January 16, 2025
Mr. Higgins of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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
To establish a fund to promote the inspection and consumption of shrimp and products containing shrimp or shrimp parts.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the or the Imported Seafood Safety Standards Act
.
Sec. 2. Inspection and Consumption of Shrimp and Shrimp Products Fund
(a) In general
There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the Inspection and Consumption of Shrimp and Shrimp Products Fund
(in this section referred to as the Fund
), consisting of such amounts as may be transferred to the Fund under subsection (b) and to be available as provided for under subsection (c).
(b) Transfer of amounts
(1) In general
The Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Fund, from the general fund of the Treasury, amounts determined by the Secretary to be equivalent to 70 percent of amounts received in the general fund that are attributable to duties assessed by the United States, including duties assessed pursuant to a countervailing duty order or antidumping duty order under the Tariff Act of 1930 or a finding under the Antidumping Act of 1921, collected on imports of shrimp and products containing shrimp or shrimp parts described in paragraph (2) for fiscal year 2026 and each subsequent fiscal year.
(2) Shrimp and products containing shrimp or shrimp parts described
The shrimp and products containing shrimp or shrimp parts described in this paragraph are those products provided for in any subheading of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, including subheadings 0306.16.00, 0306.17.00, 0306.35.00, 0306.36.00, 0306.95.00, 1605.21, and 1605.29 of such schedule (or successor subheadings).
(c) Use of amounts
Amounts in the Fund shall be available for each such fiscal year as follows:
(1)
Fifty percent of such amounts shall be used by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, for—
(A)
the inspection, examination, sampling, and testing of shrimp that present a high risk of contamination from unapproved antibiotic residues to identify violations of the provisions of law carried out by the Secretary, acting through the Commissioner;
(B)
seafood importer inspections, associated training, capacity building, regulatory partnerships, and development of data analytics in support of such work; and
(C)
coordination and data sharing with the Secretary of Commerce, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies to ensure that imports of shrimp and products containing shrimp or shrimp parts described in subsection (b)(2) are not originating with forced labor or illegal, unreported, or unregulated sources pursuant to Public Law 117–78 (an Act to ensure that goods made with forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China do not enter the United States market, and for other purposes).
(2)
Fifty percent of such amounts shall be used by the Secretary of Agriculture to, pursuant to paragraph (2) of the second sentence of section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c), encourage the domestic consumption of shrimp.
(d) Availability
Amounts in the Fund shall, notwithstanding any other provision law, remain available until expended.
(e) Supplement, not supplant
The funding provided under subsection (c) to purchase shrimp shall supplement (and not supplant) other Federal funding (including funding made available under section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c)) to make such purchases, if appropriate.