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House follows Senate on legislation that keeps inspectors in plants
Story Date: 3/22/2013
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Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 3/21/13
On a 318-109 vote Thursday morning, the House passed the same funding bill the Senate passed yesterday to keep the federal government running for another six months, including an amendment designed to avoid furloughs for USDA meat plant inspectors even as other budget cuts go into effect.
The House passage of the Continuing Resolution will fund the government through Sept. 30, 2013. It gives department leadership the latitude to “maintain essential employees” and defines an essential employee as “an employee that performs work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property, as determined by the head of the agency.”
The American Meat Institute praised the move, and in particular the amendment sponsored by Senators Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) that directs $55 million to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service from other USDA accounts to fund meat and poultry inspection.
“We are gratified that lawmakers recognized the essential nature of meat and poultry inspection by taking this step to prevent inspector furloughs,” said AMI President J. Patrick Boyle in a statement.
North American Meat Association President Barry Carpenter pointed out that while this funding will not exempt FSIS from sequestration-related cuts, the additional $55 million included is earmarked for frontline food safety inspectors.
The Continuing Resolution now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature, then USDA will need to determine how to implement the measure.
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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