HB0054 • 2021

Wyoming meat packing initiative.

AN ACT relating to agriculture and economic development; amending the duties of the Wyoming business council to require support for Wyoming producers in the agriculture and meat processing industry; expanding permissible loans and grants to Wyoming meat producers and processors; limiting state rulemaking authority related to meat processing; authorizing rulemaking; requiring a report; and providing for effective dates.

Agriculture

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Agriculture
Last action: 2021-04-01
Official status: enrolled
Effective date: 7/1/2021

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify how existing rules will be affected by the new limitations.

Wyoming Meat Packing Initiative

This law changes how Wyoming helps meat producers and processors by expanding loans and grants, setting rules about state agencies' authority regarding meat processing, and requiring yearly reports.

What This Bill Does

Expands the duties of the Wyoming Business Council to support all agricultural products and meat processing in addition to beef processing.
Allows the council to give loans or grants for infrastructure creation, maintenance, or expansion for any size of meat processor.
Limits state agencies' ability to make rules about meat processing that are stricter than federal laws and regulations.
Requires the Wyoming Business Council to meet at least twice a year with stakeholders and report yearly on their activities related to meat processing.

Who It Names or Affects

Meat producers and processors in Wyoming
The Wyoming Business Council

Terms To Know

Wyoming Business Council: A state agency that helps promote economic development, including agriculture.
Infrastructure: Physical structures and facilities needed for the operation of a business or industry.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill limits state agencies' rulemaking authority but does not specify how this will affect existing rules.
It is unclear what specific changes will be made to the council's website as part of its duties under the new law.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB0054H3001

3rd reading • Representative Eklund

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the wording of the bill to authorize rather than require certain actions related to supporting Wyoming's agriculture and meat processing industry.

Changes 'requiring' to 'authorizing' in the duties of the Wyoming Business Council regarding support for Wyoming producers in the agriculture and meat processing industry.

The amendment only specifies a small change in wording, so its broader implications are limited by this narrow scope.

HB0054HS001

Standing Committee • House Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment passes the substitute version of HB0054 as it was previously amended in committee.

Passes the revised bill that includes support for Wyoming meat producers and processors, expands loan and grant options, limits state rulemaking authority on meat processing, and requires a report.

The amendment text does not provide specific details about the changes made in Substitute No. 1, only that it is being passed.

HB0054S2001

2nd reading • Senator Driskill

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds language that limits the state's ability to create stricter meat processing rules than those set by federal laws.

Adds a new section in the bill text stating that the director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture cannot make rules for meat processing that are stricter than federal standards.
Inserts similar limitations on rulemaking authority into the Environmental Quality Council's duties.

The amendment does not specify how existing state rules will be adjusted to comply with this new limitation.

HB0054S2002

2nd reading • Senator Boner

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the language in the bill to include international activities, replacing 'export and for' with 'international,'

Replaces 'and export and for' with 'international,' in a specific section of the bill.

This change does not provide details on how this new term will be used or what specific actions it implies beyond the text replacement.

HB0054SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment to HB0054 removes references to 'mid-sized' in the bill text and deletes certain lines related to meat processing.

Removes the term 'mid-sized' from the bill's language.
Deletes specific lines dealing with meat processing rules.

The exact content of the deleted lines is not provided, so their impact cannot be fully explained.

Bill History

2021-04-01 LSO
Assigned Chapter Number 44
2021-04-01 Governor
Governor Signed HEA No. 0030
2021-03-30 Senate
S President Signed HEA No. 0030
2021-03-30 House
H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0030
2021-03-26 LSO
Assigned Number HEA No. 0030
2021-03-26 House
H Concur:Passed 53-7-0-0-0
2021-03-25 House
H Received for Concurrence
2021-03-25 Senate
S 3rd Reading:Passed 22-5-0-0-3
2021-03-24 Senate
S 2nd Reading:Passed
2021-03-23 Senate
S COW:Passed
2021-03-12 Senate
S Placed on General File
2021-03-12 Senate
S05 - Agriculture:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 4-1-0-0-0
2021-03-10 Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S05 - Agriculture
2021-03-05 Senate
S Received for Introduction
2021-03-05 House
H 3rd Reading:Passed 47-12-1-0-0
2021-03-04 House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
2021-03-03 House
H COW:Passed
2021-03-01 House
H Placed on General File
2021-03-01 House
H05 - Agriculture:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 7-2-0-0-0
2021-02-01 House
H Introduced and Referred to H05 - Agriculture
2021-01-12 House
H Received for Introduction
2021-01-08 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 21LSO-0242
Bill No.:

HB0054

Effective:

Multiple Dates

LSO No.:

21LSO-0242

Enrolled Act No.:

HEA No. 0030

Chapter No.:

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Interim Committee

Catch Title:

Wyoming meat packing initiative.

Subject:

Agriculture promotion, loans and grants.

Summary/Major Elements:

This act amends an existing program of the Wyoming Business Council (Council) related to the promotion and development of Wyoming agriculture products. Updates to the program include:
Expanding marketing functions to include the promotion and marketing of all agricultural products, not just beef products;
Amends loan and grant criteria to allow for the creation, maintenance or expansion of infrastructure, in addition to interstate sales, for international and in-state sales;
Expands eligibility for loans to include all meat processors, not just beef processors, and to include any size processor, not just mid-sized processors.

The bill requires the Council to meet at least twice yearly to solicit input from stakeholders and specified agencies. The bill also requires the Council to coordinate strategies with stakeholders and agencies to improve meat processing facilities and capabilities in the state by providing technical assistance or expertise on a variety of topics.

The bill requires businesses receiving assistance to follow all applicable state and federal law.

The bill creates a limitation on rule making for the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Quality Council. The bill limits both agencies' rulemaking by stating that no rules promulgated by either agency can impose stricter requirements on meat processing than corresponding federal law or regulations.

Comments:

Requires a report; the bill requires the Council to report to the Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Interim Committee by October 1 each year on the programs, objectives, activities and conditions through the applicable fiscal period.

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

21LSO-0242

ORIGINAL House

ENGROSSED
Bill No
.
HB0054

ENROLLED ACT NO. 30,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2021 General Session

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 9
‑
12
‑
109(b) and by creating new subsections (c) and (d)
, 35
‑
7
‑
123(a)(iii) and 35
‑
11
‑
112 by creating a new subsection (g)
are amended to read:

9
‑
12
‑
109.

Promotion of agriculture.

(b)

The council shall
meet not fewer than two (2) times per year to
solicit input from industry groups
,

and in consultation with the economically needed diversity options for Wyoming (ENDOW) executive council
the department of agriculture and the Wyoming governor's office to
:

(i)

Develop
Maintain
a strategy to create small regionally located
beef
meat
processing plants inspected by the United States department of agriculture
or Wyoming department of agriculture
and mid
‑
to
‑
large sized processing plants for
in
‑
state, interstate and
international sales;

(ii)

Market Wyoming grown
or produced
agricultural products in
‑
state, regionally, nationally and internationally, through market development, trade shows and social media and other media outlets;

(iii)

Enhance the council's website to promote Wyoming grown
or produced
agricultural products including match making services between key food system partners;

(iv)

Contingent on available funds, p
rovide loans or grants to be used to fund infrastructure for
mid
‑
sized
meat processing plants for international
, in
‑
state
and interstate sales.

Loans or grants under this paragraph shall
:
be:

(A)

Limited to
Provide
funding
to create, maintain or expand
infrastructure for plants processing meat products for
export and for
international, in
‑
state or
interstate sale;

(B)

Be p
rovided through a program administered by the council, including the Wyoming business ready community program, and subject to all applicable statutes and rules governing the program.

(v)

Coordinate strategies to improve meat processing facilities and capabilities in Wyoming, including by

providing
technical assistance or expertise to assist producers
and processors with constructing, maintaining, expanding, marketing and seeking federal grants and loans.

(c)

Any meat processing facility receiving assistance

under this section shall comply with all applicable state and federal regulations.

(d)

The council shall submit a comprehensive report of the programs, objectives, activities and conditions covering the previous fiscal period to the joint
agriculture, state and public lands and water resources interim committee not later than October 1 annually.

35
‑
7
‑
123.

Establishment of food safety system.

(a)

The director of the department of agriculture shall establish and maintain a food safety program located within the department. The director shall carry out the provisions of the food safety program and shall be assisted by the director of the department of health. A local department of health, if established according to law, may establish and maintain its own local food safety program so long as the program meets the requirements of this act. The director of the department of agriculture or his designee shall:

(iii)

Regulate the safety of foods and work together with the department of health and the governor's food safety council established pursuant to W.S. 35
‑
7
‑
127 to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this act
, except that the director of the department of agriculture shall not promulgate any rules which impose standards or requirements related to meat processing which are more stringent than federal law, rules or regulations
. In any area which does not have a local food safety program established pursuant to law, the department shall issue licenses, conduct inspections, hold hearings to enforce any legal provision or rule promulgated under this act;

35
‑
11
‑
112.

Powers and duties of the environmental quality council.

(g)

The council shall not promulgate any rules which impose standards or requirements related to meat processing
which are more stringent than federal law, rules or regulations.

Section 2
.

The
Wyoming business council

may promulgate rules as necessary to carry out the purposes of this act.

Section 3.

(a)

Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2021.

(b)

Section 2 of this act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk