1. (a) Establishment The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish an export assistance program (referred to in this section as the “program”) to address unique barriers that prohibit or threaten the export of United States specialty crops.
2. (b) Purpose The program shall provide direct assistance through public and private sector projects and technical assistance to remove, resolve, or mitigate sanitary and phytosanitary and related barriers to trade.

3. (c) Priority The program shall address time sensitive and strategic market access projects based on—

   1. (1) trade effect on market retention, market access, and market expansion; and
   2. (2) trade impact.

4. (d) Annual report Not later than 180 days after June 18, 2008, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that contains, for the period covered by the report, a description of each factor that affects the export of specialty crops, including each factor relating to any—

   1. (1) significant sanitary or phytosanitary issue; or
   2. (2) trade barrier.

5. (e) Funding

   1. (1) Commodity Credit Corporation The Secretary shall use the funds, facilities, and authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this section.

   2. (2) Funding amounts Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section—

      1. (A) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
      2. (B) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
      3. (C) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
      4. (D) $9,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
      5. (E) $9,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.

(Pub. L. 107–171, title III, § 3205, May 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 301; Pub. L. 110–246, title III, § 3203, June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1837.)

Codification

Section was enacted as part of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, and not as part of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 which comprises this chapter.

Amendments

2008—Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 110–246 added subsecs. (d) and (e) and struck out former subsec. (d). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “For each of fiscal years 2002 through 2007, the Secretary shall make available $2,000,000 of the funds of, or an equal value of commodities owned by, the Commodity Credit Corporation.”

Effective Date of 2008 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, see section 4(b) of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as an Effective Date note under section 8701 of this title.