Pertinent Facts From the Rules and Regulations

 

Assessments

1205.510 Levy of assessments.
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(a) Producer assessments. An assessment of $1 per bale for cotton research and promotion is hereby levied on each bale of Upland cotton that is produced from cotton harvested and ginned except cotton consumed by any governmental agency from its own production. Such assessment shall be payable and collected only once on each bale.

(1) A supplemental assessment for cotton research and promotion in addition to the $1 per bale assessment provided for in paragraph (a) of this section, is hereby levied on each bale of Upland cotton harvested and ginned except cotton consumed by any governmental agency from its own production. The supplemental assessment rate shall be levied at the rate of five-tenths of one percent of:

(i) The current value of the cotton multiplied by the number of pounds of lint cotton or; "Current value of Cotton" means the gross price per pound of lint cotton received by the producer as shown on the producers' settlement document before weight penalties, buyer's commission or brokerage fees, marketing fees, the $1 per bale cotton research and promotion assessment, picking charges, ginning charges, warehouse receiving charges, warehouse storage charges, transportation charges or any other deductions are made.

(ii) The current value of the cotton converted to a fixed amount per bale as reflected in the following assessment chart:

Assessment Chart
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Current value (cents per pound)Supplemental Assessment, dollars per bale.00 to 9.990.1310.00 to 19.990.3820.00 to 29.990.6330.00 to 39.990.8840.00 to 49.991.1350.00 to 59.991.3860.00 to 69.991.6370.00 to 79.991.8880.00 to 89.992.1390.00 to 99.992.38100.00 to 109.992.63110.00 to 119.992.88

Assessment is calculated on 5/10 of 1 percent of the midpoint of each 10 cent increment, based on a 500 lb. bale and converted to a fixed amount per bale.

(2) Each marketing year the collecting handler must select one of the two options for collecting the supplemental assessment as provided in paragraph (a)(1) of this section. The handler shall notify the Cotton Board as to the method selected at the time the handler files the first handler report each marketing year.

1205.512 Collecting handlers and the time of collection of the $1 per bale assessment.
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Collecting handlers and the time of collecting the $1 per bale assessment shall be as follows:

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, any person who purchases a bale of cotton from the producer of the cotton shall be the collecting handler for such cotton. The handler shall collect the assessment at the time the handler first makes any payment or any credit to the producer's account for the cotton. The handler shall give the producer a receipt indicating payment of the assessment.

(b) Any cooperative marketing association or other person that accepts a bale of cotton from the producer of the cotton under an oral or written contract or agreement providing for the marketing of the cotton shall be the collecting handler for such cotton. Such association or person shall collect the assessment regardless of whether the cotton is marketed or tendered to CCC for price support loan. The handler shall collect the assessment at the time the handler first makes any cash advance, any payment, or any credit to the producer's account for the cotton. The handler shall give the producer a receipt indicating payment of the assessment.

(c) For bales of cotton tendered to CCC for Form A loan, except bales tendered pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section:

(1) The FSA County Office shall be the collecting handler except as provided in subparagraph (2) of this paragraph. The FSA County Office shall collect the assessment when it makes disbursement based on Form A loan documents. The producer's copy of the Cotton Producer's Note (Form CCC Cotton A) shall show payment of the assessment and shall constitute the producer's receipt for payment of the assessment.

(2) Any person (other than an FSA County Office) who advances to the producer the loan value of the cotton as shown on a Cotton Producer's Note (Form CCC Cotton A) shall be the collecting handler for such cotton. The handler shall collect the $1 per bale assessment at the time the handler makes any advance to the producer on the loan value of the cotton. The handler shall give the producer a receipt indicating payment of the assessment.

1205.513 Collecting handlers and the time of collection of the supplemental assessment.
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(c) For bales of cotton tendered to CCC for Form A loan.

(1) The FSA County Office shall be the collecting handler except as provided in subparagraph (2) of this paragraph. The FSA County Office shall collect the supplemental assessment when it makes disbursement based on the Form A loan value of cotton. The producer's copy of the Cotton Producer's Note (Form CCC Cotton A) shall show payment of the supplemental assessment and shall constitute the producer's receipt for payment of the supplemental assessment.

(2) Any person (other than an FSA County Office) who advances to the producer the loan value of the cotton as shown on a Cotton Producer's Note (Form CCC Cotton A) shall be the collecting handler for such cotton. The handler shall collect the supplemental assessment at the time the handler makes any advance to the producer on the loan value of the cotton. The handler shall give the producer a receipt indicating payment of the supplemental assessment.

(d) Any person who (1) purchases a producer's equity in cotton tendered to CCC for Form A loan or (2) purchases cotton that a producer has redeemed from the Form A loan, shall be the collecting handler for that portion of the total supplemental assessment not collected under paragraph (c) of this section. The handler shall give the producer a receipt indicating payment of that portion of the supplemental assessment.

1205.516 Reports and remittance to the Cotton Board.

(a) Handler Reports and Remittances. Each collecting handler shall transmit assessments to the Cotton Board as follows:

(1) Reporting Periods. Each calendar month shall be a reporting period and the period shall end on the close of business on the last day of the month.

(2) Reports. Each collecting handler shall make reports on forms made available or approved by the Cotton Board. Each report shall be mailed to the Cotton Board and postmarked within ten days after the close of the reporting period.

(i) Collecting handler report. Each collecting handler shall prepare a separate report form each reporting period for each gin from which such handler handles cotton on which the handler is required to collect the assessments during the reporting period. Each report shall be mailed in duplicate to the Cotton Board and shall contain the following information:

(A) Date of Report;
(B) Reporting period covered by report;
(C) Gin code number;
(D) Name and address of handler;
(E) Listing of all producers from whom the handler was required to collect the assessments, their addresses, total number of bales, and total assessment collected and remitted for each producer;
(F) Date of last report remitting assessments to the Cotton Board.

(ii) No Cotton Purchased Report. Each collecting handler shall submit a no cotton purchased report form for each reporting period in which no cotton was handled for which the handler is required to collect assessments during the reporting period. A collecting handler who handles cotton only during certain months shall file a final no cotton purchased report at the conclusion of such handlers marketing season. If a collecting handler handles cotton during any month following submission of the final report for the handlers marketing season, such handler shall send a collecting handler report and remittance to the Cotton Board by the 10th day of the month following the month in which cotton was handled. The no cotton purchased report shall be signed and dated by the handler or the handler's agent.

(3) Remittances. The collecting handler shall remit all assessments to the Cotton Board with the report required in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. All remittances sent to the Cotton Board by collecting handlers shall be made by check, draft, or money order payable to the "Cotton Board". All remittances shall be received subject to collection and payment at par.

1205.517 Failure to report and remit.
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(a) Any collecting handler who fails to submit reports and remittances according to reporting periods and time schedules required in 1205.516 shall be subject to appropriate action by the Cotton Board which may include one or more of the following actions:

(1) Audits of the collecting handler's books and records to determine the amount owed the Cotton Board;

(2) Requirement that an escrow account for the deposit of assessments collected be established. Frequency and schedule of deposits and withdrawals from the escrow account shall be determined by the Cotton Board with the Approval of the Secretary;

(3) Referral to the Secretary for appropriate enforcement action;

(4) Publication of a collecting handler's name in accordance with the following provisions:

(i) The name of any collecting handler will be subject to publication if the collecting handler:

(A) Is sent two certified mail notices of past due assessments and/or collecting handler reports from the Cotton Board in any one marketing year (August 1 - July 31), or

(B) Is required by the Cotton Board to establish an escrow account for depositing assessments, in accordance with paragraph (a)(2) of this section, and does not comply with the deposit procedures established by the Cotton Board with approval of the Secretary.

(ii) The name of any collecting handler who is subject to a publication will be published by the Cotton Board with the approval of the Secretary in a monthly listing during the primary cotton marketing season (September through March) and a bi-monthly listing during the remainder of the year. The published listing will be distributed by the Cotton Board.

(iii) The Cotton Board, with approval of the Secretary, may notify individual producers that the assessments collected by such producer's collecting handler, whose name is subject to publication in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (a)(4)(i) of this section, have not been remitted to the Cotton Board as required.

Reports and Records

1205.530 Gin Reports and reporting schedule.
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(a) Gin reports. Each year each cotton gin is the United States shall submit reports to the Cotton Board on forms or certificates made available or approved by the Cotton Board as follows:

(1) End-of-season report. Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, each gin shall report to the Cotton Board an alphabetical listing of producers names, their addresses, and the number of bales ginned for each such producer during its ginning season.

(b) Reporting schedule. The schedule for submitting gin reports is as follows:

1. Each gin that completes ginning operations prior to January 16 shall make a report to the Cotton Board within 10 days after completion of ginning.

2. Each gin that operates on or after January 16 will make a report to the Cotton Board not later than January 25 covering bales ginned through January 15.

3. Each gin that operates after January 15 shall make a supplemental report to the Cotton Board within 10 days after the close of ginning operations covering bales ginned after January 15.

Importer Assessments

1205.510 Levy of assessments.
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(2)(b) Importer assessment. An assessment for cotton research and promotion of $1 per bale is hereby levied on each bale of cotton, or the bale equivalent thereof for cotton in cotton-containing products identified in the HTS conversion factor table and imported into the United States on or after July 31, 1992. The $1 bale assessment shall be converted to a fixed amount per kilogram to facilitate the U.S. Customs Service in collecting this assessment.

(1) A supplemental assessment for cotton research and promotion in addition to the $1 per bale assessment provided for in paragraph (b) of this section is hereby levied on each bale of cotton or bale equivalent of cotton in cotton-containing products imported into the United States on or after July 31, 1992. The supplemental assessment shall be levied at the rate of five-tenths of one percent of the historical value of cotton as determined by the Secretary and expressed in paragraph (b)(2) of this section. The rate of the supplemental assessment on imported cotton will be the same as that levied on cotton produced within the United States. The supplemental assessment will be calculated as a fixed amount per kilogram and added to the $1 per bale or bale equivalent assessment to facilitate the Customs Service in collecting assessments.

(2) The average of monthly average prices received by U.S. farmers will be calculated annually. Such average will be used as the value of imported cotton for the purpose of levying the supplemental assessment on imported cotton and will be expressed in kilograms

(3) For the current import assessment table, see amendment to Cotton Board Rules and Regulations adjusting supplemental assessments on imports, final rule published in Federal Register:

(4) Any entry of cotton that qualifies for informal entry according to regulations issued by the Customs Service will not be subject to the assessment.

(5) Imported textile articles assembled abroad in whole or in part of fabricated components, produced in the United States which:

(i) were exported from the U.S. in condition ready for assembly without further fabrication,
(ii) have not lost their physical identity in such articles by change in form, shape or otherwise, and
(iii) have not been advanced in value or improved in condition abroad except by being assembled and except by operations incidental to the assembly process shall not be subject to assessments under this subpart. The specific HTS classification affected under this paragraph are 9802.00.8010, 9802.00.8040, and 9802.00.8060.

(6) Imported cotton and products may be exempted by the Cotton Board from assessment under this paragraph. Such imported cotton and products may include, but are not limited to cotton and the cotton content of products which is U.S. produced cotton, or cotton other than Upland cotton.

(i) A request for such exemption must be submitted to the Cotton Board by the importer, prior to the importation of the cotton product. The Cotton Board will then issue, if deemed appropriate, a numbered exemption certificate valid for one year from the date of issue. The exemption number should be entered by the importer on the Customs entry documentation in the appropriate location as determined by the U.S. Customs Service.

(ii) The request for exemption should include:

(a) The name, address, and importer identification number for the importer;
(b) The HTS classification of the imported product;
(c) Commercial invoices or other such documentation indicating the origin or production or type of the cotton fiber used to produce the imported product;
(d) Manufacturer's description of the imported product.

(7) The exemption number "999999999" shall be entered on the Customs entry summary document, in the appropriate location as determined by the U.S. Customs Service, by the importer when, based on the importer's own determination, the imported product is identified by a Harmonized Tariff Schedule classification number which is subject to assessment but the particular article contains no cotton.

(8) Articles imported into the United States temporarily and under bond which are classified by the Harmonized Tariff Schedule heading which begins with "9813" shall not be subject to assessment.

(9) Articles imported into the U.S. after being exported from the U.S. for alterations and which are classified by the Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheadings 9802.00.8015 and 9802.00.9000 shall not be subject to assessment.

Reimbursements

1205.520 Procedure for obtaining reimbursement.
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Each importer against whose imports of cotton or cotton-containing products any assessments are made and collected may obtain a reimbursement on that portion of the assessment that was collected on cotton produced in the United States or cotton other than Upland cotton by following the procedures prescribed in this section.

(a) Application Form. An importer shall obtain a reimbursement application form from the Cotton Board. Such form may be obtained by written request to the Cotton Board and the request shall bear the importer's signature or the importer's properly-witnessed mark.

(b) Submission of Reimbursement Application to Cotton Board. Any importer requesting a reimbursement shall mail the application on the prescribed form to the Cotton Board. The application shall be postmarked within 180 days from the date the assessments were paid on the cotton by such importer. The reimbursement application shall show:

(1) The importer's name, address phone number and Customs Service identification number;
(2) Weight of the cotton in each HTS category for which the reimbursement is requested;
(3) Subtotal amounts to be reimbursed for each HTS number and grand total to be reimbursed;
(4) Date or inclusive dates on which the assessments were paid;
(5) The name of the port of entry; and
(6) Certification by the importer that the cotton was grown in the U.S. or is other than Upland cotton.

(c) Where more than one importer shared in the assessment payment on cotton, joint or separate reimbursement application forms may be filed. In any such case, the reimbursement application shall show the names, addresses and proportionate shares of assessments paid by all importers. The reimbursement application shall bear the signature of each importer seeking reimbursement.

(d) Proof of payment of the assessment on U.S. produced or other than Upland cotton. A copy of the Customs entry form and the commercial invoice filed with the Customs Service shall accompany the importer's reimbursement application. Within 60 days from the date the properly executed application for reimbursement is received by the Cotton Board, the Cotton Board shall make reimbursement to the importer. For joint applications, the reimbursement shall be made payable to all eligible importers signing the reimbursement application. Documentation submitted with reimbursement applications shall not be returned to the importer.

1205.531 Records.
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Each handler or importer required to make reports pursuant to this subpart shall maintain such books and records as are necessary to verify the reports.

Confidential Information

1205.540 Confidential books, records, and reports.
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All information obtained from the books, records, and reports of handlers and importers shall be kept confidential in the manner and to the extent provided for in 1205.340.

Enforcement Provision of Cotton Research and Promotion Act
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Sec. 13 (a) The several district courts of the United States are vested with jurisdiction specifically to enforce and to prevent and restrain any person from violating any order or regulation made or issued pursuant to this Act.

(b) Any handler or importer who willfully violates any provision of any order issued by the Secretary under this Act, or who willfully fails or refuses to collect or remit any assessment or fee duly required of him thereunder, shall be liable to a penalty of not more than $1,000 for each such offense which shall accrue to the United States and may be recovered in a civil suit brought by the United States. (80 Stat. 284:7 U.S.C. 2112)