§ 2116 — Definitions

As used in this chapter: (a) The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture. (b) The term “person” means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or any other entity. (c) The term “cotton” means (1) all upland cotton harvested in the United States, and, except as used in section 2106(e) of this title, includes cottonseed of such cotton and the products derived from such cotton and its seed and (2) imports of upland cotton including the upland cotton content of the products derived from upland cotton (other than industrial products as defined by the Secretary). The term “cotton” shall not, however, include any entry of imported cotton by an importer that has a value or weight less than any de minimis figure as established in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary. Any de minimis figure as established under this paragraph shall be such as to minimize the burden in administering the assessment provision but still provide for the maximum participation of imports of cotton in the assessment provisions of this chapter. (d) The term “handler” means any person who handles cotton or cottonseed or, for the purposes of sections 2102, 2105(c), and 2112 of this title, any person who imports cotton, including de minimis amounts of cotton described in subsection (c), in the manner specified in the order or in the rules and regulations issued thereunder. (e) The term “United States” means the 50 States of the United States of America. (1) The term “cotton-producing State” means any State in which the average annual production of cotton during the five years 1960–1964 was twenty thousand bales or more, except that any State producing cotton whose production during such period was less than such amount shall under regulations prescribed by the Secretary be combined with another State or States producing cotton in such manner that such average annual production of such combination of States totaled twenty thousand bales or more. (2) The term “cotton-producing State” includes— (A) any combination of States described in paragraph (1); and (B) effective beginning with the 2008 crop of cotton, the States of Kansas, Virginia, and Florida. (g) The term “marketing” includes the sale of cotton or the pledging of cotton to the Commodity Credit Corporation as collateral for a price support loan. (1) The term “importer” means any person who enters, or withdraws from warehouse, cotton for consumption in the customs territory of the United States. (2) The term “import” means any such entry.