[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1815 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1815
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to suspend increases in line
speeds at meat and poultry establishments, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 11, 2021
Ms. DeLauro (for herself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Schakowsky,
Mr. Van Drew, Mr. Cooper, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Rush, Mr.
Lowenthal, Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Pingree, Mr.
Hastings, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Garcia of
Illinois, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Clark
of Massachusetts, Ms. Tlaib, and Mr. Cleaver) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in
addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Energy and
Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to suspend increases in line
speeds at meat and poultry establishments, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Line Speeds in COVID-19 Act''.
SEC. 2. SUSPENDING AUTHORITY TO INCREASE LINE SPEEDS AT MEAT AND
POULTRY ESTABLISHMENTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the
Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, for the
duration of the COVID-19 emergency period, shall--
(1) suspend any waivers related to line speeds in covered
establishments and inspection staffing requirements for covered
establishments issued before the date of the enactment of this
Act, and not issue any new waivers to such establishments,
including under sections 303.1(h) and 381.3(b) of title 9, Code
of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations); and
(2) suspend implementation of, and conversion to, the New
Swine Slaughter Inspection System as described in the final
rule entitled ``Modernization of Swine Slaughter Inspection''
issued by the Department of Agriculture in the Federal Register
on October 1, 2019 (84 Fed. Reg. 52300 et seq.).
(b) Limitation on Authority With Respect to Line Speeds.--None of
the funds made available to the Department of Agriculture during the
COVID-19 emergency period shall be used to develop, propose, finalize,
issue, amend, or implement any policy, regulation, directive,
constituent update, or any other agency program that would increase
line speeds at covered establishments.
(c) Effect on State Law.--The provisions of this section are in
addition to, and not in lieu of, any other laws protecting worker
safety and animal welfare. This section shall not be construed to
preempt or limit any law or regulation of a State or a political
subdivision of a State containing requirements that are more protective
of worker safety or animal welfare than the requirements of this
section, or which create penalties for conduct regulated by this
section.
(d) GAO Report.--Upon termination of the COVID-19 emergency period,
the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a review of
actions taken by the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Labor,
and the Secretary of Health and Human Services in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic to determine the effectiveness of such actions in
protecting animal, food, and worker safety. Such review shall include
an analysis of, with respect to covered establishments--
(1) all policies and regulations relating to inspections of
such establishments implemented by the Secretary of
Agriculture, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of
Health and Human Services relating to COVID-19;
(2) the pandemic emergency preparedness plans of such
establishments;
(3) the extent to which such facilities have implemented
guidance and recommendations to space workers six feet apart on
production lines, break rooms, locker rooms, and all other
workspaces;
(4) the quantity and usage of personal protective equipment
by workers at such establishments;
(5) any guidance provided to inspectors of such
establishments by the Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of
Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services during
the COVID-19 emergency period;
(6) actions taken by the Secretary of Agriculture, the
Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human
Services to protect animals, food, and workers at covered
establishments with reported cases of COVID-19;
(7) all humane handling reports issued, and enforcement
actions taken, by the Department of Agriculture in accordance
with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (7 U.S.C. 1901 et
seq.) and the good commercial practices regulations under the
Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) during
the COVID-19 emergency period;
(8) the impact of faster line speeds on the ability of such
establishments to maintain protections for employees; and
(9) any interference by any other Federal agency with
reviews of any such establishments experiencing outbreaks of
COVID-19 conducted by personnel of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
(e) Reports to Congress.--Not later than December 31, 2021, the
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of
Health and Human Services shall each submit to the Committee on
Agriculture and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of
the Senate a report on the actions taken by the Secretary of
Agriculture, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, respectively, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to
protect animal, food, and worker safety. Each such report shall include
the respective Secretary's analysis of, with respect to facilities
operated by covered processors, the matters specified in each (as
applicable) of paragraphs (1) through (8) of subsection (d).
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``covered establishment'' means an official
meat or poultry establishment that is subject to inspection
under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.)
or the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.).
(2) The term ``COVID-19 emergency period'' means--
(A) the emergency period, as defined in section
1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1320b-5(g)(1)(B)); and
(B) the 90-day period that follows the end of such
emergency period.
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