H.R. 754 · 96th CongressIn committee

A bill to require that imported meat and meat food products made in whole or in part of imported meat be subjected to certain tests and that such meat or products be identified as having been imported; to require the inspection of imported dairy products and that such products comply with certain minimum standards of sanitation; to require that the cost of conducting such tests, inspections, and identification procedures on imported meat and meat food products and on dairy products, as the case may be, be borne by the exporters of such articles; and for other purposes.

Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Agriculture. · January 15, 1979

Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.

What this bill would do

Official summary · Congressional Research Service

Title I: Meat and Meat Products - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require the labeling as imported of the package or container of any imported meat or meat product capable of use as human food. Requires that such products: (1) meet the same health standards as domestically produced meat; and (2) be tested in the exporting country. Requires periodic tests of such products in the United States by the Department of Agriculture. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe necessary assessments and fees. Title II: Dairy Products - Prohibits the importation of dairy products into the United States unless certified wholesome and pure by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Requires the Secretary to establish standards for such products comparable to standards imposed on domestic dairy products. Directs the Secretary to inspect imported dairy products and to require a certificate of compliance to accompany them. Requires imported dairy products to comply with United States labeling and packaging requirements, and to carry indications on their labeling that they are imported.

Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 15, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

Status

Introduced

January 15, 1979

In committee

January 15, 1979

Passed a chamber

Cleared Congress

Enacted

Where this sits in the process

Common questions

Composed from the official record

Where is it in the process, and what happens next?

4 steps remain before this bill could become law.

The record's latest action, on January 15, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Agriculture.

Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
Passage by the House
Passage by the Senate
The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.

How likely is it to become law?

Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.

In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.

This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.

Has anyone actually voted on it?

No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.

A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.

Who is behind it?

VIRGINIA SMITH (R-NE) introduced it on January 15, 1979. No cosponsors are recorded.

Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.

How long has it been in play?

It was introduced on January 15, 1979, 17405 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17405 days ago, on January 15, 1979.

Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.

Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.

Vote history

House
In committee, no floor vote yet
Senate
Awaits House passage
President
Awaits both chambers

No recorded votes yet

No roll call in this Congress cites this bill. Most bills die in committee without ever reaching a recorded floor vote.

See recent roll-call votes More bills like this

What this bill covers

Policy area

Health

Subject terms

Agriculture and Rural AffairsAgriculture in foreign tradeConsumer protectionDairy productsFood adulteration and inspectionFood and Food IndustryFood industryForeign Trade and Investments

and 8 more subject terms on the official record.

Assigned by analysts at the Congressional Research Service, not by Civibrief.

Constitutional protections

No protections are clearly tagged for this record.

Sponsor

VIRGINIA SMITH

Committees

No committee data.

Related measures

H.R. 1051
Identical bill · January 18, 1979
A bill to require that imported meat and meat food products made in whole or part of imported meat be subjected to certain tests and that such meat or products be identified as having been imported; to require the inspection of imported dairy products and that such products comply with certain minimum standards of sanitation; to require that the cost of conducting such tests, inspections, and identification procedures on imported meat and meat food products and on dairy products, as the case may be, be borne by the exporters of such articles, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1375
Identical bill · January 24, 1979
A bill to require that imported meat and meat food products made in whole or in part of imported meat be subjected to certain tests and that such meat or products be identified as having been imported; to require the inspection of imported dairy products and that such products comply with certain minimum standards of sanitation; to require that the cost of conducting such tests, inspections, and identification procedures on imported meat and meat food products and on dairy products, as the case may be, be borne by the exporters of such articles, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1998
Identical bill · February 8, 1979
A bill to require that imported meat and meat food products made in whole or in part of imported meat be subjected to certain tests and that such meat or products be identified as having been imported; to require the inspection of imported dairy products and that such products comply with certain minimum standards of sanitation; to require that the cost of conducting such tests, inspections, and identification procedures on imported meat and meat food products and on dairy products, as the case may be, be borne by the exporters of such articles, and for other purposes.
H.R. 3616
Identical bill · April 10, 1979
A bill to require that imported meat and meat food products made in whole or in part of imported meat be subjected to certain tests and that such meat or products be identified as having been imported; to require the inspection of imported dairy products and that such products comply with certain minimum standards of sanitation; to require that the cost of conducting such tests, inspections, and identification procedures on imported meat and meat food products and on dairy products, as the case may be, be borne by the exporters of such articles; and for other purposes.

Relationships are recorded by Congress.gov, not determined by Civibrief.

Sources & evidence

1 official source back the claims on this page.