Loading chat...
TN HB1302
Bill
Status
6/4/2025
Primary Sponsor
William Lamberth
Click for details
AI Summary
-
Establishes the "Tennessee Meat Inspection Act" creating a federally recognized state meat inspection program for livestock (cattle, sheep, swine, goats) slaughtered or processed for intrastate commerce
-
Requires annual licensing from the Commissioner of Agriculture for establishments and custom slaughter operations, with mandatory sanitary inspections prior to approval
-
Adopts federal humane slaughter, antemortem/postmortem inspection, labeling, sanitation, and recordkeeping standards from the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. § 601 et seq.)
-
Grants exclusive state jurisdiction to the Department of Agriculture over meat inspection, preempting local regulation while allowing political subdivisions to retain zoning and code enforcement authority
-
Violations constitute Class C misdemeanors; the act takes full effect 30 days after USDA confirms Tennessee meets requirements for a cooperative state meat inspection agreement
Legislative Description
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 53, Chapter 7 and Chapter 380 of the Public Acts of 2023, relative to the inspection of food derived from animals.
Agriculture, Dept. of
Last Action
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 463
6/4/2025