S-1766               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5916

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Senators Barr, Newhouse, Hansen, Madsen, Bailey, Anderson and Gaspard

Read first time 2/16/89 and referred to Committee on  Agriculture.

AN ACT Relating to the labeling of meat; and amending RCW 16.49A.570.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 60, chapter 145, Laws of 1969 ex. sess. as amended by section 2, chapter 108, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. and RCW 16.49A.570 are each amended to read as follows:

          The purpose of this chapter is to promote uniformity of state legislation and regulations with the federal meat inspection act 21 USC 601 et seq., and regulations adopted thereunder.

          In accord with such purpose any regulations adopted under the federal meat inspection act and published in the federal register shall be deemed to have been adopted under the provisions of this chapter in accord with chapter ((34.04)) 34.05 RCW as enacted or hereafter amended.  The director shall, however, within thirty days of the publication of the adoption of any such regulation under the federal meat inspection act give public notice that a hearing will be held to determine if such regulation shall not be applicable under the provisions of this chapter.  Such hearing shall be in accord with the requirements of chapter ((34.04)) 34.05 RCW, as enacted or hereafter amended, concerning the adoption of regulations.

Nothing in this chapter, including without limitation RCW 16.49A.610, shall prohibit or authorize the director or any governmental unit to prohibit a licensed retail meat dealer who, without adding ingredients or mixing types of meat, merely trims, cuts, or further grinds into smaller units, meat that was inspected and packaged under federal inspection, from displaying on the label of such smaller unit the identity information from the label of the larger unit.