US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

7 U.S.C. § 1372

Payment, collection, and refund of penalties

(a)
The penalty with respect to the marketing, by sale, of wheat, cotton, or rice, if the sale is to any person within the United States, shall be collected by the buyer.
(b)
1
1 See References in Text note below.
All penalties provided for in part B of this subchapter shall be collected and paid in such manner, at such times, and under such conditions as the Secretary may by regulations prescribe. Such penalties shall be remitted to the Secretary by the person liable for the penalty, except that if any other person is liable for the collection of the penalty, such other person shall remit the penalty. Except as provided in section 1314h  of this title, the amount of such penalties shall be covered into the general fund of the Treasury of the United States.
(c)

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary is authorized to prescribe by regulations for the identification of farms and it shall be sufficient to schedule receipts into special deposit accounts or to schedule such receipts for transfer therefrom, or directly, into the separate fund provided for in subsection (b) by means of such identification without reference to the names of the producers on such farms.

The Secretary is authorized to prescribe regulations governing the filing of such claims and the determination of such refunds.

Whenever, pursuant to a claim filed with the Secretary within two years after payment to him of any penalty collected from any person pursuant to this chapter, the Secretary finds that such penalty was erroneously, illegally, or wrongfully collected and the claimant bore the burden of the payment of such penalty, the Secretary shall certify to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment to the claimant, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, such amount as the Secretary finds the claimant is entitled to receive as a refund of such penalty.
(d)
No penalty shall be collected under this chapter with respect to the marketing of any agricultural commodity grown for experimental purposes only by any publicly owned agricultural experiment station. Effective with the 1978 crops, no penalty shall be collected under this chapter with respect to the marketing of any agricultural commodity grown on State prison farms for consumption within such State prison system.

Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 3052 Stat. 65Apr. 7, 1938, ch. 107, § 1152 Stat. 204July 2, 1940, ch. 521, § 654 Stat. 728Pub. L. 96–11393 Stat. 850Pub. L. 99–272, title I, § 1106(b)100 Stat. 91(, title III, § 372, ; , ; , ; , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 1314h of this titlePub. L. 108–357, title VI, § 611(a)118 Stat. 1522, referred to in subsec. (b), was repealed by , , .

Amendments

Pub. L. 99–272section 1314h of this title1986—Subsec. (b). substituted “Except as provided in , the” for “The”.

Pub. L. 96–1131979—Subsec. (d). inserted provisions respecting exemption from marketing quota penalties for State prison farms.

1940—Subsec. (c). Act , substituted “within two years” for “within one year” and inserted “and the claimant bore the burden of the payment of such penalty” after “wrongfully collected” in first par. and inserted second par. authorizing regulations for farm identification, etc.

1938—Subsecs. (c), (d). Act , added subsecs. (c) and (d).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1986 Amendment

Pub. L. 99–272, title I, § 1106(b)100 Stat. 91, , , provided that the amendment made by that section is effective for the 1986 and subsequent crops of tobacco.

Rulemaking Procedures

Pub. L. 99–272section 553 of Title 5section 1108(c) of Pub. L. 99–272section 1301 of this titleSecretary of Agriculture to implement amendments by without regard to provisions requiring notice and other procedures for public participation in rulemaking contained in , Government Organization and Employees, or in any other directive of the Secretary, see , set out as a note under .