Plant Quarantine Act

The Plant Quarantine Act, originally enacted in 1912 (7 U.S.C. 151 et seq.), gave the

Plant Protection Act of 2000

(7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.). This authority is particularly important to the agency’s ability to prevent or limit the spread of harmful invasive species within or to a state or region of the United States.

Provisions of Act

The Plant Quarantine Act was codified as fifteen sections formulating regulations and rules for the importation of nursery stock including annual plants and biennial plants.

7 U.S.C § 151 -	Definition of "Persons" to include corporations
7 U.S.C § 152 -	Definition of "Nursery Stock"
7 U.S.C § 153 -	Persons to include corporations and corporations liable for acts of agents
7 U.S.C § 154 -	Unlawful importing of nursery stock without permit, requirement of foreign inspection certificate, and conditions if no inspection abroad
7 U.S.C § 155 -	Imports for use by Department of Agriculture
7 U.S.C § 156 -	Notification of arrival at port of entry, port of entry forwarding forbidden without notification, and required inspection
7 U.S.C § 157 -	Marking required on goods entering the United States
7 U.S.C § 158 -	Marking required in interstate shipments
7 U.S.C § 159 -	Restriction on importing plants other than nursery stock and issue of order
7 U.S.C § 160 -	Plant diseases and insect infestation, determination of existence in country or locality, importations prohibited after promulgation of determination, and quarantine immediately effective
7 U.S.C § 161 -	Interstate quarantine against plant diseases or insect infestation, shipments from quarantined localities forbidden, movements of nursery stock subject to conditions, and rules for inspection to be issued
7 U.S.C § 162 -	Duty of Secretary of Agriculture
7 U.S.C § 163 -	Punishment for violations
7 U.S.C § 164 -	Common carriers and prosecutions
7 U.S.C § 165 -	Establishment of Federal Horticulture Board

Amendments to 1912 Act

U.S. Congressional amendments to the Plant Quarantine Act.

Date of Enactment	Public Law Number	U.S. Statute Citation	U.S. Legislative Bill	U.S. Presidential Administration
April 13, 1926	Public Resolution 69-14	44 Stat. 250	S.J.Res. 78	Calvin Coolidge
May 1, 1928	P.L. 70-327	45 Stat. 468	H.R. 484	Calvin Coolidge
June 4, 1936	P.L. 74-643	49 Stat. 1461	H.R. 8495	Franklin D. Roosevelt
July 31, 1947	P.L. 80-290	61 Stat. 680	S. 338	Harry S. Truman
October 10, 1978	P.L. 95-439	92 Stat. 1061	S. 286	Jimmy E. Carter
January 8, 1983	P.L. 97-432	96 Stat. 2276	H.R. 5456	Ronald W. Reagan

References

This article incorporates public domain material from Jasper Womach. Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition (PDF). Congressional Research Service.