Bill > S354

This bill aims to support small and very small meat and poultry processing establishments in the United States. The key provisions are: 1. Requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a free, searchable database of approved validation studies and publish model Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans for smaller and very small poultry and meat processing establishments. The Secretary must also provide guidance on the requirements for these establishments to receive HACCP plan approval. 2. Increasing the maximum federal share for expenses of state meat and poultry inspection programs from 50% to 65%. 3. Expanding the Cooperative Interstate Shipment program, which allows state-inspected meat and poultry establishments to ship products across state lines, by increasing the employee limits from 25 to 50 for smaller establishments and from 35 to 70 for very small establishments. 4. Establishing a competitive grant program to support the resilience and diversification of the small meat and poultry processing sector, including activities such as improving employee health and safety, increasing processing capacity, and other initiatives. 5. Authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants to establish or expand career training programs in meat and poultry processing at educational institutions and to offset the cost of training new processors at smaller and very small establishments.