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HR 4543 IH

To amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require an active tuberculosis screening for any individual seeking employment with meat processing facilities or poultry processing facilities, and to prohibit the hiring of any individual who is determined to have active tuberculosis.

December 13, 2007

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

To amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require an active tuberculosis screening for any individual seeking employment with meat processing facilities or poultry processing facilities, and to prohibit the hiring of any individual who is determined to have active tuberculosis.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ACTIVE TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING REQUIREMENT FOR POULTRY PROCESSING FACILITIES.

(a) Tuberculosis Testing- The Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

`SEC. 31. EMPLOYEE TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING.

`(a) No individual may be hired by any person that engages, for commerce, in the business of slaughtering any poultry or processing, freezing, packaging, or labeling any carcasses, or parts or products of carcasses, of any poultry, for use as human food or animal food, unless a licensed medical professional determines that such individual does not have active tuberculosis by administering to such individual a tuberculin skin test as part of the individual's application for employment, and if such individual has a positive tuberculin reaction, by administering a chest X-ray examination.

`(b) An individual determined to have active tuberculosis under subsection (a) is not barred from seeking future employment with such person if such individual receives treatment for active tuberculosis and such individual is subsequently determined not to have active tuberculosis under subsection (a).'.

(b) Penalties- Section 12(a) of such Act (21 U.S.C. 461(a)) is amended by striking `or 17' and inserting `17, or 31'.

SEC. 2. ACTIVE TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING REQUIREMENT FOR MEAT PROCESSING FACILITIES.

The Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end of title II the following new section:

`SEC. 206. EMPLOYEE TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING.

`(a) No individual may be hired by any person, firm, or corporation that engages, for commerce, in the business of slaughtering any amenable species, or preparing, freezing, packaging, or labeling any carcasses, or parts or products of carcasses, of any such amenable species, for use as human food or animal food, unless a licensed medical professional determines that such individual does not have active tuberculosis by administering to such individual a tuberculin skin test as part of the individual's application for employment, and if such individual has a positive tuberculin reaction, by administering a chest X-ray examination.

`(b) An individual determined to have active tuberculosis under subsection (a) is not barred from seeking future employment with such person, firm, or corporation if such individual receives treatment for active tuberculosis and such individual is subsequently determined not to have active tuberculosis under subsection (a).'.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

The amendments made by this Act shall take effect after the date which is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.