article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Cattle Industry Improvement Act of 1996''. (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Expedited implementation of Fund for Rural America. Sec. 3. Prohibition on noncompetitive practices. Sec. 4. Domestic market reporting. Sec. 5. Import and export reporting. Sec. 6. Protection of livestock producers against retaliation by packers. Sec. 7. Review of Federal agriculture credit policies. Sec. 8. Streamlining and consolidating the United States food inspection system. Sec. 9. Labeling system for meat and meat food products produced in the United States. Sec. 10. Spot transactions involving bulk cheese. SEC. 2. EXPEDITED IMPLEMENTATION OF FUND FOR RURAL AMERICA. Section 793(b)(1) of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 2204f(b)(1)) is amended by striking ``January 1, 1997,'' and all that follows through ``October 1, 1999,'' and inserting ``November 10, 1996, October 1, 1997, and October 1, 1998,''. SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON NONCOMPETITIVE PRACTICES. Section 202 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 192), is amended-- (1) in subsection (g), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; or''; and (2) by adding at the end the following: ``(h) Engage in any practice or device that the Secretary by regulation, after consultation with producers of cattle, lamb, and hogs, and other persons in the cattle, lamb, and hog industries, determines is a detrimental noncompetitive practice or device relating to the price or a term of sale for the procurement of livestock or the sale of meat or other byproduct of slaughter.''. SEC. 4. DOMESTIC MARKET REPORTING. (a) Persons in Slaughter Business.--Section 203(g) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1622(g)) is amended-- (1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``To collect''; and (2) by adding at the end the following: ``(2) Each person engaged in the business of slaughtering livestock who carries out more than 5 percent of the national slaughter for a given species shall report to the Secretary in such manner as the Secretary shall require, as soon as practicable but not later than 24 hours after a transaction takes place, such information relating to prices and the terms of sale for the procurement of livestock and the sale of meat food products and livestock products as the Secretary determines is necessary to carry out this subsection. ``(3) Whoever knowingly fails or refuses to provide to the Secretary information required to be reported by paragraph (2) shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both. ``(4) The Secretary shall encourage voluntary reporting by any person engaged in the business of slaughtering livestock who carries out 5 percent or less of the national slaughter for a given species. ``(5) The Secretary shall make information received under this subsection available to the public only in the aggregate and shall ensure the confidentiality of persons providing the information.''. (b) Elimination of Outmoded Reports.--The Secretary of Agriculture, after consultation with producers and other affected parties, shall periodically-- (1) eliminate obsolete reports; and (2) streamline the collection and reporting of data related to livestock and meat and livestock products, using modern data communications technology, to provide information to the public on as close to a real-time basis as practicable. (c) Definition of ``Captive Supply''.--For the purpose of regulations issued by the Secretary of Agriculture relating to reporting under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) and the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), the term ``captive supply'' means livestock obligated to a packer in any form of transaction in which more than 7 days elapses from the date of obligation to the date of delivery of the livestock. SEC. 5. IMPORT AND EXPORT REPORTING. (a) Exports.--Section 602(a)(1) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5712(a)(1)) is amended by inserting after ``products thereof,'' the following: ``and meat food products and livestock products (as the terms are defined in section 2 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 182)),''. (b) Imports.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Commerce shall, using modern data communications technology to provide the information to the public on as close to a real-time basis as practicable, jointly make available to the public aggregate price and quantity information on imported meat food products, livestock products, and livestock (as the terms are defined in section 2 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 182)). (2) First report.--The Secretaries shall release to the public the first report under paragraph (1) not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act. SEC. 6. PROTECTION OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS AGAINST RETALIATION BY PACKERS. (a) Retaliation Prohibited.--Section 202(b) of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 192(b)), is amended-- (1) by striking ``or subject'' and inserting ``subject''; and (2) by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following: ``, or retaliate against any livestock producer on account of any statement made by the producer (whether made to the Secretary or a law enforcement agency or in a public forum) regarding an action of any packer''. (b) Special Requirements Regarding Allegations of Retaliation.-- Section 203 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 193), is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(e) Special Procedures Regarding Allegations of Retaliation.-- ``(1) Consideration by special panel.--The President shall appoint a special panel consisting of 3 members to receive and initially consider a complaint submitted by any person that alleges prohibited packer retaliation under section 202(b) directed against a livestock producer. ``(2) Complaint; hearing.--If the panel has reason to believe from the complaint or resulting investigation that a packer has violated or is violating the retaliation prohibition under section 202(b), the panel shall notify the Secretary who shall cause a complaint to be issued against the packer, and a hearing conducted, under subsection (a). ``(3) Evidentiary standard.--In the case of a complaint regarding retaliation prohibited under section 202(b), the Secretary shall find that the packer involved has violated or is violating section 202(b) if the finding is supported by a preponderance of the evidence.''. (c) Damages for Producers Suffering Retaliation.--Section 203 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 193) (as amended by subsection (b)), is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(f) Damages for Producers Suffering Retaliation.-- ``(1) In general.--If a packer violates the retaliation prohibition under section 202(b), the packer shall be liable to the livestock producer injured by the retaliation for not more than 3 times the amount of damages sustained as a result of the violation. ``(2) Enforcement.--The liability may be enforced either by complaint to the Secretary, as provided in subsection (e), or by suit in any court of competent jurisdiction. ``(3) Other remedies.--This subsection shall not abridge or alter a remedy existing at common law or by statute. The remedy provided by this subsection shall be in addition to any other remedy.''. SEC. 7. REVIEW OF FEDERAL AGRICULTURE CREDIT POLICIES. The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Chairman of the Board of the Farm Credit Administration, shall establish an interagency working group to study-- (1) the extent to which Federal lending practices and policies have contributed, or are contributing, to market concentration in the livestock and dairy sectors of the national economy; and (2) whether Federal policies regarding the financial system of the United States adequately take account of the weather and price volatility risks inherent in livestock and dairy enterprises. SEC. 8. STREAMLINING AND CONSOLIDATING THE UNITED STATES FOOD INSPECTION SYSTEM. (a) Preparation.--In consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and all other interested parties, the President shall prepare a plan to consolidate the United States food inspection system that ensures the best use of available resources to improve the consistency, coordination, and effectiveness of the United States food inspection system, taking into account food safety risks. (b) Submission.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to Congress the plan prepared under subsection (a). SEC. 9. LABELING SYSTEM FOR MEAT AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES. (a) Labeling.--Section 7 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 607) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(g) Labeling of Meat of United States Origin.-- ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall develop a system for the labeling of carcasses, parts of carcasses, and meat produced in the United States from livestock raised in the United States, and meat food products produced in the United States from the carcasses, parts of carcasses, and meat, to indicate the United States origin of the carcasses, parts of carcasses, meat, and meat food products. ``(2) Assistance.--The Secretary shall provide technical and financial assistance to establishments subject to inspection under this title to implement the labeling system. ``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this subsection.''. SEC. 10. SPOT TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING BULK CHEESE. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall collect and publicize, on a weekly basis, statistically reliable information, obtained from all cheese manufacturing areas in the United States, on prices and terms of trade for spot transactions involving bulk cheese, including information on the national average price, and regional average prices, for bulk cheese sold through spot transactions. (b) Confidentiality.--All information provided to, or acquired by, the Secretary under this section shall be kept confidential by each officer and employee of the Department of Agriculture, except that general weekly statements may be issued that are based on the reports of a number of spot transactions and that do not identify the information provided by any person. (c) Funding.--The Secretary may use funds that are available for dairy market data collection to carry out this section.
summary: Cattle Industry Improvement Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to advance the Fund for Rural America's initial funding date. (Sec. 3) Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to prohibit noncompetitive practices relating to the price or terms of sale of livestock or meat and meat by-products. (Sec. 4) Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to set forth domestic market reporting requirements for certain persons in the slaughter business. Defines "captive supply." (Sec. 5) Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 with regard to livestock and meat food products reporting requirements. (Sec. 6) Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to prohibit retaliation by packers against livestock producers. Provides damages for producers suffering such retaliation. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an interagency working group to review whether Federal lending practices are contributing to market concentration in the livestock and dairy sectors. (Sec. 8) Directs the President to prepare a consolidation plan for the U.S. food inspection system. (Sec. 9) Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require a labeling system for U.S.-produced meat and meat food products. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 10) Directs the Secretary to collect and publicize information on bulk cheese spot transactions.