Extra Long Staple Cotton Act of 1983
Public Law 98-88 · H.R. 3190 · 98th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 26, 1983 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Rep. Kika de la Garza (D-TX-15)
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.
Extra Long Staple Cotton Act of 1983 - Repeals specified extra long staple (ELS) cotton marketing quota and acreage allotment provisions of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 and the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1949, effective with the 1984 crop.
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to set forth new ELS cotton program provisions. Establishes a ten-month loan period, with an optional eight-month extension, at minimum rates of 50 (presently 75) percent more than the upland cotton rate. Requires loan level announcements by November 1.
Establishes a target price for ELS cotton at 120 percent of its loan rate. Sets forth target price factors.
Authorizes advance deficiency payments to participating farmers if an acreage limitation program is in effect and the Secretary of Agriculture determines that such deficiency payments will likely be made. Limits such payments to not more than 50 percent of the projected payment rate.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a national program acreage for ELS cotton, to be announced by November 1; (2) set such acreage at a minimum of 60,000 acres; and (3) determine an allocation factor for each crop based on national acreage divided by estimated harvest acres.
Bases individual farm acreages on such allocation factor multiplied by planted acres.
Bases ELS cotton farm program payments on the past three year's actual yields per acre, adjusted if necessary for natural disasters. Directs the Secretary to use similar farm yields or historical yields if necessary data is unavailable.
Authorizes an ELS cotton acreage limitation program based on a uniform percentage reduction. Makes farmers who knowingly overproduce ineligible for program benefits. Bases a farm's acreage for such reduction purposes on the previous three year's average planted acreage.
Establishes an acreage base reserve for each of the 1984 through 1986 crops equal to five percent of the total farm acreage bases for such crops. Requires that part of such acreage be devoted to conservation uses.
Authorizes ELS cotton land diversion payments (whether or not an acreage limitation is in effect). Requires such acreage to be devoted to approved conservation uses. Permits land diversion contracts to be determined by bid. Directs the Secretary to limit the total diverted acreage in any local area in order not to adversely affect the local economy.
Permits reduced or diverted acreage to be used for approved wildlife habitats.
States that the ELS cotton program shall be carried out through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).
Requires the Secretary to make recourse loans available to ELS cotton farmers for seed cotton.
Authorizes the sale of CCC-owned cotton for unrestricted use at such price levels as the Secretary determines appropriate to maintain and expand domestic and export markets.
Amends the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to add ELS cotton to the $50,000 payment limitation on payments that a person may receive for specified Agricultural Act of 1949 commodity programs.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Agriculture Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Cotton, Rice, and Sugar 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. 14 actions.
- Aug 26, 1983Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-88.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 22, 1983PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Aug 4, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jun 29, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jun 27, 1983FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Jun 22, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Agriculture Committee
- Jun 16, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Agriculture Committee
- Jun 8, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Cotton, Rice, and Sugar Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Cotton, Rice, and Sugar Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Jun 7, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Cotton, Rice, and Sugar Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Jun 2, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
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.