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118th Congress Labor and Employment

H.R. 798: Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act of 2023

Introduced

  1. Introduced (completed)Feb 2, 2023
  2. Passed House (not reached)
  3. Passed Senate (not reached)
  4. To the President (not reached)
  5. Became law (not reached)

Summary

Introduced in House, Feb 2, 2023

This bill addresses workplace conditions and safety with a particular focus on meat and poultry processing establishments and makes other changes to agricultural programs and activities.

Generally, the bill provides funding through FY2029 for hiring additional Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors and related activities. It also restricts an employer's use of certain attendance policies under which a worker is assessed points for absences with progressive discipline imposed as points accumulate.

Additionally, the bill expands protections for workers who exercise their rights under occupational safety and health laws and regulations. This includes specific protections and procedures for workers of meat and poultry processing establishments.

Read the full summary

The bill expands workplace safety and health requirements that apply to meat and poultry processing establishments, including by prohibiting waivers (subject to limited exceptions) related to line speeds and inspections. Additionally, OSHA must issue standards for these establishments that address, for example, ergonomic program management and preventing occupational exposure to COVID-19. OSHA must also (1) establish, within seven days, a process for establishments to report COVID-19 information; and (2) publish certain regulations regarding a workers' representative accompanying an OSHA inspector during inspections of an establishment.

The bill provides funding through FY2032 for, and imposes additional conditions on recipients of, grants to improve meat and poultry processing facilities. Further, the bill increases funding for a program that supports regional and local food systems. It also requires country-of-origin labeling of beef, pork, and dairy products.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Roll calls

0 votes on this bill

No roll call votes have been held on this bill.

Amendments

0 offered

No amendments were offered to this bill.

Cosponsors

29

Who scored on this bill

6 points earned
  1. 1Ro Khanna D-CA SponsorIntroduced, reached a cosponsor milestone2 events+6
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Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.

Other bills by Ro Khanna

History

  1. Feb 2, 2023Introduced in the House by Ro Khanna.
Show the full action history (3 actions)
  1. Mar 2, 2023Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
  2. Feb 2, 2023Introduced in House
  3. Feb 2, 2023Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, Oversight and Accountability, House Administration, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.