House File 2443 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2443 BY TUREK A BILL FOR An Act providing for a country of origin label for certain 1 products, allowing for injunctive relief, and making 2 penalties applicable. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 6586YH (3) 91 da/js
H.F. 2443 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 191.11 Country of origin labeling 1 program. 2 1. The department shall adopt rules to establish a country 3 of origin labeling program for beef and pork meat products 4 sold in this state on a retail basis including muscle cuts of 5 beef, muscle cuts of pork, ground beef, and ground pork. The 6 rules may be based on regulations requiring country of origin 7 labeling for those products as published in 74 Fed. Reg. 2658. 8 2. The department shall not adopt rules described in 9 subsection 1, until it obtains any necessary waiver from 10 the United States department of agriculture based on an 11 authorizing statute enacted by the United States Congress. If 12 the department determines that it requires state legislation 13 prior to adopting any rules under this section, the department 14 shall prepare and submit such legislation to the Ninety-second 15 General Assembly prior to its first session convening. The 16 department shall submit a report to the general assembly 17 no later than January 1, 2027, detailing its progress in 18 implementing this section. 19 EXPLANATION 20 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 21 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 22 BACKGROUND —— FEDERAL LAW. In the Consolidated 23 Appropriations Act, 2016 (Pub. L. No. 114-113), the United 24 States Congress enacted legislation that removed mandatory 25 labeling requirements for beef and pork meat products that had 26 been administered and enforced under regulations adopted by the 27 United States department of agriculture (USDA) and published in 28 the Federal Register in 2009. 29 BACKGROUND —— IOWA LAW. Title V, subtitle 4, of the Code 30 provides for the regulation of agriculture-related products 31 and activities by the department of agriculture and land 32 stewardship (DALS). Code chapter 191 sets forth labeling 33 requirements for food products to the extent such requirements 34 have not been preempted by federal law (see 21 U.S.C. ch. 35 -1- LSB 6586YH (3) 91 da/js 1/ 2
H.F. 2443 9). Code section 189.21 provides that any person violating 1 a provision of Code Title V, subtitle 4, or any rule adopted 2 by DALS pursuant to that provision is guilty of a simple 3 misdemeanor. A simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement 4 for no more than 30 days and a fine of at least $105 but not 5 more than $855. Code section 191.10 provides that DALS may 6 restrain a person violating a provision in Code chapter 191 or 7 a rule adopted by DALS under that Code chapter, by petitioning 8 a district court for injunctive relief. 9 BILL’S PROVISION. This bill enacts a provision in Code 10 chapter 191 that requires DALS to adopt rules to establish a 11 country of origin labeling state program for beef and pork 12 meat products sold in this state on a retail basis (state 13 program). The rules may be based on the superseded USDA 14 regulations. The bill prohibits DALS from adopting such rules 15 unless it first obtains any necessary waiver by the USDA based 16 on an authorizing congressional statute. If DALS determines 17 that it requires state legislation to further implement the 18 state program, it is required to prepare such legislation for 19 consideration by the 92nd General Assembly during its first 20 session. DALS must submit a report to the general assembly 21 not later than January 1, 2027, detailing its progress in 22 implementing the bill’s provisions. 23 -2- LSB 6586YH (3) 91 da/js 2/ 2