PUBLIC LAW 104-127—APR. 4, 1996 110 STAT. 1041 SEC. 516. PERMISSIVE TERMS IN ORDERS. 7 USC 7415. (a) EXEMPTIONS. —An order issued under this subtitle may contain— (1) authority for the Secretary to exempt from the order any de minimis quantity of an agricultural commodity otherwise covered by the order; and (2) authority for the board established under the order to require satisfactory safeguards against improper use of the exemption. (b) DIFFERENT PAYMENT AND REPORTING SCHEDULES. — An order issued under this subtitle may contain authority for the board established under the order to designate different payment and reporting schedules to recognize differences in agricultural commodity industry marketing practices and procedures used in different production and importing areas. (c) ACTIVITIES.— An order issued under this subtitle may contain authority to develop and carry out research, promotion, and information activities designed to expand, improve, or make more efficient the marketing or use of the agricultural commodity covered by the order in domestic and foreign markets. Section 515(e) shall apply with respect to activities authorized under this subsection. (d) RESERVE FUNDS. — An order issued under this subtitle may contain authority to reserve funds from assessments collected under section 517 to permit an effective and continuous coordinated program of research, promotion, and information in years when the yield from assessments may be reduced, except that the amount of funds reserved may not exceed the greatest aggregate amount of the anticipated disbursements specified in budgets approved under section 515(e) by the Secretary for any 2 fiscal years. (e) CREDITS.— (1) GENERIC ACTIVITIES. —An order issued under this subtitle may contain authority to provide credits of assessments for those individuals who contribute to other similar generic research, promotion, and information programs at the State, regional, or local level. (2) BRANDED ACTIVITIES. — (A) IN GENERAL.— The Secretary may permit a farmer cooperative that engages in branded activities relating to the marketing of the products of members of the cooperative to receive an annual credit for the activities and related expenditures in the form of a deduction of the total cost of the activities and related expenditures from the amount of any assessment that Would otherwise be required to be paid by the producer members of the cooperative under an order issued under this subtitle. (B) ELECTION BY COOPERATIVE.—^A farmer cooperative may elect to voluntarily waive the application of subparagraph (A) to the cooperative. (f) i^SESSMENT OF IMPORTS.— An order issued under this subtitle may contain authority for the board established under the order to assess under section 517 an imported agricultural commodity, or products of such an agricultural commodity, at a rate comparable to the rate determined by the appropriate board for the domestic agricultural commodity covered by the order. (g) OTHER AUTHORITY.— An order issued under this subtitle may contain authority to take any other action that—
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