8 



FLOOR STATEMENT BY 



CONGRESSMAN CHARLES W. STENHOLM 

 OF TEXAS 



IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



REGARDING 

 THE EGG RESEARCH AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ACT 



AMENDMENTS OF 1993 



APRIL 1, 1993 



Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to amend the Egg 

 Research and Consumer Information Act, the statute authorizing a 

 commodity promotion and research program for the egg industry. 



If enacted, this legislation would enable egg producers to vote in a 

 referendum to increase their assessment level from its current rate 

 of five cents per case up to a maximum rate of 30 cents per case. 

 The bill would also raise the exemption level from egg producers 

 with 30,000 or less laying hens to egg producers with 50,000 or 

 less laying hens, which is a more accurate description of a small 

 egg producer today. Thus, any egg producer with 50,000 or less 

 layers would not be required to pay an assessment. 



The reason I have been such a staunch supporter of the egg 

 checkoff program and other programs like it is because of the 

 many benefits these programs offer agricultural producers and 

 consumers alike. From the development of food handling and safety 

 information for foodservice operations, the research into the 

 relationship between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol, the 

 egg "checkoff" program has provided producers and consumers 

 with valuable information — without asking the Federal Government 

 to pick up the tab. 



Through a collective assessment, the egg industry and others have 

 been able to fund many vital promotion and educational programs, 

 which have helped maintain and expand the market for their 

 products, while enhancing their ability to compete and grow in the 

 future. Working together to improve their product through research, 

 promotion and consumer information is one of the best ways to 

 anticipate and prepare for market changes, respond to consumer 

 demand and position the industry for success. 



