I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4543 
To amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Federal Meat Inspec-
tion Act to require an active tuberculosis screening for any individual 
seeking employment with meat processing facilities or poultry processing 
facilities, and to prohibit the hiring of any individual who is determined 
to have active tuberculosis. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 13, 2007 
Mr. ADERHOLT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Fed-
eral Meat Inspection Act to require an active tuberculosis 
screening for any individual seeking employment with 
meat processing facilities or poultry processing facilities, 
and to prohibit the hiring of any individual who is deter-
mined to have active tuberculosis. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. ACTIVE TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING REQUIRE-
MENT FOR POULTRY PROCESSING FACILI-
TIES. 
(a) TUBERCULOSIS TESTING.—The Poultry Products 
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 31. EMPLOYEE TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING. 
‘‘(a) No individual may be hired by any person that 
engages, for commerce, in the business of slaughtering any 
poultry or processing, freezing, packaging, or labeling any 
carcasses, or parts or products of carcasses, of any poul-
try, for use as human food or animal food, unless a li-
censed medical professional determines that such indi-
vidual does not have active tuberculosis by administering 
to such individual a tuberculin skin test as part of the 
individual’s application for employment, and if such indi-
vidual has a positive tuberculin reaction, by administering 
a chest X-ray examination. 
‘‘(b) An individual determined to have active tuber-
culosis under subsection (a) is not barred from seeking 
future employment with such person if such individual re-
ceives treatment for active tuberculosis and such indi-
vidual is subsequently determined not to have active tuber-
culosis under subsection (a).’’. 
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(b) PENALTIES.—Section 12(a) of such Act (21 
U.S.C. 461(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘or 17’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘17, or 31’’. 
SEC. 2. ACTIVE TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING REQUIREMENT 
FOR MEAT PROCESSING FACILITIES. 
The Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end of title II the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘SEC. 206. EMPLOYEE TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING. 
‘‘(a) No individual may be hired by any person, firm, 
or corporation that engages, for commerce, in the business 
of slaughtering any amenable species, or preparing, freez-
ing, packaging, or labeling any carcasses, or parts or prod-
ucts of carcasses, of any such amenable species, for use 
as human food or animal food, unless a licensed medical 
professional determines that such individual does not have 
active tuberculosis by administering to such individual a 
tuberculin skin test as part of the individual’s application 
for employment, and if such individual has a positive tu-
berculin reaction, by administering a chest X-ray examina-
tion. 
‘‘(b) An individual determined to have active tuber-
culosis under subsection (a) is not barred from seeking 
future employment with such person, firm, or corporation 
if such individual receives treatment for active tuberculosis 
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and such individual is subsequently determined not to 
have active tuberculosis under subsection (a).’’. 
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 
after the date which is 180 days after the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
Æ 
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