I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6977 
To provide overtime and holiday fee relief for small meat, poultry, and 
egg processing plants, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 22, 2020 
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota (for himself, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. HAGEDORN, and 
Mr. FORTENBERRY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To provide overtime and holiday fee relief for small meat, 
poultry, and egg processing plants, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Small Packer Overtime 
and Holiday Fee Relief for COVID–19 Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. OVERTIME AND HOLIDAY FEE RELIEF FOR SMALL 
MEAT, 
POULTRY, 
AND 
EGG 
PROCESSING 
PLANTS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) COVERED ACT.—The term ‘‘covered Act’’ 
means— 
(A) the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 
(B) the Poultry Products Inspection Act 
(21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.); and 
(C) the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 1031 et seq.). 
(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The term ‘‘establish-
ment’’ means— 
(A) a meat establishment subject to the re-
quirements of the Federal Meat Inspection Act 
(21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 
(B) a poultry establishment subject to the 
requirements of the Poultry Products Inspec-
tion Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.); and 
(C) an egg products processing plant sub-
ject to the requirements of the Egg Products 
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(4) SMALL ESTABLISHMENT; VERY SMALL ES-
TABLISHMENT.—The terms ‘‘small establishment’’ 
and ‘‘very small establishment’’ have the meaning 
given those terms in the final rule entitled ‘‘Patho-
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gen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control 
Point (HACCP) Systems’’ (61 Fed. Reg. 38806 
(July 25, 1996)). 
(b) OVERTIME AND HOLIDAY FEES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, for an inspection of an establish-
ment conducted pursuant to a covered Act, the Sec-
retary shall discount the rate charged— 
(A) by not less than 30 percent of the 
overtime and holiday published rate in the case 
of a small establishment; and 
(B) by not less than 75 percent of the 
overtime and holiday published rate in the case 
of a very small establishment. 
(2) RULEMAKING; RETROACTIVE IMPLEMENTA-
TION.—Not later than 60 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 
(A) complete a rulemaking establishing the 
discounted rates required under paragraph (1); 
and 
(B) implement those discounted rates to 
apply retroactively to the date of enactment of 
this Act. 
(c) EFFECTIVENESS.—The Secretary— 
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(1) shall carry out subsection (b) until the 
funds appropriated under subsection (d) are ex-
pended; and 
(2) may carry out subsection (b) after those 
funds are expended only to the extent and in the 
amount provided in advance in appropriations Acts. 
(d) FUNDING.—There is appropriated to the Sec-
retary, out of funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro-
priated, $58,000,000, to remain available until expended, 
to carry out subsection (b). 
Æ 
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