Title: Pathogen Reduction and Testing Reform Act of 2018
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Pathogen Reduction and Testing Reform Act of 2018
This bill amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to revise the definition of "adulterated" to make explicit the authority of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue a recall of meat, poultry, and egg products that contain microbial pathogens associated with serious illness or death or are resistant to two or more antibiotics critically important for human medicine.
The bill requires USDA to establish sampling protocols and testing procedures necessary to determine if meat, poultry, and egg products are adulterated under this bill and to prevent the entry, flow, or movement of those products into commerce.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7336 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7336

    To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products 
  Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to provide that 
    meat, poultry, and egg products containing certain pathogens or 
         contaminants are adulterated, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 19, 2018

 Ms. DeLauro introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products 
  Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to provide that 
    meat, poultry, and egg products containing certain pathogens or 
         contaminants are adulterated, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Pathogen Reduction and Testing 
Reform Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. PRODUCTS CONTAINING CERTAIN PATHOGENS OR CONTAMINANTS 
              ADULTERATED.

    (a) Meat and Meat Food Products.--Section 1(m) of the Federal Meat 
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601(m)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by inserting ``or a microbial pathogen that is 
                associated with serious illness or death'' after 
                ``which may render it injurious to health''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``or such a microbial pathogen'' 
                after ``added substance''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B), (C), and 
                (D) as subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the 
                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) if it bears or contains a strain of a 
                microbial pathogen, such as Campylobacter or 
                Salmonella, that is resistant to not fewer than two 
                critically important antibiotics for human medicine (as 
                specified in the World Health Organization's list of 
                Critically Important Antimicrobials);''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (E) (as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (A)) by striking ``clause (B), (C), or 
                (D)'' and inserting ``this subparagraph or subparagraph 
                (C) or (D)''.
    (b) Poultry and Poultry Products.--Section 4(g) of the Poultry 
Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 453(g)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by inserting ``or a microbial pathogen that is 
                associated with serious illness or death'' after 
                ``which may render it injurious to health''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``or such a microbial pathogen'' 
                after ``added substance''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B), (C), and 
                (D) as subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the 
                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) if it bears or contains a strain of a 
                microbial pathogen, such as Campylobacter or 
                Salmonella, that is resistant to not fewer than two 
                critically important antibiotics for human medicine (as 
                specified in the World Health Organization's list of 
                Critically Important Antimicrobials);''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (E) (as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (A)) by striking ``clause (B), (C), or 
                (D)'' and inserting ``this subparagraph or subparagraph 
                (C) or (D)''.
    (c) Eggs and Egg Products.--Section 4(a) of the Egg Products 
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1033(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by inserting ``or a microbial pathogen that is 
                associated with serious illness or death'' after 
                ``which may render it injurious to health''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``or such a microbial pathogen'' 
                after ``added substance''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B), (C), and 
                (D) as subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the 
                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) if it bears or contains a strain of a 
                microbial pathogen, such as Campylobacter or 
                Salmonella, that is resistant to not fewer than two 
                critically important antibiotics for human medicine (as 
                specified in the World Health Organization's list of 
                Critically Important Antimicrobials);''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (E) (as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (A)) by striking ``clause (B), (C), or 
                (D)'' and inserting ``this subparagraph or subparagraph 
                (C) or (D)''.

SEC. 3. TESTING FOR CERTAIN PATHOGENS OR CONTAMINANTS REQUIRED.

    (a) Meat and Meat Food Products.--The Federal Meat Inspection Act 
is amended by inserting after section 9 (21 U.S.C. 609) the following 
new section:

``SEC. 9A. TESTING FOR CERTAIN PATHOGENS OR CONTAMINANTS REQUIRED.

    ``Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
section, the Secretary shall, for purposes of examinations or 
inspections conducted under this Act, establish sampling protocols and 
testing procedures using the methods and technologies the Secretary 
determines are most appropriate--
            ``(1) to determine if meat and meat food products are 
        adulterated within the meaning of paragraph (1) or (2)(B) of 
        section 1(m); and
            ``(2) to prevent the use in commerce of any product that is 
        determined to be so adulterated.''.
    (b) Poultry and Poultry Products.--The Poultry Products Inspection 
Act is amended by inserting after section 8 (21 U.S.C. 457) the 
following new section:

``SEC. 8A. TESTING FOR CERTAIN PATHOGENS OR CONTAMINANTS REQUIRED.

    ``Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
section, the Secretary shall, for purposes of examinations or 
inspections conducted under this Act, establish sampling protocols and 
testing procedures using the methods and technologies the Secretary 
determines are most appropriate--
            ``(1) to determine if poultry and poultry products are 
        adulterated within the meaning of paragraph (1) or (2)(B) of 
        section 4(g); and
            ``(2) to prevent the entry into or flow or movement in 
        commerce of, or the burdening of commerce by, any such product 
        that is determined to be so adulterated.''.
    (c) Egg and Egg Products.--The Egg Products Inspection Act is 
amended by inserting after section 7 (21 U.S.C. 1036) the following new 
section:

``SEC. 7A. TESTING FOR CERTAIN PATHOGENS OR CONTAMINANTS REQUIRED.

    ``Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
section, the Secretary shall, for purposes of examinations or 
inspections conducted under this Act, establish sampling protocols and 
testing procedures using the methods and technologies the Secretary 
determines are most appropriate--
            ``(1) to determine if eggs and egg products are adulterated 
        within the meaning of paragraph (1) or (2)(B) of section 4(a); 
        and
            ``(2) to prevent the entry into or flow or movement in 
        commerce of, or the burdening of commerce by, any such product 
        that is determined to be so adulterated.''.

SEC. 4. REGULATIONS; EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) Regulations.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall issue 
regulations to carry out the amendments made by this Act.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall apply 
with respect to meat and meat food products, poultry and poultry 
products, and eggs and egg products entering into interstate or foreign 
commerce on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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