DIRECT Act

Bill: 116-hr-7425
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]
Introduced: 2020-06-30
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Food industry and services

Food supply, safety, and labeling

Internet and video services

Internet, web applications, social media

Meat

Retail and wholesale trades

State and local government operations
Latest action: action_date: 2020-08-13
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-06-30
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions Act or the</b> <b>DIRECT Act</b></p> <p>This bill allows meat and poultry products inspected by State Meat and Poultry Inspection programs to be sold by retail stores, restaurants, or similar retail-type establishments over the internet and shipped by a carrier in commerce (other than for export to a foreign country), provided the meat and poultry products so inspected are shipped directly to household consumers and in normal retail quantities. (Under the inspection programs, the Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service allows states that meet certain requirements to inspect meat and poultry. The state-inspected products are currently limited to intrastate commerce, unless a state opts into a separate Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program.) </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7425 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 30, 2020 Mr. Johnson of South Dakota (for himself and Mr. Cuellar ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to allow for the interstate internet sales of certain State-inspected meat, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions Act or the DIRECT Act . 2. Interstate internet sales of certain State-inspected meat allowed (a) In general Section 301(c)(2) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act ( 21 U.S.C. 661(c)(2) ) is amended, by inserting after the first sentence, the following: For the purposes of this subparagraph, any retail store, restaurant, or similar retail-type establishment may sell over the internet and ship by carrier in commerce (other than for export to a foreign country) any State-inspected meat or meat food product, provided the meat or meat food product so inspected is shipped directly to household consumers and in normal retail quantities. . (b) Conforming amendments Section 301 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act ( 21 U.S.C. 661 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting before the period at the end the following: or for distribution pursuant to the second sentence of paragraph (c)(2) ; and (2) in subsection (c)(2), in the first sentence, by inserting or by after conducted at . 3. Interstate internet sales of certain State-inspected poultry allowed (a) In general Section 5(c)(2) of the Poultry Products Inspection Act ( 21 U.S.C. 454(c)(2) ) is amended, by inserting after the first sentence, the following: For the purposes of this subparagraph, any retail store, restaurant, or similar retail-type establishment may sell over the internet and ship by carrier in commerce (other than for export to a foreign country) any State-inspected poultry product, provided the poultry product so inspected is shipped directly to household consumers and in normal retail quantities. . (b) Conforming amendments Section 5 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act ( 21 U.S.C. 454 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting before the period at the end the following: or for distribution pursuant to the second sentence of paragraph (c)(2) ; and (2) in subsection (c)(2), in the first sentence, by inserting or by after conducted at .