American Meat Freedom Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7818 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7818

 To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to allow interstate shipment 
 of meat and meat food products inspected and passed under qualifying 
                            State programs.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 2026

 Mr. Burchett introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to allow interstate shipment 
 of meat and meat food products inspected and passed under qualifying 
                            State programs.

    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 ``American Meat Freedom Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) State meat inspection programs are authorized under 
        section 301 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 661) 
        if the Secretary of Agriculture determines that such programs 
        impose requirements ``at least equal to'' those imposed under 
        Federal inspection.
            (2) Ranchers and small-scale meat producers operating under 
        compliant State inspection programs are currently limited in 
        their ability to access interstate markets.
            (3) Allowing interstate shipment of meat and meat food 
        products inspected under qualifying State programs will--
                    (A) expand market access for small and mid-sized 
                ranchers;
                    (B) increase competition in meat processing;
                    (C) strengthen domestic food supply resilience; and
                    (D) maintain food safety standards equivalent to 
                Federal inspection.

SEC. 3. INTERSTATE SHIPMENT OF STATE-INSPECTED MEAT.

    (a) Amendments.--Section 301(a)(1) of the Federal Meat Inspection 
Act (21 U.S.C. 661(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``solely for distribution within such 
        State''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following: ``Meat or meat food 
        products may be shipped, transported, offered for sale, or sold 
        in interstate commerce if such meat or meat food products were 
        inspected and passed under such a State meat inspection law, 
        provided that--
                    ``(A) the Secretary has determined on or after the 
                date that is 36 months before such shipment, 
                transportation, offering for sale, or sale that the 
                State meat inspection law meets the requirements of the 
                previous sentence;
                    ``(B) the establishment that produced the meat or 
                meat food products has complied, with respect to such 
                meat or meat food products, with all applicable 
                requirements of such State meat inspection law;
                    ``(C) the meat or meat food product bears labeling 
                indicating that it was inspected and passed under a 
                State meat inspection program for interstate shipment, 
                transportation, and sale; and
                    ``(D) the State that enacted such meat inspection 
                law has agreed to submit to periodic audits by the 
                Secretary.''.
    (b) Rulemaking.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate regulations 
to implement the amendments made by subsection (a).
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