Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73
§16 Commission operations
Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - COMMODITY EXCHANGES › § 16
Summary
The Commission may work with other federal, state, local, or foreign government agencies, foreign futures authorities, or any person. It may hire investigators, special experts, Administrative Law Judges, clerks, and other staff as Congress funds, and use outside experts and consultants under 5 U.S.C. 3109, paying up to the maximum daily GS‑18 rate under 5 U.S.C. 5332. The Commission can make contracts it finds necessary, including renting office space, and may ask the Office of Personnel Management for eight extra Senior Executive Service positions beyond those it had on October 28, 1992. Commissioners’ official travel and other allowed expenses must be paid when they submit approved itemized vouchers. Money needed to carry out the chapter was authorized for fiscal years 2008 through 2013. Nothing here cancels criminal prosecutions or the application of other federal or state laws, except that this chapter overrides state or local bans on gambling or “bucket shops” for certain excluded electronic trading facilities and for contracts or transactions excluded or exempted under the listed sections of the law. On request, the Commission may help a foreign futures authority by investigating or providing assistance, even if the conduct wouldn’t violate U.S. law; it will consider reciprocity and U.S. public interest and may accept payment or reimbursement (cash or in kind) for its costs. The Commission must promote computerized trading alongside open outcry and work with USTR, Treasury, Commerce, and State to remove foreign trade barriers to electronic trading. A “swap” is not insurance and cannot be treated as an insurance contract under any State law.
Full Legal Text
Title 7, §16
Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Commission may cooperate with any Department or agency of the Government, any State, territory, district, or possession, or department, agency, or political subdivision thereof, any foreign futures authority, any department or agency of a foreign government or political subdivision thereof, or any person.
(b)(1)The Commission shall have the authority to employ such investigators, special experts, Administrative Law Judges, clerks, and other employees as it may from time to time find necessary for the proper performance of its duties and as may be from time to time appropriated for by Congress.
(2)The Commission may employ experts and consultants in accordance with section 3109 of title 5, and compensate such persons at rates not in excess of the maximum daily rate prescribed for GS–18 under section 5332 of title 5.
(3)The Commission shall also have authority to make and enter into contracts with respect to all matters which in the judgment of the Commission are necessary and appropriate to effectuate the purposes and provisions of this chapter, including, but not limited to, the rental of necessary space at the seat of Government and elsewhere.
(4)The Commission may request (in accordance with the procedures set forth in subchapter II of chapter 31 of title 5) and the Office of Personnel Management shall authorize pursuant to the request, eight positions in the Senior Executive Service in addition to the number of such positions authorized for the Commission on October 28, 1992.
(c)All of the expenses of the Commissioners, including all necessary expenses for transportation incurred by them while on official business of the Commission, shall be allowed and paid on the presentation of itemized vouchers therefor approved by the Commission.
(d)There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this chapter for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2013.
(e)(1)Nothing in this chapter shall supersede or preempt—
(A)criminal prosecution under any Federal criminal statute;
(B)the application of any Federal or State statute (except as provided in paragraph (2)), including any rule or regulation thereunder, to any transaction in or involving any commodity, product, right, service, or interest—
(i)that is not conducted on or subject to the rules of a registered entity or exempt board of trade;
(ii)(except as otherwise specified by the Commission by rule or regulation) that is not conducted on or subject to the rules of any board of trade, exchange, or market located outside the United States, its territories or possessions; or
(iii)that is not subject to regulation by the Commission under section 6c or 23 of this title; or
(C)the application of any Federal or State statute, including any rule or regulation thereunder, to any person required to be registered or designated under this chapter who shall fail or refuse to obtain such registration or designation.
(2)This chapter shall supersede and preempt the application of any State or local law that prohibits or regulates gaming or the operation of bucket shops (other than antifraud provisions of general applicability) in the case of—
(A)an electronic trading facility excluded under section 2(e) 11 See References in Text note below. of this title; and
(B)an agreement, contract, or transaction that is excluded from this chapter under section 2(c) or 2(f) of this title or sections 27 to 27f of this title, or exempted under section 6(c) of this title (regardless of whether any such agreement, contract, or transaction is otherwise subject to this chapter).
(f)(1)On request from a foreign futures authority, the Commission may, in its discretion, provide assistance in accordance with this section if the requesting authority states that the requesting authority is conducting an investigation which it deems necessary to determine whether any person has violated, is violating, or is about to violate any laws, rules or regulations relating to futures or options matters that the requesting authority administers or enforces. The Commission may conduct such investigation as the Commission deems necessary to collect information and evidence pertinent to the request for assistance. Such assistance may be provided without regard to whether the facts stated in the request would also constitute a violation of the laws of the United States.
(2)In deciding whether to provide assistance under this subsection, the Commission shall consider whether—
(A)the requesting authority has agreed to provide reciprocal assistance to the Commission in futures and options matters; and
(B)compliance with the request would prejudice the public interest of the United States.
(3)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Commission may accept payment and reimbursement, in cash or in kind, from a foreign futures authority, or made on behalf of such authority, for necessary expenses incurred by the Commission, its members, and employees in carrying out any investigation, or in providing any other assistance to a foreign futures authority, pursuant to this section. Any payment or reimbursement accepted shall be considered a reimbursement to the appropriated funds of the Commission.
(g)Consistent with its responsibilities under section 22 of this title, the Commission is directed to facilitate the development and operation of computerized trading as an adjunct to the open outcry auction system. The Commission is further directed to cooperate with the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of State in order to remove any trade barriers that may be imposed by a foreign nation on the international use of electronic trading systems.
(h)A swap—
(1)shall not be considered to be insurance; and
(2)may not be regulated as an insurance contract under the law of any State.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
section 2(e) of this title relating to the exclusion of electronic trading facilities, referred to in subsec. (e)(2)(A), was struck out by Pub. L. 111–203, title VII, § 723(a)(1)(A), July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1675. Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 made identical
Amendments
to this section. The
Amendments
by Pub. L. 110–234 were repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.
Amendments
2010—Subsec. (e)(2)(B). Pub. L. 111–203, § 749(f), substituted “section 2(c) or 2(f) of this title” for “section 2(c), 2(d), 2(f), or 2(g) of this title” and struck out “2(h) or” before “6(c)”. Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 111–203, § 722(b), added subsec. (h). 2008—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–246, § 13104, amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) read as follows: “There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this chapter for each of fiscal years 1995 through 2005.” 2000—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(5) [title I, § 116], substituted “2005” for “2000”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(5) [title I, § 117], added subsec. (e) and struck out former subsec. (e) which provided that this chapter did not supersede or preempt criminal prosecutions under Federal criminal statutes or the application of any Federal or State statute to certain specified transactions and persons. 1995—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–9 amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) read as follows: “There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this chapter— “(1) $53,000,000 for fiscal year 1993; and “(2) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 1994.” 1992—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–546, § 302, inserted “any foreign futures authority, any department or agency of a foreign government or political subdivision thereof,” after “thereof,”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 102–546, § 216, designated first through third sentences as pars. (1) to (3), respectively, and added par. (4). Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 102–546, § 401, amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) read as follows: “There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this chapter such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years during the period beginning
October 1, 1986, and ending
September 30, 1989.” Subsec. (e)(2)(A). Pub. L. 102–546, § 502(c), inserted “or, in the case of any State or local law that prohibits or regulates gaming or the operation of ‘bucket shops’ (other than antifraud provisions of general applicability), that is not a transaction or class of transactions that has received or is covered by the terms of any exemption previously granted by the Commission under subsection (c) of section 6 of this title,” after “market,”. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 102–546, § 303, added subsec. (f). Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 102–546, § 220(a), added subsec. (g). 1986—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 99–641 amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) read as follows: “There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the provisions of this chapter such sums as may be required for each of the fiscal years during the period beginning
October 1, 1982, and ending
September 30, 1986.” 1983—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 97–444, § 228, substituted appropriation authorization for fiscal years during period beginning Oct. 1, 1982, and ending Sept. 30, 1986, for prior authorization for fiscal years during period beginning Oct. 1, 1978, and ending Sept. 30, 1982. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 97–444, § 229, added subsec. (e). 1978—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 95–405 substituted “for each of the fiscal years during the period beginning
October 1, 1978, and ending
September 30, 1982” for “for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1975, for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1976, for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1977, and for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1978”. 1974—Pub. L. 93–463 designated existing unlettered provisions as subsecs. (a) to (d), substituted “Commission” for “Secretary of Agriculture”, inserted provisions authorizing the expenditure of funds for expenses upon the presentation of itemized vouchers therefor approved by the Commission, substituted provisions authorizing appropriations specifically for fiscal years ending
June 30, 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978, for provisions making a general authorization of appropriations without a fiscal year limitation, and inserted authorization to enter into contracts and compensate experts and consultants in accordance with section 3109 of title 5 at rates not in excess of the maximum daily rate prescribed for GS–18 under section 5332 of title 5.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2010 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–203 effective on the later of 360 days after July 21, 2010, or, to the extent a provision of subtitle A (§§ 711–754) of title VII of Pub. L. 111–203 requires a rulemaking, not less than 60 days after publication of the final rule or regulation implementing such provision of subtitle A, see section 754 of Pub. L. 111–203, set out as a note under section 1a of this title.
Effective Date
of 2008 AmendmentAmendment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 8701 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1983 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–444 effective Jan. 11, 1983, see section 239 of Pub. L. 97–444, set out as a note under section 2 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1978 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–405 effective Oct. 1, 1978, see section 28 of Pub. L. 95–405, set out as a note under section 2 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1974 AmendmentFor
Effective Date
of amendment by Pub. L. 93–463, see section 418 of Pub. L. 93–463, set out as a note under section 2 of this title. References in Other Laws to GS–16, 17, or 18 Pay RatesReferences in laws to the rates of pay for GS–16, 17, or 18, or to maximum rates of pay under the General Schedule, to be considered references to rates payable under specified sections of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, see section 529 [title I, § 101(c)(1)] of Pub. L. 101–509, set out in a note under section 5376 of Title 5.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
7 U.S.C. § 16
Title 7 — Agriculture
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73