[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4562 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4562

   To require the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into appropriate 
 arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to coordinate the 
 development of recommendations for public policy changes required to 
implement an improved inspection program for meat and poultry products.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 9, 1994

 Mr. Stenholm introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into appropriate 
 arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to coordinate the 
 development of recommendations for public policy changes required to 
implement an improved inspection program for meat and poultry products.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DEVELOPMENT OF FRAMEWORK FOR IMPROVED MEAT AND POULTRY 
              INSPECTION BY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to protect the public 
health by providing for the development of a detailed framework for an 
improved meat and poultry inspection program that is both 
scientifically reliable and concentrates on hazards posing the greatest 
risk to human health.
    (b) Coordination by National Academy of Sciences.--Not later than 
60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Agriculture shall enter into an agreement with the President of the 
National Academy of Sciences, under which the Academy will coordinate 
the development and evaluation of strategies and mechanisms for 
implementing an improved meat and poultry inspection program under the 
jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture that is both 
scientifically reliable and concentrates on hazards posing the greatest 
risk to human health.
    (c) Report on Activities.--Not later than six months after the date 
on which the agreement is entered into under subsection (b), the 
Academy shall submit to the Secretary of Agriculture and Congress a 
report describing the results of the activities conducted pursuant to 
the agreement. The report shall include the following:
            (1) An evaluation of the adequacy of the current scientific 
        basis for implementing risk-based meat and poultry inspection 
        programs using the approach known as hazard analysis critical 
        control point. The evaluation shall include an examination of 
        the adequacy of--
                    (A) data necessary to evaluate and compare the 
                public health impacts of current and future meat and 
                poultry inspection programs; and
                    (B) current and anticipated biological and food 
                science technologies needed to conduct risk-based meat 
                and poultry inspection programs.
            (2) If deficiencies are found in the current scientific 
        basis for implementing risk-based meat and poultry inspection 
        programs, recommendations regarding strategies needed to 
        achieve the level of scientific data and technology required to 
        adequately protect the public health in conducting meat and 
        poultry inspection programs.
            (3) Recommendations regarding the management structure in 
        the Department of Agriculture and resources necessary for--
                    (A) training the current meat and poultry 
                inspection work force to move from a visual inspection 
                system to a risk-based inspection system; and
                    (B) implementing an effective risk-based meat and 
                poultry inspection program on a uniform basis 
                throughout the United States.
            (4) A description of the legislative and regulatory changes 
        needed to implement the recommendations required under 
        paragraph (3).
    (d) Funding.--From funds available to the Secretary of Agriculture 
for fiscal year 1995, the Secretary may use not more than $200,000 to 
carry out this section.

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