As Amended by House Commettee
Session of 1998
House Concurrent Resolution No. 5028
By Joint Committee on Economic Development
12-1
10
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION memorializing Congress to
urge the
11 Secretary of the
United States Department of Agriculture to continue
12 communication efforts
with and assist Kansas' small meat processing
13 plants in compliance
efforts relating to meat and poultry inspection.
14
15 WHEREAS, The United
States Department of Agriculture's Food
16 Safety and Inspection Service has developed
regulations relating to meat
17 and poultry production and inspection;
and
18 WHEREAS, These
regulations relate to written sanitation standard
19 operating procedures, sampling and testing,
development and implemen-
20 tation of food safety systems and
development of a microbiological sam-
21 pling program; and
22 WHEREAS, The exportation
of quality Kansas products is
important
23 has long been the most critical
issue to the growth and vitality of this
24 state's agricultural economy and
has long been a focal point of the
State
25 of Kansas' economic plan;
and
26 WHEREAS, The State of
Kansas encourages the continued safe and
27 sanitary development, production and
exportation of Kansas Kansas'
ag-
28 ricultural products, one product
being Kansas meat products; and
29 WHEREAS, The State of
Kansas previously maintained an ``equal to''
30 status with the Federal requirements
regarding meat and poultry pro-
31 duction; and
32 WHEREAS, The Legislature
of the State of Kansas and the Secretary
33 of Agriculture of the State of Kansas have
and will always require that
34 meat and poultry products are processed in
a safe, healthy and sanitized
35 manner; and
36 WHEREAS, Small meat
processing plants will incur substantial costs
37 in implementing these regulations
without the United States depart-
38 ment of agriculture's imminent
communication and intervention;
39 and
40 WHEREAS, The continued
existence of small meat processing plants
41 is extremely
important critical to the
economy socioeconomic
survival
42 of many small towns throughout the State of
Kansas; and
43 WHEREAS, The United
States Department of Agriculture's Food
HCR 5028--Am.
2
1 Safety and Inspection Service
indicated that no small meat processing
2 plants should go out of business as a
result of implementation of the
3 federal regulations.
The service indicated that
communication
4
WHEREAS, Communication between the Federal
government, the
5 Secretary of Agriculture, the
Legislature and the small meat processing
6 plants (Rx)lated
to regarding the actual effects of implementation
of these
7 regulations needs to be greatly
improved; and
8 WHEREAS, The
Secretary of Agriculture should suggest an array of
9 alternatives that would enable the
state small meat processing plants
10 to comply with the Federal requirements and
still (male symbol)intain the
state's
11 small meat processing plants
ongoing existence survive by allowing Kan-
12 sas' small meat processing plants to be
able to meet similar or equal to
13 standards to the federal regulations;
and
14 WHEREAS, A better
balance must be made regarding the
proper
15 implementation of federal regulations and
the  c/ontinued existence
sur-
16 vival of small meat processing
plants in Kansas , to that end it is
imperative
17 that must be achieved
by the Legislature of the State of Kansas, the
18 Secretary of Agriculture of the State of
Kansas, the United States De-
19 partment of Agriculture and the small meat
processing plants  c/ommu-
20 nicate and cooperate
communication and cooperation to remove
21 these barriers to interstate
commerce by small meat processing
plants is
22 critical: Now, therefore,
23 Be it resolved by the
House of Representatives of the State of Kansas,
24 the Senate concurring
therein: That we urge
request this body, the
25 Secretary of Agriculture of the State of
Kansas and the United States
26 Department of Agriculture to
 c/ontinue communications with
commu-
27 nicate and respond to the critical
socioeconomic plight of Kansas'
28 small meat processing plants and urge the
Secretary of Agriculture of the
29 State of Kansas and the Secretary of the
United States department
30 of agriculture to consider the
critical impact and ramifications of im-
31 plementation of the federal regulations on
these small meat processing
32 plants
(tri-stars)roughout the state with
emphasis on complying with federal
33 requirements without losing any small meat
processing plants; and
34 Be it further
resolved: That the Chief Clerk of the House of Repre-
35 sentatives be directed to send enrolled
copies of this resolution to the
36 Secretary of Agriculture of the State of
Kansas, the Secretary of Agricul-
37 ture of the United States, each member of
the Legislative Coordinating
38 Council and each member of the Kansas
Congressional Delegation.
39