PUBLIC LAW 98-590—OCT. 30, 1984
98 STAT. 3121
appropriate or necessary to the effectuation, administration, or enforcement of the Act or of any order or regulation issued pursuant to this Act. (g) All information obtained pursuant to subsection (f) shall be kept confidential by all officers and employees of the Department of Agriculture and of the Honey Board. Only such information as the Secretary deems relevant shall be disclosed and only in a suit or administrative hearing brought at the request of the Secretary or to which the Secretary or any officer of the United States is a party involving the order with reference to which the information was furnished or acquired. Nothing in this section prohibits— (1) issuance of general statements based upon the reports of a number of handlers subject to any order, if such statements do not identify the information furnished by any person; or (2) the publication by direction of the Secretary, of the name of any person violating any order issued under this Act, together with a statement of the particular provisions of the order violated by such person. (h) Any producer or importer may obtain a refund of the assessment collected from the producer or importer if demand is made within the time and in the manner prescribed by the Honey Board and approved by the Secretary; except that, during any year, the amount of refunds made to importers, as a percentage of total assessments collected from importers, shall not exceed the amount of refunds made to domestic producers, as a percentage of total assessments collected from such producers. Such refund shall be made by the Honey Board in June and December of each year.
Confidentiality.
PETITION AND REVIEW
SEC. 10. (a) Any person subject to an order may file, within a period prescribed by the Secretary, a written petition with the Secretary, stating that such order or any provision of such order or any obligation imposed in connection therewith is not in accordance with law and requesting a modification thereof or to be exempted therefrom. Such person shall thereupon be given an opportunity for a hearing upon such petition, in accordance with regulations made by the Secretary. After such hearing, the Secretary shall make a ruling upon such petition which shall be final, if in accordance with law. (b) The district courts of the United States in any district in which such person is an inhabitant, or carries on business, are hereby vested with jurisdiction to review such ruling, provided a complaint for that purpose is filed within twenty days from the date of the entry of such ruling. Service of process in such proceedings may be had upon the Secretary by delivering to the Secretary a copy of the complaint. If the court determines that such ruling is not in accordance with law, it shall remand such proceedings to the Secretary with directions either (1) to make such ruling as the court shall determine to be in accordance with law, or (2) to take such further proceedings as, in its opinion, the law requires. The pendency of proceedings instituted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall not impede, hinder, or delay the United States or the Secretary from obtaining relief pursuant to section 11 of this Act.
7 USC 4609.
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