Title: RAMP–UP Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Requiring Assistance to Meat Processors for Upgrading Plants Act or the RAMP-UP Act
This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service of the Department of Agriculture to provide grants to meat and poultry processing facilities for assistance with costs incurred in making improvements to such facilities and carrying out other planning activities necessary to be subject to inspection and allow for interstate shipment of their products.
Each grant shall not exceed $100,000.
Grant recipients must provide matching nonfederal funds in an amount equal to the amount of a grant, except for grants awarded in FY2020 or FY2021.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7490 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7490

To amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to direct the Secretary 
  of Agriculture to make grants for improvements to meat and poultry 
  facilities to allow for interstate shipment, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 6, 2020

Mr. Peterson (for himself, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Fortenberry, Ms. Pingree, Mr. 
Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Rouzer, Mr. Costa, 
 Mr. Aderholt, and Ms. Craig) introduced the following bill; which was 
                referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to direct the Secretary 
  of Agriculture to make grants for improvements to meat and poultry 
  facilities to allow for interstate shipment, 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 ``Requiring Assistance to Meat 
Processors for Upgrading Plants Act'' or the ``RAMP-UP Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO MEAT AND POULTRY FACILITIES TO ALLOW 
              FOR INTERSTATE SHIPMENT.

    The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``Subtitle H--Grants for Improvements to Meat and Poultry Facilities to 
                     Allow for Interstate Shipment

``SEC. 298. GRANTS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO MEAT AND POULTRY FACILITIES TO 
              ALLOW FOR INTERSTATE SHIPMENT.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator 
of the Agricultural Marketing Service and in consultation with the 
Administrator of the Food Safety Inspection Service, shall make grants 
to meat and poultry processing facilities in operation as of the date 
on which an application for such a grant is made to assist such 
facilities with respect to costs incurred in making improvements to 
such facilities and carrying out other planning activities necessary to 
be subject to inspection under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.), or the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 
451 et seq.).
    ``(b) Grant Amount.--The amount of a grant under this section shall 
not exceed $100,000.
    ``(c) Condition.--As a condition on receipt of a grant under this 
section, a grant recipient shall agree that if the recipient is not 
subject to inspection or making a good faith effort to be subject to 
inspection under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et 
seq.) or the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) 
within 36 months of receiving such grant, the grant recipient shall 
make a payment (or payments) to the Secretary in an amount equal to the 
amount of the grant.
    ``(d) Matching Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall require a grant 
        recipient to provide matching nonFederal funds in an amount 
        equal to the amount of a grant.
            ``(2) Exception.--The Secretary shall not require any grant 
        recipient to provide matching funds with respect to a grant 
        awarded in fiscal years 2020 or 2021.
    ``(e) Reports.--
            ``(1) Reports on grants made.--Beginning not later than one 
        year after the date on which the first grant is awarded under 
        this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
        submit to the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the 
        Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report on grants 
        made under this section and any facilities that were upgraded 
        using such funds during the year covered by the report.
            ``(2) Report on the cooperative interstate shipment 
        program.--Beginning not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to 
        the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the 
        Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report of any 
        recommendations, developed in consultation with States, for 
        possible improvements to the cooperative interstate shipment 
        program under section 501 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act 
        (21 U.S.C. 683) or section 31 of the Poultry Products 
        Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 472).
    ``(f) Funding.--
            ``(1) Mandatory funding.--Of the funds of the Commodity 
        Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use $80,000,000 for the 
        period of fiscal years 2020 through 2023, to remain available 
        until expended.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
        $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2023.''.
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