§6204 Required Terms in Orders

Summary

Creates a Lime Board and sets simple rules for how it must work. The Board has 7 members: 3 lime producers, 3 lime importers, and 1 person from the public. The Secretary appoints them from nominations by producers, importers, and the Board. The Board must have alternates, and members serve no pay but can get travel expenses and per diem like certain government workers. The first set of members serves 30 months; later members normally serve 3 years, with 2 members for 1 year, 2 for 2 years, and 3 for 3 years as set by the Secretary. If a member stops being a producer, importer, or public rep, they are disqualified. The Board runs the orders, makes rules, looks into violations, suggests changes to the Secretary, and hires a manager and staff. The Board must send budgets and plans for lime research, promotion, and consumer information to the Secretary for approval. It can charge assessments up to $0.01 per pound of limes. First handlers collect assessments from producers, but importers pay when limes enter the United States; producer-handlers count as first handlers. People who produce, handle, or import less than 200,000 pounds a year are exempt if they apply and certify they will stay under that amount. Assessment money can pay for the Board’s approved programs, admin costs, a reserve, and Secretary expenses; the Board must repay the Secretary for referenda costs except for government employee salaries. Promotion money cannot make false claims about limes or competing products. Funds cannot be used to influence laws or government policy, except for recommendations to the Secretary. The Board and handlers must keep records, give reports, and have yearly audits. Information from reports is confidential, except aggregated data, published violator names by the Secretary, or in legal or congressional situations.