[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 118 (Sunday, July 26, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S5720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2371. Mr. HOEVEN (for himself, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Grassley, Ms.
Heitkamp, Mr. Thune, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Brown, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Casey,
and Mr. Enzi) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to
the bill H.R. 22, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt
employees with health coverage under TRICARE or the Veterans
Administration from being taken into account for purposes of
determining the employers to which the employer mandate applies under
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; which was ordered to
lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of division F, add the following:
SEC. 62____. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING REQUIREMENTS FOR
BEEF, PORK, AND CHICKEN.
(a) Definitions.--Section 281 of the Agricultural Marketing
Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraphs (1) and (7);
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), (6),
(8), and (9) as paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), and
(7), respectively; and
(3) in paragraph (1)(A) (as redesignated by paragraph
(2))--
(A) by striking clause (i) and inserting the following:
``(i) muscle cuts of lamb and venison;'';
(B) by striking clause (ii) and inserting the following:
``(ii) ground lamb and ground venison;'';
(C) in clause (vi), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(D) by striking clause (viii); and
(E) by redesignating clauses (ix), (x), and (xi) as clauses
(viii), (ix), and (x), respectively.
(b) Notice of Country of Origin.--Section 282 of the
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638a) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``subsection (b)'' and
inserting ``subsections (b) and (c)''; and
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``beef, lamb,
pork, chicken,''; and inserting ``lamb,'';
(ii) in subparagraphs (A) through (D), by striking ``beef,
lamb, pork, chicken,'' each place it appears and inserting
``lamb,''; and
(iii) in subparagraph (E)--
(I) in the subparagraph heading, by striking ``Ground beef,
pork, lamb, chicken,'' and inserting ``Ground lamb,''; and
(II) by striking ``ground beef, ground pork, ground lamb,
ground chicken,'' each place it appears and inserting
``ground lamb,'';
(2) by redesignating subsections (c) through (f) as
subsections (d) through (g), respectively;
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
``(c) Voluntary Designation of Country of Origin for Beef,
Pork, and Chicken.--
``(1) Definition of packer.--In this subsection, the term
`packer' has the meaning given the term in section 201 of the
Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 191)).
``(2) Voluntary designation.--As determined by the
Secretary, a packer of beef, pork, or chicken may voluntarily
designate any raw single-ingredient beef, pork, or chicken
intended for retail sale as exclusively having a United
States country of origin only if the beef, pork, or chicken
meets the requirements of clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of
subsection (a)(2)(A).
``(3) Enforcement.--The Secretary shall ensure compliance
with paragraph (2) in the same manner as the Secretary
ensures compliance with subsection (a)(2)(A).
``(4) Savings clause.--
``(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B),
nothing in this paragraph affects any other Federal marketing
or regulatory program or similar State initiative.
``(B) United states country of origin.--No Federal agency,
State, or political establishment of a State may establish or
enforce a statute or administrative action that provides for
the labeling of any beef, pork, or chicken intended for
retail sale as exclusively having a United States country of
origin in a manner that is less stringent than, or otherwise
inconsistent with, the requirements of paragraph (2) and
subsection (a)(2)(A).''; and
(4) in paragraph (2) of subsection (g) (as redesignated by
paragraph (2))--
(A) by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C); and
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as
subparagraphs (B) and (C), respectively.
______