Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004
Public Law 108-465 · H.R. 3242 · 108th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 21, 2004 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Rep. Doug Ose (R-CA-3)
Cosponsors (122): Rep. Cal Dooley, Rep. Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 - (Sec. 3) Defines "specialty crop" as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
Title I: State Assistance for Specialty Crops - (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make FY 2005 through 2009 State grants to enhance specialty crop competitiveness. Bases grant amounts on specialty crop production value. Sets minimum State grants at $100,000 per fiscal year. Authorizes FY 2005 through 2009 appropriations.
Title II: Specialty Crop Advancement - (Sec. 201) Authorizes FY 2005 through 2009 appropriations for specialty crop technical assistance under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.
(Sec. 202) Directs the Secretary to: (1) reduce the number of backlog permit applications for the export of agricultural commodities without diluting or diminishing existing personnel resources that are currently managing sanitary and phytosanitary issues; and (2) report annually respecting such backlog, including the number of applications and backlog applications processed to completion.
(Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to report on the significant sanitary and phytosanitary issues affecting specialty crop exports.
Title III: Specialty Crop Research - (Sec. 301) Directs the Secretary to elevate the priority of methyl bromide alternative research and extension activities and reexamine the risks and benefits of extending the phase-out deadline. Authorizes FY 2005 through 2009 appropriations.
(Sec. 302) Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to include specialty crop research among high priority research and extension activities.
(Sec. 303) Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to direct the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board to establish a permanent specialty crops committee to study the scope of research, extension, and economics programs affecting the specialty crop industry.
Title IV: Pest and Disease Response Fund - (Sec. 401) Establishes in the Treasury the Pest and Disease Response Fund. Authorizes FY 2005 through 2009 appropriations.
(Sec. 402) Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Plant Board for peer review of the procedures and standards of import and export requests under the Plant Protection Act, which shall address: (1) the preparation of risk assessments; and (2) the sufficiency, type, and quality of data that should be submitted to the Secretary.
(Sec. 403) Authorizes FY 2005 through 2009 appropriations for maintenance of the Agricultural Marketing Service inspection training center in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Agriculture Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 2902Related bill
Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 23 actions.
- Dec 21, 2004Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-465.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 10, 2004FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 7, 2004FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 7, 2004FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3242.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Ose moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- Oct 6, 2004CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 467.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Ways and Means discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · House Committee on Ways and Means Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Oct. 6, 2004.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Agriculture. H. Rept. 108-750, Part I.
- Sep 30, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended).
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture Discharged.
- Oct 15, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Executive Comment Requested from USDA.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture.
- Oct 12, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
- Oct 2, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.