---
kind: "section"
citation: "7 U.S.C. § 178a"
title: "7"
title_heading: "Agriculture"
number: "178a"
heading: "Definitions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/7/178a"
units:
  - "Chapter 8A — Rubber and Other Critical Agricultural Materials"
  - "Subchapter II — Critical Agricultural Materials"
---

# §178a. Definitions


As used in this subchapter—

- (a) The term “State” means each of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- (b) The term “Secretaries” means the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2) of Agriculture and/or the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2) of Commerce acting each separately or jointly.
- (c) The term “commercialization” means the stage in the development or advancement of a technology at which point private enterprise is willing to invest in a full-scale production facility.
- (d) The term “native” means hydrocarbon-containing plants and other agricultural crops of strategic and industrial importance which may be cultured in North America, especially plants which are members of the genus Parthenium known as Guayule.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 95–592, § 3, Nov. 4, 1978, 92 Stat. 2529; Pub. L. 98–284, § 3, May 16, 1984, 98 Stat. 181.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1984—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 98–284, § 3(a), inserted “and other agricultural crops of strategic and industrial importance” and “plants which are”.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 98–284, § 3(b), struck out subsec. (e) which defined “Regional Commissions” as the Regional Action Planning Commissions established pursuant to title V of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965.