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SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 2497
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE WEBER.
4359H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 348, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to a meat
production justice grant program.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 348, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 348.182, to read as follows:
348.182. 1. As used in this section, the following terms mean:
2 (1) "Authority", the Missouri agricultural and small business development
3 authority;
4 (2) "Beef pr oducer", all beef pro ducers who sell cattle;
5 (3) "Facility", any federally inspected facilities housing or process ing cattle or
6 hogs;
7 (4) "Pork prod ucer", all pork pr oducers who sell hogs.
8 2. Subject to appr opriation, the authority shall establish a meat prod uction
9 justice grant pro gram to pr ovide incentives to beef and pork prod ucers to adher e to
10 sustainable pr oduction practices that pr omote social, economic, and envir onmental
11 justice. The authority shall award grants to eligible beef and pork pr oducers on the
12 basis of available funds with priority given to prod ucers having the gr eatest need.
13 3. Any beef pr oducer who maintains Beef Quality Assurance Certification for
14 staff and management and who is willing to enter into a grant agr eement under the
15 terms outlined in subsection 6 of this section shall be eligible for a grant under the meat
16 pr oduction justice grant progr am to fund facility improve ments and other facility or
17 operation needs to satisfactorily meet Beef Quality Assurance standards.
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
18 4. Any pork prod ucer who maintains Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus
19 Certification for staff and management, receives PQA Plus site status, and who is willing
20 to enter into a grant agr eement under the terms outlined in subsection 6 of this section
21 shall be eligible for a grant under the meat prod uction justice grant prog ram to fund
22 facility impr ovements and other facility or operation needs to satisfactorily meet Pork
23 Quality Assurance Plus standards.
24 5. The authority shall post on the authority's website the eligibility criteria
25 outlined in this section, the contents of the grant application, and the pr ocedur es and
26 timelines by which beef and pork pro ducers may apply for grants.
27 6. The authority shall enter into a grant agreement with each beef or pork
28 pr oducer to whom the authority awards a grant under this section. The grant
29 agr eement shall be in writing and shall contain:
30 (1) A pro vision that the beef or pork producer agr ees to maintain such
31 pr oducer's certification fr om Beef Quality Assurance or Pork Quality Assurance Plus
32 for all staff for a continuous five-year period;
33 (2) A pr ovision that the authority shall quarterly verify with the Beef Quality
34 Assurance or Pork Quality Assurance Plus pro grams that each pr oducer is certified and
35 in compliance with the standards of each certificate;
36 (3) A pro vision that any obligations arising out of the agree ment enter ed into
37 under this subsection ar e contingent upon funds being appro priated for grant
38 payments;
39 (4) A statement of the damages to which the state is entitled for the beef or pork
40 pr oducer's br each of the grant agree ment; and
41 (5) Such other statements of the rights and liabilities of the authority and of the
42 beef or pork prod ucer not inconsistent with this section.
43 7. If a beef or pork prod ucer br eaches the written grant agr eement by not
44 satisfactorily meeting all standards for certification req uired under subdivision (2) of
45 subsection 6 of this section, a corr ective action plan shall be completed. Pr oducers who
46 do not comply with the corr ective action plan shall lose access to the grant pro gram and
47 shall pay back all moneys such pro ducers have r eceived that fiscal year .
48 8. The department of natural res ources shall notify the authority of a beef or
49 pork pr oducer's violations of envir onmental laws or reg ulations and any citation for
50 such violations issued to such pro ducer . Upon such notification, the authority shall
51 develop steps for the beef or pork pr oducer to res olve such violations or corr ect such
52 citations under a correct ive action plan as pr ovided in subsection 7 of this section.
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53 9. This section shall not be construed to req uire the authority to enter into grant
54 agr eements with beef or pork pr oducers who ar e eligible for grants under this section if
55 state moneys ar e not available for such purpose.
56 10. (1) There is her eby cr eated in the state tr easury the "Meat Pr oduction
57 Justice Grant Pr ogram Fund", which shall consist of moneys appr opriated to it by the
58 general assembly . The state tr easurer shall be custodian of the fund. In accordance
59 with sections 30.170 and 30.180, the state tr easurer may appr ove disbursements. The
60 fund shall be a dedicated fund and, upon appr opriation, moneys in the fund shall be
61 used solely for awarding grants and administering the grant pr ogram as provi ded in
62 this section.
63 (2) Notwithstanding the pro visions of section 33.080 to the contrary , any moneys
64 r emaining in the fund at the end of the biennium shall not r evert to the credit of the
65 general reven ue fund.
66 (3) The state tre asurer shall invest moneys in the fund in the same manner as
67 other funds ar e invested. Any interes t and moneys earned on such investments shall be
68 cr edited to the fund.
69 1 1. The authority may promulg ate all necessary rules and regu lations for the
70 administration of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in
71 section 536.010, that is crea ted under the authority delegated in this section shall
72 become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provi sions of chapter
73 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable
74 and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to
75 r eview , to delay the effective date, or to disappr ove and annul a rule are subsequently
76 held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule pr oposed or
77 adopted after August 28, 2026, shall be invalid and void.
✔
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