[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       OMNIBUS MEAT, POULTRY, AND SEAFOOD INSPECTION LEGISLATION

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                          HON. STEVE GUNDERSON

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, September 28, 1996

  Mr. GUNDERSON. Mr. Speaker, in the last 2 years, the Livestock, Dairy 
and Poultry Subcommittee, which I chair, has had several hearings on 
meat, poultry, and seafood inspection issues with an eye on making the 
safest inspection system in the world even better. Our goal was to 
update decades-old inspection laws and to unite meat, poultry, and 
seafood regulations under a single roof.
  Regrettably, that will not happen in the 104th Congress largely 
because this is an emotionally charged issue where the personal agendas 
of some government employees, industry executives, and consumer group 
lobbyist have too often prevailed. That's why, in a Presidential 
election year, the vast majority of my colleagues felt that this issue 
was ``too hot to handle.''
  Even though legislative action was unlikely, we had our subcommittee 
staff, on a bipartisan basis, working on legislation that would both 
simplify and strengthen meat, poultry, and seafood inspection by 
uniting it under a single agency and encouraging greater cooperation 
between government and industry. While this legislation will not move 
in the 104th Congress, I am introducing our work product today, in 
draft form, for the use and information of future congresses.
  I, therefore, commend the attention of my colleagues to the draft 
``Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Inspection Reform Act of 1996.'' I believe 
that it would make an excellent starting point for the 105th Congress 
on this issue.

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