Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection Panel Act

Summary: Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection Panel Act - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to establish in the Department of Agriculture the Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection Panel which shall evaluate Federal meat and poultry inspection procedures and related matters. 
Amends the Poultry Products Inspection Act to require the Panel to report to the Secretary on a safe and cost-effective poultry inspection system and on other related matters.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection 
Panel Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF SAFE MEAT AND POULTRY INSPECTION PANEL.

    The Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end thereof the following new section:
    ``Sec.    . Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection Panel.--``(a) 
Establishment.--There is hereby established in the Department of 
Agriculture a permanent advisory panel known as the ``Safe Meat and 
Poultry Inspection Panel''.
    ``(b) Purpose.--The Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection Panel shall 
review, evaluate, and make comments and recommendations in the form of 
a report to the Secretary on the adequacy, necessity, safety, cost-
effectiveness, and scientific merit of the following:
            (1) Inspection procedures of, and work rules and worker 
        relations involving Federal employees employed in, plants 
        inspected under this Act.
            (2) Informal petitions or proposals for changes in 
        inspection procedures, processes, and techniques of plants 
        inspected under this Act.
            (3) Formal changes in meat inspection regulations, either 
        in notice, proposed, or final form, promulgated by virtue of 
        authority granted by this Act and within the time limits 
        prescribed for formal comments on such changes.
            (4) Such other matters as may be referred to the panel by 
        the Secretary regarding the quality or effectiveness of a safe 
        and cost-effective meat inspection system under this Act.
    ``(c) Composition of Panel.--The Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection 
Panel shall be composed of 7 members, not less than 5 of which members 
shall be from the food, meat, and poultry science profession, appointed 
to staggered terms not to exceed three years by the Secretary from 
nominations received from the National Institutes of Health and the 
American Meat Science Association and based upon the professional 
qualifications of the nominees.
    ``(d) Nominations.--In constituting the original Safe Meat and 
Poultry Inspection Panel, the Secretary shall initially solicit 6 
nominees from the National Institutes of Health and 6 nominees from the 
American Meat Science Association for membership on the panel. Any 
subsequent vacancy on the panel shall be filled by the Secretary after 
soliciting 2 nominees from the National Institutes of Health and 2 
nominees from the American Meat Science Association. Nominees shall 
have a background in public health issues and a scientific expertise in 
food, meat, and poultry sciences or in veterinary science. The 
Secretary may require nominees to submit such additional information as 
the Secretary may deem necessary prior to completing the selection 
process. Should any list of nominees provided under this subsection be 
unsatisfactory, the Secretary may request an additional set of nominees 
from the nominating entities.
    ``(e) Compensation.--Each member of the panel shall receive per 
diem compensation at a rate not in excess of that fixed for GS-18 of 
the General Schedule as may be determined by the Secretary, except that 
any such member who holds another office or position under the Federal 
Government the compensation of which exceeds such rate may elect to 
receive compensation at the rate provided for such other office or 
position in lieu of the compensation provided by this subsection.
    ``(f) Conflict of Interest.--The Secretary shall promulgate 
regulations regarding conflicts of interest with respect to the members 
of the panel.
    ``(g) Publication in Federal Register.--Any report of the panel to 
the Secretary shall be published in the Federal Register.
    ``(h) Secretarial Response.--Within 90 days of the publication of a 
panel report under this section, the Secretary shall publish in the 
Federal Register any response required of the Secretary to that report.
    ``(i) Funding.--From funds available to the Secretary, the 
Secretary shall allocate such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
this section.''.

SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    The Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section:
    ``Sec.   . Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection Panel.--The advisory 
panel known as the `Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection Panel' established 
in section     of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.     ) 
shall also review, evaluate and make comments and recommendations in 
the form of a report to the Secretary on the adequacy, necessity, 
safety, cost-effectiveness, and scientific merit of the following:
            (1) Inspection procedures of, and work rules and worker 
        relations involving Federal employees employed in, plants 
        inspected under this Act.
            (2) Informal petitions or proposals for changes in 
        inspection procedures, processes, or techniques of plants 
        inspected under this Act.
            (3) Formal changes in poultry inspection regulations, 
        either in notice, proposed, or final form, promulgated by 
        virtue of authority granted by this Act and within the time 
        limits prescribed for formal comments on such changes.
            (4) Such other matters as may be referred to the panel by 
        the Secretary regarding the quality or effectiveness of a safe 
        and cost-effective poultry inspection system under this Act.''.