Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73
§2217a Power to administer oaths, examine witnesses, or require production of books, etc.
Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 55— - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE › § 2217a
Summary
Starting July 24, 1919, the Secretary of Agriculture, or someone he names in writing for that job, can make people swear to tell the truth, question witnesses, and demand books and papers when doing work under certain agriculture laws. This covers enforcement or administration of laws like the United States Cotton Futures Act, the United States Grain Standards Act, the United States Warehouse Act, the Standard Container Act, and the annual laws that fund the Department of Agriculture.
Full Legal Text
Title 7, §2217a
Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
On and after July 24, 1919, in the performance of the duties required of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics in the administration or enforcement of provisions of Acts (United States Cotton Futures Act, Thirty-ninth Statutes at Large, page 476; United States Grain Standards Act, Thirty-ninth Statutes at Large, page 482 [7 U.S.C. 71 et seq.]; United States Warehouse Act, Thirty-ninth Statutes at Large, page 486 [7 U.S.C. 241 et seq.]; Standard Container Act, Thirty-ninth Statutes at Large, page 673; and the Acts making annual appropriations for the Department of Agriculture) relating to the Department of Agriculture, the Secretary of Agriculture, or any representative specifically authorized in writing by him for the purpose, shall have power to administer oaths, examine witnesses, and call for the production of books and papers.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The United States Cotton Futures Act, referred to in text, is part A of act Aug. 11, 1916, ch. 313, 39 Stat. 476, which was repealed by section 4 of act Feb. 10, 1939, ch. 2, 53 Stat. 1. For complete classification of this Act to the Code prior to its repeal, see Tables. The United States Grain Standards Act, referred to in text, is part B of act Aug. 11, 1916, ch. 313, 39 Stat. 482, which is classified generally to chapter 3 (§ 71 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 71 of this title and Tables. The United States Warehouse Act, referred to in text, is part C of act Aug. 11, 1916, ch. 313, 39 Stat. 486, which is classified generally to chapter 10 (§ 241 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 241 of this title and Tables. The Standard Container Act, referred to in text, is act Aug. 31, 1916, ch. 426, 39 Stat. 673, which was classified generally to subchapter VII (§ 251 et seq.) of chapter 6 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, and was repealed by Pub. L. 90–628, § 1(a), Oct. 22, 1968, 82 Stat. 1320. For complete classification of this Act to the Code prior to its repeal, see Tables. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 420 of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Transfer of Functions
Functions of Bureau of Agricultural Economics transferred to other units of Department of Agriculture by Secretary’s memorandum of Nov. 2, 1953. Act May 11, 1922, transferred powers of former “Bureau of Markets, Bureau of Markets and Crop Estimates, and the Office of Farm Management and Farm Economics” to “Bureau of Agricultural Economics”.
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
Functions of all officers, agencies, and employees of Department of Agriculture transferred, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of Agriculture by 1953 Reorg. Plan No. 2, § 1, eff. June 4, 1953, 18 F.R. 3219, 67 Stat. 633, set out as a note under section 2201 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
7 U.S.C. § 2217a
Title 7 — Agriculture
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73