A–PLUS Act

Bill: 119-hr-1648
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Alford, Mark [R-MO-4]
Introduced: 2025-02-27
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2025-03-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-02-27
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States Act or the A–PLUS Act</strong></p><p>This bill directs the Department of Agriculture&nbsp;(USDA) to revise its regulations to allow certain packers to hold an ownership interest in, finance, or participate in the management or operation of a market agency selling livestock on a commission basis.</p><p>The bill applies to packers that have a cumulative slaughter capacity of (1) less than 2,000 animals per day or 700,000 animals per year with respect to cattle or sheep, and (2) less than 10,000 animals per day or 3 million animals per year with respect to hogs.</p><p>In addition,&nbsp;USDA must revise its regulations to&nbsp;include a disclosure requirement for a market agency that has an ownership interest in, finances, or participates in the management or operation of a packer. Specifically, the market agency must disclose the existence of such ownership interest, financial relationship, or participation.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1648 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 27, 2025 Mr. Alford (for himself, Mr. Panetta , Mr. Johnson of South Dakota , Mr. Rouzer , Mr. Graves , Ms. Tokuda , Mr. Vasquez , Mr. Smith of Nebraska , Mr. Davis of North Carolina , Mr. Feenstra , Mr. Finstad , and Mr. Moore of Alabama ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to amend certain regulations to clarify that livestock auction owners may have an interest in small meatpacking businesses, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States Act or the A–PLUS Act . 2. Amplifying processing of livestock in the United States (a- plus) (a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall revise section 201.67 of title 9, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on January 1, 2025, to specify that— (1) market agencies may have an ownership interest in, finance, or participate in the management or operation of, a packer, so long as such packer— (A) with respect to cattle and sheep, has a cumulative slaughter capacity of less than— (i) 2,000 animals per day; or (ii) 700,000 animals per year; and (B) with respect to hogs, has a cumulative slaughter capacity of less than— (i) 10,000 animals per day; or (ii) 3,000,000 animals per year; and (2) market agencies that have an ownership interest in, finance, or participate in the management or operation of, a packer shall disclose to sellers of livestock the existence of such ownership interest, financial relationship, or participation. (b) Savings clause Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as a limitation on the authority of the Secretary to adopt or enforce rules or regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 ( 7 U.S.C. 181 et seq. ) related to the protection of producers, competition, market integrity, or the prevention of conflicts of interest.