Bill > HR798

This bill, the Protecting America's Meatpacking Workers Act of 2023, aims to improve protections for meatpacking workers. It includes several key provisions: - It prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from issuing waivers to increase line speeds at meatpacking plants unless the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certifies that the increases would not harm worker safety. It also restricts the use of funds to increase line speeds during the COVID-19 pandemic. - It establishes requirements for employers to have fair attendance policies that do not penalize workers for taking legally protected leave, and provides enforcement mechanisms and remedies. - It requires OSHA to issue new standards to protect meatpacking workers, including standards for ergonomics, first aid, and protection from airborne pathogens like COVID-19. - It provides additional funding for OSHA inspectors and reporting requirements for meatpacking plants during pandemics. - It also includes reforms to the Packers and Stockyards Act, such as restricting the use of formula pricing and forward contracts, and increasing requirements for spot market livestock purchases by large meatpackers. The bill aims to address the hazardous conditions faced by meatpacking workers, including high injury rates, exposure to COVID-19, and abusive treatment, and to increase transparency and fairness in the meatpacking industry.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/798/all-info