countries during 2003.
                                 <all>