An act to provide continuing authority to the Secretary of Agriculture for recovering costs associated with cotton classing services to producers and to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to invest funds derived from fees for certain voluntary grading and inspection services.
Public Law 98-403 · S. 2085 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 28, 1984 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Amends the Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act to extend the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to recover cotton classing costs through FY 1988.
Provides for the collection of classification fees from participating producers or producer-agents. Sets specified fee ceilings based on annual inflation rate increases. Prohibits fee increases if accumulated reserves exceed 20 percent of the previous year's classification costs.
Provides that all submitted cotton samples shall become the property of the United States and shall be sold (exempts such samples from the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act).
Makes such fees and sale proceeds available without fiscal year limitation.
Authorizes the Secretary to invest such fees and sale proceeds in interest-bearing accounts or U.S. debt instruments.
Authorizes appropriations to the extent that such fees and proceeds do not fully cover costs.
Authorizes the Secretary to invest operating balances from inspection and grading services provided under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 in interest-bearing accounts or U.S. debt instruments. Makes such interest or late payment penalties available without fiscal year limitation.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Agricultural Credit 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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Aug 28, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-403.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 17, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Aug 10, 1984Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendments. By Voice Vote.
- May 21, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- May 2, 1984FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- Apr 12, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Mar 28, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Feb 8, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Agricultural Credit Subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Nov 11, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.